Water for the baby

miti · Post by **miti** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:07 pm

I want to start and give my son (7 months old) water every now and then - especially after he has eaten meat or something else with relative high level of iron. I know that it is comletely safe to drink tap water in Finland (drank it myself all the time when I was living in the north), but the problem is that where we live now, the water is not tasty at all.

I know though that I can't just give him any mineral/bottled water, as some of them contain too many minerals. I have already asked at the neuvola but she wasn't sure about it and couldn't give me a definite answer.

By checking the values of finnaqua spring water (what I drink all the time) it seemed ok - it has low nitrate level (1,2 mg/l). But I know this is not the only thing to consider and I was hoping that some of you might have more experience with that and know more - which type would be ok, other aspects besides nitrate I should consider etc.

Thanks!

Miti.

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scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:22 pm

Hi

I used to put a tiny amount of apple juice into the water. It was probably 1 part apple to 10 parts water. It made it a bit more tasty. She didn't get the apple water all the time though as I wanted her to get used to just having water on it's own.
Your baby wont know the difference between good and bad tasting water just yet!
You could also try boiling it first, leaving it to cool and then offering it- it might change the taste again.

If he isn't taking to drinking water, have a look at the type of cup/sippy/beaker you are offering him...we went through about 6 different types before Sophie settled on one particular cup to drink water out of.

Hannah

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:06 pm

Just because you don't like the taste of the water doesn't mean your baby won't. One of my kids was on a caseine hydrolysat (Nutramigen) for 7 years which used to make me heave every time I mixed it, but he loved it. Babes get thirsty too: it is an excellent idea to get your son used to drinking water, don't add anything. Even apple juice may give him a sweet tooth. My kids were all drinking water soon after they were born, and they still do. I won't let them drink anything else with a meal (unless we are having a party or some other special occasion). Tap water is fine, it doesn't need boiling either.

In France I used to use mineral water with a high calcium content (Contrexeville) but you can't find it here. If your son is still breast-feeding or on formula then he doesn't need extra calcium anyway. Just make sure there are no bubbles in it.

happymum · Post by **happymum** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 11:08 pm

Alway boil the water and then let it cool b4 given it. after the baby is one year Tap water is just fine
dont worry about the taste even if you don't like it (finland water is clean)
try difference cups just as hannah said and if the baby still refuses it wait for some days and try again (breastmilk contains water) wendy didn't take water untill she was 11mths old. funiest thing about her is that she never take water from botles and never take milk from cup.... haha.
cheers

miti · Post by **miti** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:45 am

thanks for the tips, Hannah, Penelope and Happymum. I will see how it works.
I myself drink only water ever since I can remember myself. It is not a principle or anything - water is simply the only drink I like. I have never felt the urge to drink something hot or alcoholic, not even when it is -40 degrees outside. I do think it is weird though and I hope my son would be more flexible than me, but it would be great if he could share my love for water.

After drinking only water for more than three decades my taste has sharpened and I can feel the difference between the different sorts of mineral water and ofcourse notice right away if the tap water is not very tasty. I know it is safe here, but I was hoping to have it both safe and tasty... I will see in the next days what he thinks about it. I am not going to mix it with anything (nevertheless thanks for the tip, Hannah) as I hope he will learn to like water as it is and not need something extra.

Funny that the nurse at the local neuvola wasn't that enthusiastic about giving water to the baby. I am otherwise very happy with the neuvola care and tips, but in this case I think I will do it my own way (while making sure he gets enough milk, of course).

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:34 am

Know what you mean. We have "bad" water here in Espoo, lots of chemical filtres, it even smells un-natural to me (when I turn on the shower for example). I think the water in Helsinki tastes much better, fresher, more pure and natural. The worst I have tasted is at MIL's house in Pargas/Parainen. It is awful (maybe I am just not used to hard limey water any more, even though I grew up drinking it). Even her tea and coffee tastes bad. If I lived there I would have to buy mineral water, even for cooking!

BTW, it would be interesting to know if the hospitals boil the water before they make up formula for young babies (which is not, I know, so common cos everyone breastfeeds). My guess is they do not.

Meri-Tuuli · Post by **Meri-Tuuli** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:32 pm

This off topic, but I find it absolutely fantastic just how liberal Finland is regarding breastfeeding! I'm from the UK and there, its well, I don't know, my sister-in-law never breastfed in front of anyone (inc just around immediate family), its kinda more shunned, or even slightly taboo.

I've already seen TWO mums breastfeeding in upmarket cafes here (and I've only been here since sept) and its so great. I've never seen a woman breastfeed in the UK in public ever. Its so wrong.

BTW I would expect that Finnish water is totally 100% safe. I'm pretty sure you can ask the local water authority for a breakdown of whats in their water, which might ease your mind. I think they might even have to provide these things under law.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:37 pm

The worst tasting tap water I've had was when I moved into a brand new house once. It tasted "dusty"... apparently the pipes' age also is a factor. My well at the cottage used to be good, but I guess I need to change the bottom gravel an make a new lid on it as it seems to have gotten some top water in there.

miti · Post by **miti** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:01 pm

Meri-Tuuli wrote:
BTW I would expect that Finnish water is totally 100% safe. I'm pretty sure you can ask the local water authority for a breakdown of whats in their water, which might ease your mind. I think they might even have to provide these things under law.

the water is safe alright, I wasn't worrying about that. It is the taste that bothers me. The house we live in is by the way relatively new - only 3 years old. Maybe it has something to do with that. I have never tasted water that could compete with the tap water in Rovaniemi (Ounasvaara) - the quality was simply excellent. Well, it is only a few months until we will dig/drill our own well, I hope that the quality there would be better.

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