Preparing Formula in HK

M

monsalhotra

Registered User
Hi Everyone

We're moving to HK in a few weeks and will be living in a serviced apartment that is relatively new with a filtration water system, however have been advised to not rely on the tap water for drinking.

My question is in regards to preparing formula for our 12 week daughter at home -- can we simply boil the tap water and use that to prepare her formula or is it better to use bottled water? Would boiling the tap water remove enough of the toxins, etc?

We're currently living in London and have always used boiled tap water, a little worried about switching to bottled water and if so, which brand of water!

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
It's up to you, I know people who use tap water - there's nothing wrong with it although there are some doubts about the pipes in older buildings, honestly not sure why HK is considered special in this respect, plenty of old piping in London! We use distilled water because I don't like the taste of the HK water even in tea, you can buy it from the supermarket.

Enjoy Hong Kong!
 
yep, like jvn mentioned it's totally up to you as it really depends on how old the pipes are in your building. we also moved to HK from London where we just boiled tap water. When we moved to HK, we only used bottle watered and only use bottle water when we travel around Asia as well.
 
Hi monsalhotra, I have always used boiled tap water. I live in the new territories though, with no concern about building pipes.

Southside, when you travel do you boil the bottled water as well? I was recently away and I bought a load of distilled water to use for formula. At first I was just using it out of the bottle, but then I was told that I needed to boil it first anyway.
 
with my first i used bottled water, with my second i used boiled tap water. no difference to the kids. they drank it just the same...the second doesn't get sick any more often than the first.

hk's water passes all international regulations/tests. as others have said, it can come down to the pipes in the building rather than the water itself. i also think a lot has to do with past practices. if you grew up watching your mum boil water all the time, it gets ingrained in you that it needs to be boiled....even though it doesn't really.

that said, i come from canada and i hate the taste of the water here. i've been here for 16 years and only use tap water for brushing my teeth and cooking. other than that, i drink bottled. my kids, on the other hand, drink hk water all the time (we boil it though, as we live out in the sticks and the pipes are a little dodgy).
 
licquorice: that is ridiculous advice..... distilled water is water that has been boiled to steam and then condensed again....why would someone think you need to boil it again?
 
I've heard you're not supposed to use distilled water for baby. We just boil tap water. You can also you Wildap bottled water especially made for babies, but I think it kinda gets expensive doing that way.
 
i used distilled water for both my kids. no problem. and personally, i don't have loads of $ to be throwing away on bottled water "created specially for babies"....i never fell in to the trap of buying things created just for babies.
 
we use big bottles of water from the supermarket and heat (maybe liquorice meant "heat" instead of boil...) it up in order to mix with cold water so that his formula can be lukewarm to drink.

we also used to use the tap water back in london for everything but after a baby comes into the scene, our extra sensible senses shot through the roof!
 
Regarding the bottled water especially for babies, the US FDA website states that you should boil bottled water for a minute as it is not sterile (http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/...InformationAboutInfantFormula/ucm108185.htm):

"The manufacturers of infant formula provide directions for mixing their products with water and usually do not specify the source of water other than to indicate that the water should be safe to drink. In most situations, it is safe to mix formula using ordinary cold tap water that is brought to a boil and boiled for one minute or as directed on the label of the infant formula. Some water companies wish to make available bottled waters which are marketed for infants and for use in mixing with infant formula. When manufacturers label their water as intended for infants, the water must meet the same standards established for tap water by the Environmental Protection Agency. The label must also indicate that the bottled water is not sterile. As with tap water, consumers should boil bottled water one minute before mixing with infant formula. Water that is sterilized by the manufacturer and intended for use with infants must meet certain strict FDA standards."
 
when we travel, we just use spring water (evian etc...) and don't boil it. i did this for my first son and he's just fine and will do it for my 2nd son who is 6 months old now and will take his first trip in asia next weekend. my pediatrician in New York said there was no need to boil it which made our lives so much easier since our baby could drink room temp water and we didnt have to hassle with boilers and hot water on long flights etc. . .
 
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You should use distilled water, not mineral water.
I boiled distilled water, as recommended.
Now we have a water filter on our tap, then I boil it in our thermopot. Tap water here is gross. I would never just boil it and give it to my baby.
 
We use boiled tap water for formula since newborn, also for drinking for us including toddler.
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