Can You Use Brita Water for Baby Formula?

When preparing your baby formula, it is essential to ensure that the water used is safe for your baby.

You can do that using different techniques and filtration systems. It’s just important to know what is required for the water to be as safe as possible.

Can you use Brita water for baby formula? Yes, you can use Brita water for baby formula, but you still need to boil it before using it. No filter will eliminate everything in water that can harm your baby, but using Brita water and boiling it will work to ensure it’s as safe as it can be. 

It’s important to know how to mix Brita water with baby formula for the best outcome. Plus, there are other options besides Brita that are safe.

Brita Water for Baby Formula 

Brita water filters remove many contaminants that your baby does not need to ingest.

What Do Brita Filters Remove?

Brita filters cannot 100 percent remove all contaminants, but they can reduce the levels of many. The contaminants it will reduce include:

  • Chlorine
  • Asbestos
  • Benzene
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Copper
  • Mercury

What Does Brita Not Filter Out?

Brita filters will not remove fluoride or all nitrates from your drinking water. They also can’t remove bacteria and viruses.

Brita vs. Bottled Water

Bottled water is also a good option if you’re making formula for your baby, but the environmental impact is much worse. All that plastic hangs around much longer, and that’s not good for the planet. 

Brita is a better choice for the Earth, but it’s also important to change the filter when you’re supposed to or your Brita water can be contaminated.

Is Brita Water Safe for Babies?

If boiled, Brita water can be safe to use in baby formula. If not, it can contain bacteria that could make your baby sick. 

How To Use Brita Water for Baby Formula

To ensure Brita water is as safe as it can be for your child’s formula, you need to follow the proper steps for preparation.

  1. Clean the Brita filter. Make sure it is not overdue to be replaced. If it is, get a new filter before you continue.
  2. Wash the Brita filter and reservoir with warm water.
  3. Fill the container and let the water go through the filter. Once the water is filtered, boil it for extra protection.
  4. Let the boiled water cool down to room temperature before you use it.

Common Questions About Water for Baby Formula

Deciding on the safest water for your child can be difficult, but there is some guidance to be found.

A baby bottle filled with water in preparation for adding powdered formula.

Do You Have To Boil Water for Baby Formula?

For the first six months of your child’s life, you absolutely need to boil the water you use for formula. Even if the water is filtered or bottled, it can still contain minerals and chemicals that could harm your baby. Boiling it will help make it safer.

Best Water for Baby Formula

Distilled water, filtered water, purified water, and bottled water are all good choices for baby formula if boiled. Avoid well water since it is the most likely to contain dangerous contaminants.

Bottled Water for Baby Formula

There’s no specific brand of bottled water you have to use for baby formula. Make sure to read the label to ensure it doesn’t have extra fluoride or other materials added. After that, you boil it to remove anything else that you can. 

Gerber and Parent’s Choice both offer distilled and purified water, and these come in larger jugs instead of small, one-use bottles. Many parents choose them for convenience.

Distilled Water for Baby Formula

Distilled water is good for baby formula because it does not contain excess fluoride and has less contaminants than tap water. Any distilled water is fine as long as you read the label and confirm that it is distilled.

Do I Need To Boil Distilled Water for Baby Formula?

Until your child is at least 4-6 months old, you need to boil distilled water for formula.

Do You Have To Boil Nursery Water?

Yes, you have to boil nursery water to use in baby formula. It helps keep your baby safe from viruses and bacteria that can lurk in water.

How Long To Boil Water for Baby Formula

You want to make sure the water you use for your child’s formula boils for at least one minute. That means it should be at a rolling boil for that long, not just a soft boil or simmer.

Storing Boiled Water for Baby Formula

Once you boil the water, you need to let it cool for no longer than half an hour. Let it cool naturally, and don’t add ice cubes to speed up the process.

You can then put it in safe containers and leave it in the fridge for up to three days. Make sure the storage containers are sanitized first.

What Temperature for Baby Formula?

In a perfect world, baby formula would be served at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but you do not have to hit this temperature perfectly.

Most moms become masters at the arm test. Squirt a couple of drops of milk on your inner wrist and make sure it is not too hot. If it is, let it cool down. If it’s not, go ahead and offer it to your little one.

Can Babies Have Filtered Water?

Since there is not a filter that can get out all of the contaminants that can harm a baby, you should still boil filtered water if you want to use it in formula.

When To Stop Boiling Water for Formula

You can stop boiling water for your child’s formula when he or she is over six months old.

When Can Babies Have Tap Water With Formula?

There’s no specific age when it’s a guaranteed that tap water is safe for infants. However, the general advice is that after your baby is 6 months of age, tap water should be fine for formula.

Final Thoughts

Use the safest, cleanest water you can to ensure your baby ingests a formula that will nourish them and not make them sick.