Water plays an essential role in the proper development of the baby’s body and ensures its good balance. A good level of hydration is fundamental to guarantee its full health. Spring water, mineral water, tap water: which water to choose for your child and on what criteria to be sure to make the right choices?

Water, essential for the body

In children as in adults, water intervenes at different levels to ensure vital functions:

• it is an important component in the constitution of the blood, it facilitates breathing and helps to regulate body temperature,
• it transports the nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper functioning of all cells,
• it rids the body of the waste it produces by channeling them to the organs responsible for eliminating them.

Good hydration is absolutely necessary, especially since dehydration can quickly become serious. A dehydrated baby loses weight, cries and cries often, looks anxious, his temperature exceeds 37 ° C, his urine is dark. If in doubt, consult your pediatrician.

Babies: colossal water needs

The infant’s body is almost 80% water and is still 70% water at the age of one year, compared to 60% in adulthood. The baby’s water needs are therefore extremely high: between 4 and 3 times higher than the adult if we compare the water needs in relation to his weight.

According to the nutrition committee of the French Pediatric Society, water needs in children vary according to their age:

• Up to 3 months, the recommended water intake is 150 / ml / kg per day, which, for an infant weighing 4 kg, is 600 ml of water per day.
• from 3 to 6 months: from 125 to 150 ml / kg per day
• from 6 to 9 months: from 100 to 125 ml / kg per day
• from 9 months to 1 year: from 100 to 110 ml / kg per day
• from 1 to 3 years: 100 ml / kg per day

Water requirements also increase in the following situations:

• when it is hot: the requirements are then increased by 30 ml / kg / degree above 30 ° C
• in case of diarrhea or vomiting
• in case of fever

When the child begins to diversify his diet, his milk intake decreases. But water, also present in solid foods, helps cover part of the needs. Remember to offer your child water regularly, without adding fruit juice or syrup. If he refuses to drink, don’t worry – he just isn’t thirsty.

Spring water and mineral water from unpolluted, deep or protected groundwater are naturally fit for consumption and are necessarily healthy and free from dangerous microorganisms.

On the other hand, baby water, whether intended for preparing baby bottles or drunk plain, must meet several criteria:

• Be low in nitrates: less than 15 mg / liter. Up to 6 months, due to an immature digestive tract, nitrates are particularly toxic. In the body, nitrates are quickly transformed into nitrites which then pass into the blood and bind to the hemoglobin of red blood cells, preventing oxygenation of the various organs (blue disease or methemoglobinemia).
• Be little mineralized: less than 500 mg of dry residue / liter, so as not to overload the immature kidneys.
• The amounts of sodium, fluorine and sulphates must be low.
• Be free from pollutants such as lead.

Several waters perfectly meet these criteria and are perfect for babies. Among the least loaded with minerals, there are:

• Mont Roucous® (25 mg per liter of dry residue),
• Montcalm® (32 mg per liter),
• Volais® (130 mg per liter)
• Wattwiller® (155 mg per liter),
• Valvert® (201 mg per liter)
• Thonon® (342 mg per liter),
• Evian® (345 mg per liter).

You can also choose bottled spring water, as long as it is marked “suitable for the preparation of infant foods”.

According to Afssa, the French Food Safety Agency, tap water may also be suitable for preparing baby bottles for children, in particular after 6 months, unless your doctor advises otherwise.

However, it is absolutely necessary to inform yourself beforehand about the quality of the water distributed in your city. For this you can contact your town hall or the Water Agency or the Regional Health Agency on which you depend.

Indeed, depending on the quality of the water tables in your place of residence and the state of the common but also private pipes, the water is of more or less good quality, in particular concerning the sodium and nitrate contents. Tap water sometimes contains 5 times more nitrates than what is recommended for an infant.

If you want to give your child tap water, here are the tips to follow:

• Always remember to run cold water for one minute to remove any traces of lead or copper as well as microorganisms that could stagnate in the water in the pipes, especially those that have not been used for a long time. certain time (vacation).
• Do not use a water softener system because it removes a large part of the calcium and magnesium from the water, which are essential for the proper development of the child.
• Never serve tap water that is hotter than 25 ° C. Therefore, do not use hot water to prepare your child’s bottles.

The ideal water temperature for preparing baby bottles for your child is that of his or her body, and yours, i.e. 37 ° C. It is on this temperature that the bottle warmers are set. If you use a microwave or a double boiler, always remember to check the temperature of the milk by pouring a few drops on the back of your hand to avoid any risk of burns. And for a better dilution of the milk, always heat the water before pouring in the powder (1 measure of milk for 30 ml of water).

If your child tolerates it well and accepts it, especially in summer, you can easily serve baby bottles at room temperature. On the other hand, never serve milk whose bottle is open and has been stored outside the refrigerator.

Either way, never use chilled water, even when the weather is hot, as this can cause digestive problems such as diarrhea.

Also remember that bottled water, once opened, cannot be kept for more than 24 hours for your child. Prepared bottles must be consumed within the hour.

Water is the only drink essential for humans, and more so for children.

If from one year it is possible to add a little fruit juice to the drinking water, this should remain occasional. It is indeed necessary to get your child used to plain water so as not to over-stimulate his taste buds with sweet products.

More festive drinks can also be offered on an ad hoc basis to children from the age of one, provided they are homemade, ideally with seasonal fruits to take advantage of their contributions in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants:

• Smoothies – mixed fruits
• Lassis – mixed fruit with stirred yoghurt
• Milkshakes – fruits mixed with milk
• Freshly squeezed fruit juices: oranges, clementines
• Mixtures of vegetable and fruit juices

However, these drinks should be avoided in case of diarrhea, unless you prefer fruits such as bananas and quince.