When Can I Stop Boiling Water for My Baby?

“Can you tell me when I can stop boiling water for my baby (formula)? And when I can stop sterilizing her bottles? Seems silly since she puts everything else in her mouth.” Thank you to the parent who asked me this question.  Parents also often ask me a related question: whether they need to boil water when they’re teaching their babies how to drink from a lidless cup or sippy cup. So I’ll answer all these water-related questions together here.

Sterilizing Baby Bottles

It’s safest to always sterilize bottles before using them. As long as you’re using bottles (for any liquid), do continue to sterilize them. Breastmilk and formula are both rich foods for babies, and unfortunately for germs too. Bottles, nipples, lids, etc have so many nooks and crannies that they’re difficult to scrub clean. Sterilizing is the best way to make sure that you’re keeping your baby safe. Use a sterilizer or boil all parts in a pot of boiling water. Household dishwashers aren’t able to truly sterilize bottles. For more directions check out: http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile69a.stm

Boiling Water for Baby Formula

If you’re feeding your baby powdered or liquid concentrate formula, always use water that has been boiled. There is no age to stop using the boiled water. There are thorough step-by-step instructions available at this great resource: http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile69b.stm

Boiling Water for Baby (Drinking)

Any time after you’ve started introducing solid foods, you can start providing your baby the opportunity to learn how to use an open/ lidless cup and a sippy cup (yes, even as young as 6 months). As long as you have safe drinking water, you can use water from your cold tap. There’s no need to pre-boil this water. What do I mean by “safe drinking water”? I mean that you live in a city or town with a municipal water system and you’re using the water that’s intended for drinking (sometimes the term “potable” is used). Or, you’re on a well system that you’ve had tested recently and know is safe. If you haven’t had your well tested in a long time, this is a great reason to get testing done.

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