[Vogi2002]

WHAT!? You can't use fabric softener on your baby's clothes???

Oops.

[ContactChar]

Ooh... I hope I'm wrong! I just was told that it weakens the fire retardency (sp?) on babies' outfits. Of course, if my baby were in a fire, I doubt I'd be congratulating myself for not using fabric softener!!

[maviskat]

We use tap water through a Brita filter and All Free And Clear because I am sensitive to laundry detergent. We have had no issues with either.

[rredhead]

Hi!
We use bottled water, because of the fluoride content in regular water. (Apparently some bottled water does contain fluoride, but I can't find info on that.) We will sometimes use tap if it's more convenient.
We use Dreft because I am allergic to most laundry detergents.
Fabric softener eventually makes fabric less absorbent, so it shouldn't be used on cloth diapers. It may also affect the flame retardant properties of some baby clothes and items - most importantly pajamas, sheets, and blankets.
Cleaning Flame-Retardant Clothing -- Heloise Hints - Good Housekeeping
This applies to both dryer sheets and liquid fs.

Interesting topic!

[live4rachael]

Last time around we used Dreft for a while and then DH pointed out that we still washed our clothes in Tide/All/or whatever was on sale, and we still held Rachael against us so what really was the point? Smart cookie. We switched over to regular detergent (dye/fragrance free) and had no problems. This time around we'll start there but keep an eye out for any allergies.

We asked our pediatrician about water and she said our local city water is excellent water and she does not recommend using bottled water because most of it does not have fluoride (unless you buy the expensive stuff). I noticed in the recent Parents Magazine issue a reference to the increase in children's tooth decay and one of the explanations was a switch to bottled water. We'll stick to city water with our filter. But obviously every location is different.

[Barksum]

WHAT?! I was supposed to do something about the laundry and water?

Obviously I didn't do too much. LOL We have to be careful what detergent we use because my large, very masculine and brawny Dh is allergic to some, and as an extra precaution I double rinse all the laundry, anyway. I did wash my babies clothes separate from ours (because the older kids and adults get so very, very dirty) and double rinsed them, but usually by the time they were a year old I was a bit more laid back and it was a free-for-all in the laundry room and everything got dumped in the washer and slung into the dryer without consideration for whose body it was going to go on.

And when we have done formula we used filtered water, because that's what we use. When I've had particularly fragile/fussy babies (foster care) I've also boiled the water for the first month or so in our home to make sure nothing was upsetting their little systems even more than all the moves.

[rredhead]

I noticed in the recent Parents Magazine issue a reference to the increase in children's tooth decay and one of the explanations was a switch to bottled water.

But too much fluoride is actually not good for babies/toddlers. Frequently Asked Questions

There's more Fl in the water than formula fed babies are supposed to be getting. That's part of why we used bottled water - we assumed it was all Fl free. I want to get a reverse-osmosis filter, but it's very expensive!

[Stormster]

Well, I tend to do whatever Dr. Spock tells me to do, its kind of simple and old fashioned advice but the new book is totally updated at the same time.

He says tap water is fine. If it's clean enough for us it's clean enough for baby. If anything I guess I'd get a filter. I can't be schlepping big jugs of water.

As for detergent, I like Tide Free and Clear, use it for myself.

Anyone know the source of water in prepared formula? Would be interested to know!

[StorkWatcher]

Because we live in the country and have well water, I have always used baby bottled (nursery) water. Still do, at almost two. I dont' know when I'll switch him over. If that's not around, I use regular bottled.

I bought Dreft because my mom used it, and I LOVE the smell. I tried to switch over later, but baby has sensitive skin, and the cheaper "free" brands or our regular detergent didn't work well. So we're still on Dreft.

[nikkianni]

We have well water too and were told at the hospital to use bottled. And believe me, if they told me to do it at the hospital, I do it! lol
DH and I both have sensitive skin so we've always used Tide Free anyway, and the doc said that would be find for Eve. I wash her clothese separately and use Oxy Clean with every load.
So far, so good.

[tinatyme]

I have been hearing some negative things about bottled water lately regarding the plastic bottles they are packaged in as well as the regulations around whether they are from a spring or just tap water bottle at a plant and then sold to consumers in the store.

Regardless, we use tap and Tide Free. Even if I wanted to I couldn't afford bottled water and expensive detergent for all my babies and they have never had any problems with tap and regular detergent. Please don't take this the wrong way but sometimes I think people search to find things to worry about. Most of us were raised on tap water and regular detergent and don't have any major health issues as a result.

When I think of all of the children in the world who get their clothes washed once a week or have one set of clothes and drink whatever water is available to them it puts into perspective how ridiculous it is for ME to be paying extra money for bottled water when I have perfectly fine water coming out of my tap. This, of course, is just my opinion.

[msgypsylee]

I use tap water and dreft. Tap because our local water is very good and because bottled is not always as pure as people think. I use dreft because I like the smell!!

[live4rachael]

There is an article on CNN today that says that Aquafina and Dasani are tap water and now Aquafina will be labeling its bottles with such. If they're just tap water, then they'll have the same fluoride levels as wherever they are "tapped". I do feel fortunate that we have good city water and our pediatrician says is just fine (obviously it could be different for those with well water).

Aquafina labels to spell out source - tap water - CNN.com

[nikkianni]

I saw the same thing on the news this morning. They said Evian and Nestle's water can still be classified as "spring water." Not sure what that means though. We'll still use the Nestle's like we have been. We're on a well, so I think bottled is still better since it's at least purified.

[rredhead]

Brand

Source

Fluoride

Aquafina (Pepsi)
Purified water (water from local sources)

Archer Farms (Target)


Arrowhead (Nestle)
Mountain spring water
<.10–1.0 ppm
Calistoga (Nestle)
Sparkling: below the small town of Calistoga in California’s Upper Napa Valley
Regular: Mountain springs in CA
None detected
None detected
Crystal Geyser
Alpine spring water
None added. 0 to 0.7 ppm naturally
Dannon
Natural spring water from Piedmont, Quebec, Canada
Adds up to 1mg fluoride per 1 liter of water = up to 0.25mg of fluoride in one 255 mL (8.5 FL OZ) bottle
Dasani (Coke)
Purified water (water from local sources)
None added, and water is filtered using reverse osmosis, so amount depends on local water
Deer Park (Nestle)
Spring water (originally from Deer Park, MD mountain springs)
None detected–.17 ppm
Evian
Natural spring water. Still mineral water from Evian in Southern France
.02–.07 ppm
Fiji
Artesian water in Fiji
Untouched
Gerber Baby Water (with Fluoride)

.46 ppm
Glacier Springs
Purified water

Nursery Water
Drinking water
Fl added
Palomar Mountain Spring Water

.1 ppm
Perrier (Nestle)
Mineral water from Southern France
.13 ppm
Poland Springs (Nestle)
Spring water
0.0-0.27 ppm
Safeway Drinking Water
Drinking water, municipal source
.81 ppm
Safeway Spring Water
Spring water from local sources
.28 ppm
San Pelligrino
Mineral water from thermal spring at the foot of a Dolomite mountain wall towering above the Brembo river in the Italian Alps
.62 ppm