Mixing your little one’s formula with tap water could put him at risk for developing chalky white spots on his teeth. Here’s why.
Here’s a heads-up for parents of exclusively formula-fed babies:
Consistently mixing your little one’s meals with tap water could put him at risk for developing mild dental fluorosis, a condition that results in faint chalky white spots on teeth.
Although most public water systems are spiked with fluoride to help prevent tooth decay (nearly all well water contains some natural fluoride, too, but in lesser amounts), and the extra fluoride is fine for most adults and older kids, it occasionally can be too much for wee people—especially infants under 6 months.
To play it safe, you may want to use low-fluoride bottled water (sometimes called di-ionized, purified, demineralized or distilled) in your baby’s formula some of the time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises.
To find out how much fluoride is in your water supply, contact your local water utility or review the CDC Community Water Fluoridation guide.
