Fluoride for Babies????

I used fluoride with my last son. He is now 3 and his teeth are fine. I do not trust the tap water.I also was on a weel for awhile so I think it is safe for them to have it.

Good Morning S.!!

I read your story and felt the need to respond with some information that may be helpful to your situation. A little about myself. I'm a full-time employee of the Commonwealth of Pa and a mother of 2 boys. My oldest son is 5 and my youngest is 8 mths old. When I began formula feeding my oldest son as a baby I used bottled spring water (such as Deer Park and other brands, no flouride added) and continue to do so to this day. My 5 yr old had his first dental check up and was praised for his lovely cavity and stain free teeth. My 8 mth old is also formula fed with spring water and now has 2 bottom teeth and they that are coming in beautifully. And although I have not used flouride and experience staining with my children's teeth, I have seen other children with this problem caused by too much flouride. Another good word of advice is to never let them fall asleep with bottles, for this can cause rotting. I hope this information has been helpful. Have a good day!!

I would suggest going with the purest water you can get. No chemicals, no additives. If you want to avoid the chemicals in the tap water, make it easy on yourself and get a filter you attach to your tap. Children are too medicated these days, in my opinion, and avoiding chemicals for the very young helps avoid reactions which can be bewildering.
A.

I never used fluoride water, but my children have been getting their gums tonges cleaned with toothpast since they were 6 months and they are 7 and 8 now. I've never had any problem with their teeth. My daughter (7) has perfect teeth and my son (8) sucks his thumb, but other then that his teeth are health.

Now I have heard that you can mess up your child's teeth by letting the bottle stay in their mouth while sleeping. Doesn't matter what liquid it is, from it sitting there it breeds bateria and that can cause decay.

So I think your fine just don't let her sleep with it. If you just to uncomfortable, use one of those purifiers to clean the tab water.

Hope this helps,
P.

Hi S.,

Congratulations on your promotion!! : ) I, too, served and am now retired. I made the decision when I was pregnant but was so close I stayed until retirement.

My son is 3 and I gave him baby bottled water (w/flouride) and spring water (w/o). I had heard conflicting info about whether or not to give him flouridated water, by the end, I was so confused! In any case, he's had both and his teeth are great!

D.

I used distilled bottled water for my babies. Until their teeth come in, there is no need for flouride water. You can buy the gallons at places such as Walmart for, I think, 67c!!! this was also confirmed by my pediatrician as being the best option.

S.,

I personally would avoid anything with Flouride all together. I know your daughter's pediatrician probably pushes the issue of making sure she gets it--I know mine did. Flouride is made from the leftovers of Aluminum manufacturing. There are also studies that have been done showing Flouride contributes to plaque in the arteries. I read a great book that touched on how Flouride got it's start and the side affects it has. It's called "Maximum Energy", by Ted Broer. This book also has alot of other great information about our health and foods we should never eat. I used bottled water for my daughter and then we got a cooler from Culligan water (Flouride is added to tap water if you are on public water). Google Flouride and I am sure you can find some interesting facts and research! Hope I was of some help!

Hi S.. I have a all most two yr old. I breastfed, and then when I had to use formula I used bottled water, and also fluoride drops that the ped gave me. I refused to give her tap water. I never used nursey water.

I am not an expert in this area what so ever but I'd assume that "nursery water" would not harm a baby being that it is marketed for babies. I used nursery water for about 10 months of formula feeding and my daughters 7 teeth are pearly white! Once she was 11 months I decided to just use tap water from my fridge because I was tired of buying and lugging the nursery water jugs!

S.,

I started using Nursery water 2 months ago for my daughter after she stopped nursing at 8 months. She has four teeth that are beautiful and pearly white. Most tap water also contains fluoride, so I use the Nursery water since it is goes through an additional purification process.

S.,
Congrad on becoming a mother and it is so great to see your enjoyment and enthusiasm from it. When it comes down to it, each of us make our own choices in life. I am glad you are wise enough to see the dangers of the chemicals that are pumped through our water systems. Many people do not understand or care. You have made a wise decision in asking your questions and choosing not to pump those chemicals into your daughter. Unfortunately most people also do not understand that just because it is on the store shelves and sold to us or babies that it can be unsafe as well. I have come to this realization over the past 7 years through a battle of medical problems with myself and with my children. Here is a article that may be helpful for your to make a decision on Fluoride for your child. I hope you find it helpful. It comes from www.mercola.com I use this website for a host of different research information:
The American Dental Association, which has for many years been one of fluoride's biggest advocates, alerted its members late last year that parents of infants younger than a year old "should consider using water that has no or low levels of fluoride" when mixing baby formula.

However, while public health agencies in some states, such as Vermont and New Hampshire, immediately issued warnings in the media based on the ADA alert, other states took months to relay the message.

Florida's Department of Health put the message on its website four months after it was issued along with a note that read: "Mixing formula with fluoridated water poses no known health risks."

The ADA was concerned about fluorosis, a condition caused by too much fluoride that damages the enamel of teeth. Some scientists believe that even mild to moderate cases of fluorosis can lead to more significant problems. Studies have associated fluorosis with lower IQ, endocrine system problems, and skeletal damage.

St. Petersburg Times June 4, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

After more than half a century of denial, the American Dental Association has finally capitulated to the facts and issued warnings on the dangers of fluoride.

Adding fluoride to drinking water (to prevent tooth decay) has been standard practice in many countries for 60 years. But the practice has come under scrutiny, as fluoride has been banned by more and more European countries.

Unfortunately, too much fluoride can lead to fluorosis, a discoloring of the teeth and breakdown of enamel -- itself a result diametrically opposed to the dental health it supposedly is meant to prevent -- and more serious developmental problems such as lower IQ. Excessive use of fluoride also increases the risk of osteoporosis and can damage the nervous system.

Children enrolled in the Women, Infant and Children's Nutrition program (WIC) are particularly at risk, since the WIC program only subsidizes powdered and condensed baby formulas that have to be mixed with water.

If you are unable to breastfeed, please educate yourself on the dangers of fluoride (an industrial waste product from the phosphate fertilizer industry) as well as the health risks of using infant formulas. Instead of mixing already unhealthy formulas with fluoridated water, take the advice from my series, Healthy Alternative to Conventional Infant Formula, which includes recipes for healthy homemade baby formulas.

HTH - Mama Jenn
Mama to Bryce~9 Austin~6 Taylor~19 months
Step Mama to Nich~15 Christian~14

I gave my daughter bottled water with her powdered formula. The water did not have fluoride in it. Her doctor gave me a prescription for fluoride, because she needed it. She also said that too much fluoride would turn her teeth yellow. So if you are giving her water with fluoride in it that should be enough. Once she started drinking milk and regular filtered water she didn't need the fluoride anymore.

Hi, the first thing I asked my ped about when i gave my daughter powder formula was that. He told me that tap water is the best for babies it has what they need in it. Now, however my MIL who watches my daughter runs on well water so I called and they said that she could use bottled water there becuase she runs on the well. When I asked what was better they said there really isnt a difference between nursery water and regular bottle water that weadults drink and that since she really wouldnt be getting it all day every day it was fine to use the bottled water. Hope this helps some!