Advice on making up baby bottles on board

[Riothecat]

We are due on the Magic in a couple of weeks and are travelling with our 9 month old baby who is still having formula in bottles (in addition to solids). I know you can get a steriliser in your stateroom, but my question is what water do people use and how do you boil it, I assume you can't bring travel kettles into the rooms, or can you?

I would be interested in any other tips you may have on travelling with a 9 month old also

TIA

 

[firecracker725]

We are due on the Magic in a couple of weeks and are travelling with our 9 month old baby who is still having formula in bottles (in addition to solids). I know you can get a steriliser in your stateroom, but my question is what water do people use and how do you boil it, I assume you can't bring travel kettles into the rooms, or can you?

I would be interested in any other tips you may have on travelling with a 9 month old also

TIA

Granted, I've never had to make bottles on a cruise, but I don't see why you'd have to boil the water. We've never boiled water at our home for formula, though we did ask our pediatrician who told us we didn't need to since we were on city water that was perfectly safe.

Depending on how picky you are, I'd likely just take a couple of gallons of "nursery water" on board, or just use the tap water.

 

[Riothecat]

Granted, I've never had to make bottles on a cruise, but I don't see why you'd have to boil the water. We've never boiled water at our home for formula, though we did ask our pediatrician who told us we didn't need to since we were on city water that was perfectly safe.

Depending on how picky you are, I'd likely just take a couple of gallons of "nursery water" on board, or just use the tap water.

We are from the UK where we have to boil water to make up the bottles, I've never really thought about it, but it must be something to do with our water?? I guess if we used the ship's tap water it would depend on how it was treated then? What do you mean by 'nursery water'?

Thanks

 

[neg58]

If you want warm/hot water in your stateroom, order it from room service. Depending on how hot your child likes her bottles, I'd probably mix half hot water and half tap water.

You cannot boil water in your room and there are no microwaves. You could warm a bottle by running hot tap water into a container and placing the bottle in there for a few minutes.

Nancy

 

[firecracker725]

We are from the UK where we have to boil water to make up the bottles, I've never really thought about it, but it must be something to do with our water?? I guess if we used the ship's tap water it would depend on how it was treated then? What do you mean by 'nursery water'?

Thanks

Sorry, didn't realize you were from the UK. The water on board is purified by reverse osmosis. It's absolutely fine to drink, even for babies. You should ask your pediatrician to be sure, but from what I've found online, it's fine to just make bottles with it straight.

Nursery water is a brand of water they sell at US grocery stores specifically for babies and young children. We used it at first, but then our ped told us that city water was fine.

http://www.nurserywater.com/

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are from the UK where we have to boil water to make up the bottles, I've never really thought about it, but it must be something to do with our water?? I guess if we used the ship's tap water it would depend on how it was treated then? What do you mean by 'nursery water'?

Thanks

The water onboard (all water - preparing food, from the drink station, making ice, from the tap in your room) is processed the same as bottled water (reverse osmosis and filtered).

IMO, (and as the mom who mixed formula for 3) you can use the water from the tap with no problems. If you really need the formula to be warm/hot, you'll have to get it either from room service or the drink station by the pool.

 

[firecracker725]

If you want warm/hot water in your stateroom, order it from room service. Depending on how hot your child likes her bottles, I'd probably mix half hot water and half tap water.

You cannot boil water in your room and there are no microwaves. You could warm a bottle by running hot tap water into a container and placing the bottle in there for a few minutes.

Nancy

When we travel, we warm bottles by getting hot water out of the coffee makers. There's a little spigot on the side of most of them that gives scalding hot water. Pop the bottle down in a cup of that, and you'll have a warm bottle in no time.

 

[Riothecat]

If you want warm/hot water in your stateroom, order it from room service. Depending on how hot your child likes her bottles, I'd probably mix half hot water and half tap water.

You cannot boil water in your room and there are no microwaves. You could warm a bottle by running hot tap water into a container and placing the bottle in there for a few minutes.

Nancy

He is happy to have the bottles cold, so warming it is not an issue. We are told over here in the UK to boil the water when preparing them I think to make the water 'sterile'. We have done it for so long now I think I would struggle not doing it and worry how it would affect his tummy if he is used to having it boiled?

 

[MomoMama]

The guest service has bottle warmer to rent. They will charge you $50 deposit to your account, and will refund it when you return the bottle warmer.

 

[Riothecat]

Thanks everyone, I think because we do it differently over here I didn't even think it was possible for babies to drink it without boiling it. Its good to know its ok for him to drink, luckily he will have bottles hot or cold so that will make things easier, my husband (who is in charge of making the bottles in our house!) will find it very strange not having to boil the kettle to do it every day

Lots to think about when cruising with a baby in tow

 

[firecracker725]

He is happy to have the bottles cold, so warming it is not an issue. We are told over here in the UK to boil the water when preparing them I think to make the water 'sterile'. We have done it for so long now I think I would struggle not doing it and worry how it would affect his tummy if he is used to having it boiled?

Hmm...is there a ready-to-feed (no mixing required) formula for the brand he takes?

 

[lilpooh108]

We use regular bottled water. You can stop by a market before boarding and pick some up.

 

[Sadiesmom]

We had purchased bottled water to bring onboard but it never made it to the stateroom. Guest services gave me a gallon jug of distilled water that we used throughout the cruise to mix formula.

 

[Riothecat]

Hmm...is there a ready-to-feed (no mixing required) formula for the brand he takes?

He's on a slightly special type that the brand do not make pre made stuff of unfortunately. I've been thinking about it a bit more and he is nearly 10 months now and they recommend over here that they can drink tap water (not boiled) from one, my health visitor also told me to start introducing some cows milk into his bottles soon (he has it already in food), so I guess I was probably worrying a little over nothing. He should be fine and I could drop one bottle for cows milk anyway. I think there is just a lot to worry about when you take a baby away from where and what you are used too!

 

[michellekcm]

I'm from Australia where we also boil water to make formula up. I had this question too, and had a big discussion about it on a different (non cruise) board.

What I discovered in all my discussions was our formula tins recommend boiling the water and mixing while still hot. This is, according to company websites, because they can't 100% guarantee that the formula is sterile. The US people on the board were horrified that this could even be a possibility and indicated that a company would probably never document this in the US as no one would use their formula.

Interestingly, the CDC in the US also recommends boiling water for formula, but I haven't been able to find a single person in the US who does. I'm sure they're out there, just not sure where.

Most people recommended to me to either use bottled water or just plain tap water. When I'm travelling in other parts of the US I will probably use bottled water if I don't have access to a kettle, given I won't know the quality of the water, but on the cruise I'll just use the tap water because of the whole reverse osmosis thing making it decent quality.

Oh - and I suspect a large reason that we boil and most people in the US do not is that in Australia and the UK we just about all have a kettle sitting on our kitchen bench. Not so in the US where it's less common to own one.

 

[Runnergal]

I will have a 7month old when we cruise and will just use tap water. If it is fine for us to drink t s fine for db. I don't heat them so no warmer necessary, and I don't sterilize either. live in NYC and use regular tap water at home too.

 

[Riothecat]

I will have a 7month old when we cruise and will just use tap water. If it is fine for us to drink t s fine for db. I don't heat them so no warmer necessary, and I don't sterilize either. live in NYC and use regular tap water at home too.

We are advised here in the Uk not to give tap water to babies until 12 months and to sterilise everything until 6 months and bottles until 12 months. Our tap water is fine to drink, just not for under 1 year olds is the advice from our health dept. therefore just because water is ok for adults doesnt mean it is ok for babies like you say above. I appreciate water in the US may be different.

 

[Riothecat]

I'm from Australia where we also boil water to make formula up. I had this question too, and had a big discussion about it on a different (non cruise) board.

What I discovered in all my discussions was our formula tins recommend boiling the water and mixing while still hot. This is, according to company websites, because they can't 100% guarantee that the formula is sterile. The US people on the board were horrified that this could even be a possibility and indicated that a company would probably never document this in the US as no one would use their formula.

Interestingly, the CDC in the US also recommends boiling water for formula, but I haven't been able to find a single person in the US who does. I'm sure they're out there, just not sure where.

Most people recommended to me to either use bottled water or just plain tap water. When I'm travelling in other parts of the US I will probably use bottled water if I don't have access to a kettle, given I won't know the quality of the water, but on the cruise I'll just use the tap water because of the whole reverse osmosis thing making it decent quality.

Oh - and I suspect a large reason that we boil and most people in the US do not is that in Australia and the UK we just about all have a kettle sitting on our kitchen bench. Not so in the US where it's less common to own one.

Thanks for your help. I think I will use the water up on deck by the drinks station, should be fine I'm sure!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks for your help. I think I will use the water up on deck by the drinks station, should be fine I'm sure!

The water at the drink station is the same water that comes from the tap in your room.

 

[k3chantal]

We are due on the Magic in a couple of weeks and are travelling with our 9 month old baby who is still having formula in bottles (in addition to solids). I know you can get a steriliser in your stateroom, but my question is what water do people use and how do you boil it, I assume you can't bring travel kettles into the rooms, or can you?

I would be interested in any other tips you may have on travelling with a 9 month old also

TIA

I used bottled water when traveling. My baby was not used to it being warm either so that helped a lot. But if your baby needs it warm, I am sure that room service can bring you warm water.