Tap water for baby food?

Test your tap water for dangerous pollutants

• Simple sampling incl. instructions - no prior knowledge required
• Water analysis in an accredited DIN-EN-ISO 17025 water laboratory
• Fast test results - after just 5-7 days incl. expert tips

The perfect birth gift! Contaminated tap water can cause lasting damage to your baby/toddler, as your offspring is far more sensitive to pollutants than the organism of an adult. Harmful substances can enter the drinking water through your own pipe network (e.g. installed lead pipes/connectors) and also through the tap fittings. The Baby Water Test analyses the most important parameters and indicates a possible health risk from contaminated drinking water. We therefore recommend that you only use previously tested tap water for preparing baby food, as the alternatives, such as mineral water or similar products from the supermarket, can also pose a...

The IVARIO baby water test for parents:

Known from"Das Müttermagazin" and recommended by Lucia Cremer, paediatric nurse and author of the book "Cooking for babies made easy".

Which water for babies and pregnant women?

The question often arises as to whether your drinking water is also suitable for feeding your baby or whether it should first be boiled or even dispensed with altogether. Many people buy drinking water specially formulated for baby nutrition and don't realise the dangers that may lie behind it. This shows that people do not always trust their own drinking water. Our drinking water is one of the most strictly controlled foods and is therefore more suitable for baby nutrition than pre-packaged mineral water from the supermarket. Although mineral water is subject to the Mineral Water Ordinance, the limit values differ greatly from the Drinking Water Ordinance. In many areas, our drinking water is subject to stricter limits than the Mineral Water Ordinance and therefore tested drinking water should be used, especially when preparing food for infants.

Avoid drinking water from the supermarket

Various studies have shown that uncontaminated tap water is many times healthier for babies and small children than mineral water from the supermarket, for example. The limit values for toxic substances in tap water are also more strictly controlled by the Drinking Water Ordinance than for mineral water. Nevertheless, contamination can still occur from time to time, which can have a negative effect on the unborn child during pregnancy. To make sure that your drinking water is really pure, we recommend our baby drinking water test. This test is specifically designed to test the parameters that are important for your baby's nutrition. However, we generally advise you to boil the water even after successfully testing your drinking water.

Baby Drinking Water Test analyses your drinking water for the following parameters:

• Lead: Infants and young children aged 0-4 years are particularly at risk from lead in drinking water. Higher concentrations of lead have an enormous effect on the nervous system and can lead to considerable consequential damage under certain circumstances. Tests have shown effects such as a decrease in concentration, an increase in impulsivity and poorer performance in intelligence tests and dexterity exercises.
• Copper: Copper in tap water, e.g. due to new copper pipes, can cause considerable health problems, especially in infants and small children, but also in adults due to long-term ingestion via drinking water. Copper can, for example, accumulate in the infant's liver and cause copper cirrhosis.
• Nickel: Nickel enters our drinking water through chrome-plated water fittings, for example. However, nickel is not only a health risk for allergy sufferers; regular inhalation of water with a high nickel content can also cause lung cancer and tumours.
• Cadmium: If you occasionally suffer from abdominal pain and vomiting, this may be due to the intake of cadmium. Cadmium in drinking water can also cause kidney damage and painful bone changes in large quantities. The body initially reacts by vomiting, abdominal pain and cramps, and in the long term this can lead to considerable organ damage.
• Chromium: Chromium is a transition metal that occurs in various compounds. Hexavalent chromium is considered hazardous to water and is released into the groundwater by industry. Excessive intake can lead to many respiratory diseases and even lung cancer.
• Zinc: Zinc is vital for humans, but cannot be stored in the human organism and must therefore be constantly supplied through food. However, if the dosage is too high, it can also lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
• Uranium: Uranium occurs naturally in nature and can enter drinking water through leaching from rock layers. Uranium is considered to be both radioactive and chemically toxic. The toxicity is more important, as the radioactivity of uranium in drinking water is minimal.

Minerals and hardeners

• Iron: Excessive intake of iron has a harmful effect on the human organism. Other undesirable consequences are, for example, discolouration or turbidity of the drinking water. An increased iron value therefore also causes bad flavour and often leads to technical problems.
• Chloride: Alongside sodium and potassium, chloride is one of the most important electrolytes for the human organism. A certain concentration of this substance in drinking water is therefore even desirable. A chronic lack of chloride can lead to health deficits - in the worst case to cardiac dysfunction.
• Calcium: (also known as calcium) is a natural component of all waters. Together with magnesium, it is decisive for water hardness, as it stabilises the pH value of the water. Calcium has a positive effect on bone formation. Studies on heart health in Germany also confirm that the risk of heart disease is lower in regions with comparatively calcium-rich water. However, the higher the hardness of the water, the higher the calcification, which is less ideal, especially with regard to household appliances.
• Potassium: Potassium is vital for the functioning of the human organism. It mainly acts in the nervous system, blood circulation and muscles. However, in compounds such as potassium chloride or potassium carbonate, it is toxic and can cause serious damage to health.
• Magnesium: Magnesium is found in all bodies of water and is a natural component of groundwater. The amounts of magnesium found in drinking water in Germany are not sufficient to have a positive effect on the body, especially the muscles. However, it also has no negative effect on human health, but together with calcium it contributes to water hardness.
• Sodium: Infants are particularly sensitive to sodium as their kidneys are not yet fully developed. An increased intake, for example via drinking water, adversely affects the child's intestinal flora. However, increased intake can also lead to high blood pressure and the resulting cardiovascular diseases in adults.
• Sulphate: The increased intake of sulphate has a laxative effect. This can lead to diarrhoea and vomiting. Infants and small children are particularly sensitive to sulphate, as their kidneys are not yet fully developed and the excess sulphate can therefore not be excreted properly.
• Water hardness: The total hardness of tap water is the total sum of the minerals calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water. The higher the calcium and magnesium content, the higher the total hardness. This degree of hardness is expressed in German degrees of hardness, °dH for short. Drinking water with a low total hardness is considered to have a comparatively bland flavour. Well water or tap water with a higher total hardness has health benefits thanks to its high mineral content. However, it also leads to faster calcification of household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and coffee machines.

Nitrogen-containing compounds

• Nitrite: Nitrite can cause cancer and is harmful to the liver and genetic material. Infants in particular are very sensitive to nitrite in the first few months of life. The intake of nitrite changes the red blood cells. This change can lead to a lack of oxygen, as the transport of oxygen is significantly impaired by the nitrite. The lack of oxygen can lead to suffocation.
• Nitrate: Due to fertilisers, constantly increasing amounts of nitrate enter the groundwater and pose an additional challenge to sewage treatment plants. A high intake of nitrate or nitrite poses a considerable health risk to humans. This can lead to so-called methaemoglobinaemia (cyanosis). In the case of intestinal infections, there is a risk that nitrate is increasingly converted into nitrite.

Further test parameters

• Conductivity: Electrical conductivity is an important indicator parameter for the purity of drinking water, as pure water is basically non-conductive.
• pH value: The pH value indicates whether the drinking water is acidic, neutral or alkaline. If the drinking water is acidic or alkaline, the water should be analysed more closely, as it can be assumed that it is contaminated. Acidic and alkaline water can also attack the water pipes, lead to an increase in dangerous legionella bacteria or cause various skin diseases.