zazen Pregnancy Blog Series #3: Can Babies Drink zazen Alkaline Water?

By Kate Waterson, Expectant Mum, Nutritionist and zazen Water Hydration Specialist.

So you have had your baby, congratulations! And with the new arrival (especially if this is your first child) come lots more questions...

Firstly, YES... it is safe to give babies zazen Alkaline Water (more on this below).

The top 3 questions we get asked here at zazen Water by new mums are:

1. Can I keep drinking zazen Water now that I am breastfeeding?
2. Can I mix zazen Water with baby formula?
3. Can I give my baby zazen Water as it is or do I need to boil the water first?

We have answered these questions for you in detail below. But first, as I have not had the experience of a having a baby myself yet (only a few months to go now though!) I asked Andrea our Operations Manager here at zazen Water the following questions after she had her first child Luca last year.

Did you read much on what having a newborn would be like? If so, did you find that this helped you or not?

Yes, I read a lot but the information most available is more to do with how to bath the baby, breastfeeding, swaddling and baby sleep patterns. There are many things that the books don't prepare you for.

Books and websites mentioned that you will feel tired and exhausted but I found it completely unlike anything I had ever experienced and it is hard to describe the level of exhaustion I felt as a new mother!

“60% of mothers have breastfeeding issues in the first 6 weeks!”

Breastfeeding is another topic that, as much as it is out there, the issues with breastfeeding are not really mentioned in any book or article until you actually know what you are looking for. You read and hear others say that breastfeeding will come naturally and you think ‘how hard can it be?’… oh boy! I remember hearing that 60% of mothers have breastfeeding issues in the first 6 weeks!

What did you find the most challenging?

In my case, the sleep deprivation was the root for other things that I thought were challenging. How you respond to situations when you are sleep deprived is completely different. At that moment, you think ‘why is this so hard?’ but it is not that is hard (in the normal sense), it is just that at that moment you want things done fast but that is not always the case. You learn very quickly that you do not have time control in the same way you had prior to having a baby.

What were you not prepared for?

Again, sleep deprivation, sleep deprivation, sleep deprivation!! 

What was the highlight?

You forget how tired you are when you look at your baby’s face and eyes… having your baby in your arms - that is the highlight. 

What did you find most helpful from a support perspective? i.e. did your family cook and clean, do laundry etc. What do you wish that they did more of and less of?

Support is extremely important in those first 10 days. I was lucky I had my Mum stay with us. Firstly, depending on the type of birth you have… you will need time to recover. You will be sleeping and breastfeeding all day.

“You need someone to even bring you a glass of water. That was the best thing I remember my family did... I always had 2 bottles of water next to me because I got incredibly thirsty breastfeeding those first days.”

What would you do differently if you had the chance?

I would say YES more. You become this person that thinks ‘I am ok to keep doing things and I am superwoman!' I didn’t want my mum to do all the work but I wish I had said yes to other people doing things for me. 

Anything else you would add?

Hydration is so important in those first days. I remember I drank about 8 x 800ml bottles from 9am to about 5pm (that's over 6 litres of zazen Water in that time!).

The importance of Cellular Hydration after birth - notes from Kate

Hydration is even more critical after birth in allowing your body to heal, rebalance, help with energy and also with the release of metabolic waste products from your cells and body. You do not want a build up of toxins in your body, dehydration will leave you feeling even more fatigued and rundown!

Can I keep drinking zazen Water now that I am breastfeeding?

Yes! It is of vital importance that new mums keep up their hydration levels with a high quality, alkaline mineral water while feeding their newborns.

What you eat and drink can affect the quality of your breast milk (i.e. some mums need to stop drinking coffee while breastfeeding as their babies can become unsettled from the caffeine).

There is a rule of thumb that every time you feed, ensure that you have a glass of water on hand to sip on at the same time.

Use zazen Water with Weleda Nursing Tea which helps support lactation

If you are wanting a change from plain water, there are some wonderful teas that will help with your milk production, or if you are finding that your milk supply is diminishing you could try the Weleda Nursing Tea which helps support lactation.

You can also squeeze or put a slice of lemon into your drinking water, this will add some flavour and also increase the benefits of the water (increases the alkalinity) when you drink it.

Can I mix zazen Water with baby formula?

Yes, Yes, Yes!

As your newborn’s body is new to the world and working hard at establishing good gut flora and immunity, it is imperative that you mix the formula with a high quality water. As mentioned in the previous Pregnancy Series blog #2 (Read: The importance of staying hydrated during pregnancy and how to reduce toxin exposure), reducing the amount of chemical and toxin exposure while pregnant is critical, and this should continue after the baby is born as well.

We would also highly recommend installing a zazen Water Shower Filter as well for bathing your newborn. Click here for information on the benefits of a zazen Shower Filter.

Tip: You can also add a tablespoon of Vitamin C powder to your baby’s bath water (if it is not zazen Water from the shower filter) – this will neutralise the Chlorine and some (not all) other toxins in your baby’s bath water.

When your unfiltered drinking water is heated in a shower it is 3x more toxic* to your body than drinking it! Chlorine and dangerous heavy metals are vapourised when tap water is heated. As you shower you inhale and absorb these vapours through your lungs and skin and these chemicals go directly into your blood stream. This can weaken your immune system and disrupt your respiratory, renal and central nervous systems!

*Recent studies link excessive chlorine exposure to breast, kidney (renal) and bladder cancers (Harvard University Study 2012).

Can I give my baby zazen Water and do I need to boil the water first?

Yes - you can give your baby zazen Water
No, boiling is not necessary.

People want to boil water for 2 reasons – to sterilise it and/or to help remove toxins and chlorine.

zazen Alkaline Water is clean and safe for baby to drink as is – it is micro-filtered removing more toxins and heavy metals than boiling could ever do! You do not need to boil zazen Water to sterilise it.

Newborn babies (under 6 months) do not need to drink water as breast milk (or formula) is made up of over 80% water and they need the calories to ensure proper development. After 6 months we do recommend speaking with your Natural Health Practitioner.

We want you as a new mum to be the healthiest and happiest that you can possibly be. Maintaining your health and wellbeing while in the first few weeks as a new mum are imperative!

Some supplements that can assist you and your newborn:

• Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek – This will help assist with milk production.
• DHA – Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential throughout pregnancy for foetal neurological development.
• Probiotic - Qiara Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Probiotic contains the patented probiotic strain Lactobacillus Fermentum CECT5716, originally isolated from breast milk.

Please remember to consult your Natural Health Practitioner before taking any new supplements.

Overall, the most important thing you can do for yourself as a new mother and for your baby is drinking a high quality alkaline water that will assist your body to remove built up toxins, hydrating at a cellular level & allowing your body to perform at its best! Water is your body’s foundation nutrient. zazen Alkaline Water is a balanced mineral water designed for peak cellular hydration and foundational to supporting you and your family live longer, healthier lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can babies drink filtered alkaline water?

Yes, alkaline water is perfectly fine for babies to drink. In the first 6 months, newborn babies will not require direct water consumption as they are typically on breast milk or formula, which constitutes approximately 80% of water already, with calories to promote optimal development. Once this period is over, we always recommend speaking with your Natural Health Practitioner to get the peace of mind your child is receiving the best care and nutrients needed.

Is alkaline water good for baby eczema?

There are several elements in unfiltered water, such as chlorine, that when left on the skin, can cause persistent irritation and eczema. Baby’s skin is highly susceptible to this when bathing, and therefore can benefit greatly from filtered, zazen Alkaline Water when bath time comes around, as it removes these harmful elements, but keeps the good stuff in!

When bathing, zazen Alkaline Water at a lukewarm temperature can work towards alleviating or reduction in baby eczema. We also recommend installing a zazen Water Shower Filter to further eradicate the chlorine and other harmful elements in the water that could be both absorbed through the skin, but also breathed in once vaporised. This can enter the blood stream directly and create disruptions in your child’s respiratory and central nervous systems, as well as potentially weakening their immune system.

Can a nursing mother drink alkaline water?

Hydration is essential anyway, but when you are nursing, it is even more important for maintaining and regenerating new cells and tissue within our bodies – and now our baby’s too! Our diets today have become increasingly acidic, however, which can lead to acidosis, an imbalance of pH levels, which is the measure between acidity and alkalinity within our bodies. Drinking filtered, zazen Alkaline Water is a great way to introduce a healthy balance of alkalinity to both nursing mothers and their children to offset the acidity of our diets.

Can I give my 1-year old alkaline water?

Once a child starts to wean off breast milk and formula, monitoring of their diet becomes more important as they are exposed to new things. With preservatives and flavourings rampant within our commercial food industry, it is incredibly easy for a higher level of acidity to be introduced into their diet. They may also be more susceptible to the harmful elements from contaminated reservoir surface water from things like chemical run-offs, or tank water contaminated by things like animal droppings, or even deteriorating plumbing introducing heavy metals like copper and lead. Drinking filtered, zazen Alkaline Water can introduce a healthy balance of alkalinity for their pH levels, but also remove dangerous elements without losing the good bits!

Can I mix alkaline water with baby formula?

Yes! New parents are going to mix water with baby formula, so mixing only the highest quality water is the best way to help establish strong gut health in your growing newborn. Introducing zazen Alkaline Water will work towards eradicating any harmful chemicals or heavy metals that have contaminated the water coming from your taps, pipes or water tanks.

Should I boil alkaline water for baby formula?

Traditionally, boiling is a technique used by parents to remove any impure or dangerous elements in the water and provide their child with something clean and sterilised to drink. Fortunately, zazen Alkaline Water already does this! The zazen Water Multi Stage Filter Cartridge micro-filters the water for heavy metals and toxins in a far more effective way than boiling water does, as it retains the good parts for building strong gut health.

What water is suitable for babies?

The best way to think of this question is to ask what water is best for babies. As their bodies develop, including their gut health and immune systems, babies need high-quality, clean water to promote optimal growth. Unfortunately, tap and tank water can be contaminated by a range of various harmful elements, such as chemical run-offs, animal droppings, and even man-made perfluorinated chemicals (PFAS). Rather than trying to boil this water in order to sterilise it, and risk leaving any of these dangerous elements present or removing the good stuff within water, why not opt for something that does it for you? Babies who drink zazen Alkaline Water with their formula or once they drink water on their own can enjoy a healthy balance of alkaline minerals and electrolytes, and be protected against the dangerous contaminants filtered out. Therefore we believe zazen alkaline Water is suitable for your baby.