It is easy to feel confused about what drinking water is best for your kids. It’s not that there is all that much choice, but there is so much hype surrounding different types of drinking water that it is difficult to sift through it all and find the truth. While our ancestors simply drank from the nearest river or well, they didn’t have the same levels of pollution to cope with that we do. And if they got sick, they didn’t know if it was the water that caused it or not.
These days all our tap water is considered to be safe for human consumption. Rainwater should be the most pure form of water, but due to air pollutants is not considered safe for us to drink. While people in the regional areas of Australia have used rainwater tanks to collect their drinking water for year, they don’t have the same levels of pollution as their city counterparts have to deal with.
Rain washes out whatever is in the sky or air to start with. Good news for those of us who like breathing fresh air, but bad news for those who want to drink the water. All the contaminants from the air are now happily swimming around in that water. If you drink it, they will soon be swimming around in your bloodstream. Filters may take some out, but boiling is recommended, and that is a nuisance. Rainwater tanks cost extra, take up space and need a plumber to connect them to the house supply.
Experts tell us we should keep out rainwater to water the garden, rather than letting the kids drink it. But how about tap water? Tap water may sometimes taste foul, but according to the experts it is perfectly safe for our kids to drink. Added to that it mostly has fluorine added, so their teeth will be a great deal healthier - and the parents will save money otherwise spent on dental treatment. The downside is that kids may not like the taste and so be less likely to drink it. But if water is kept refrigerated it tastes a great deal better.
That leaves the third choice of bottled spring water. This water is probably the best tasting of all, since there is no chlorine in it. It is claimed to be pure of other nasty toxins too, so it may be the best thing for your kids to drink. There is a downside though. It has no fluoride so their teeth won’t get that extra protection, and it costs more. So it is entirely up to you to decide which of the options you will choose.
