Drinking water, Soho area & other advice for 8 mth old baby

My husband, 8 month old baby & I are moving out to HK in a few weeks time from London. My husband has been out to HK several times for business & says it's fine to drink water from the taps. Is it fine then to just boil the tap water for my daughter to drink, like we do here in London to purify it, or is a water filter like a Britta necessary?


Also, we're moving straight to Soho. Where are the best supermarkets, organic ones, too, in this area where one can buy vegetables & fruit, cotton, non-scented washing powder (do you have Ecover in HK?) nappies (we use the Danish brand Bambo as it's 99% ecological& non-scented), good chemist's to get follow-on formula...


I presume all of you use mosquito nets, as well, or not all year round?


I would appreciate any top tips!

If you live in SoHo you have CitySuper in the IFC Mall pretty close. Grocery stores in HK deliver non perishables for little or no fee so no worries about lugging it home.


Mosquito nets aren't really necessary in HK as far as I know. We haven't been here a year yet though so I'm not an expert. While it is technically rain forest terrain, all the buildings have, shall we say, encroached on the natural habitat of mosquitoes (stagnant water and vegetation). Just think of Florida if you've been there. Sure, you have plenty of mosquitoes in the marshlands, but hardly any in central Miami.


You are much more likely to see lizards, c*ckroaches and ants. The former are nice to have since they eat the bugs and the latter two are easy to deal with. Moving air discourages mosquitoes, so a simple ceiling fan will tend to solve the problem, at least in part.


Water. Opinions vary. You won't get sick from drinking it but there may be more nefarious and long term effects at work. In the US, we had a filter. Here, our toddler and baby only get Watson's Water (they deliver jugs) or Volvic. That goes also for boiling pasta and rice. My wife who is breastfeeding is on the same regimen. We may be a bit paranoid, but we have heard several report of high metal levels in the water. These can be dangerous especially for very young children. BTW boiling only removes bacteria and such, not dissolved metals. Better safe than sorry.


Nappies - Don't know where you'd find eco-nappies. Enviro-consciousness in HK seems to be way behind the US or Western Europe in our eyes. If it weren't for all the expats, you probably wouldn't find much eco/organic stuff at all. I do believe I have seen Ecover though.


For organic food, you may want to try www.aussieorganics.com. They deliver a box once a week. I can't vouch for them yet since our first box arrives Friday.

BodiAyan, why do you boil water in London for your baby, I thought tap water in UK was safe? A filter is to get rid of the bacteria too, right?

Thanks axptguy38 for all the top tips! Very helpful indeed. Is Watson's Water mineral water? I only ask because we're recommended in Europe to avoid giving mineral water to babies due to the high salt content etc..


In response to the last message by purefit, both the UK and Scandinavia recommend babies to drink purified water (tap water boiled and cooled down), and have their food cooked with this, as well. Frankly, I have never questioned it. We're not advised to use filters, but a lot of people here have the Britta filter.

"Is Watson's Water mineral water? I only ask because we're recommended in Europe to avoid giving mineral water to babies due to the high salt content etc.."


No, Watson's is purified and distilled water and as such is theoretically free of anything but the water. There is also a variant with added minerals.


I agree about the salt content in mineral water. However note that mineral waters is a rather generic term. The minerals contained vary widely. Many have little or no salt content and so are perfectly safe for a baby. Check the label for sodium and you'll find several with 0 sodium. Waters like Perrier have "high" sodium content, as evidenced by the taste if nothing else. Volvic, which at least in Italy would be classified as mineral water, has no sodium and tastes rather flat.

Hi axptguy38, thanks for all the advice.


We wanted to hear your family's opinion on the organic food from www.aussieorganics.com ? "Premium Pack A" looks like a good family option, but also seems quite expensive compared with our local organic grocery shop here in London... although it looks like everything is being flown in from Australia. How did it compare financially, quality & taste wise with what you've been buying in HK?

Hi axptguy38, thanks for all the advice. (Logged in accidentally as my husband)


We wanted to hear your family's opinion on the organic food from www.aussieorganics.com ? "Premium Pack A" looks like a good family option, but also seems quite expensive compared with our local organic grocery shop here in London... although it looks like everything is being flown in from Australia. How did it compare financially, quality & taste wise with what you've been buying in HK?

"We wanted to hear your family's opinion on the organic food from www.aussieorganics.com ?"


It's great actually. Very fresh and good quality. Great smelling and tasting. And the prices really aren't that different from organic stuff in the store.


We have decided not to get the ready made packs though and are now "making our own pack". Getting delivery today of veggies, fruits and seafood.

Great, thank you very much.

Just to report back on the seafood. It looks great. As does the second batch of veggies and fruit. The ginger smells amazing. So much better than the store bought stuff.


Apart from being all organic, the trick here is that the route from grower to consumer is very short. There is no warehouse in HK as far as I know. It goes from the airport to the customers. My guess is that it's all bought from produce wholesalers on Thursday morning, packed in Australia on Thursday night, and I get it on Friday. Compare with your average grocery store and you're probably cutting 3-10 days off shelf time.

"keep in mind folks, that you are relocating half-way around the world. if you are not willing to compromise on branding etc, you will pay through the nose. (or you might want to consider staying where you are.)"


Agreed. We spend about 2-3 times more on food here than we did in the US. But that was expected. It's just one of those things you have to accept.