Best water softener? UPDATE

Just tested and we have pretty hard water. Baby isn’t here yet- maybe next week- but I want to be ready for this issue.

What would I notice if hard water is an issue?

Any recommendation for best softener?

Update: been researching more and came across water softeners that use minerals to pull out the minerals that make the water hard. But they’re expensive. Does anyone have experience to share re this route?

Also: I have to admit I’m a little concerned about Borax. We used it to kill cockroaches growing up and apparently it’s very neurotoxic. I’ve also ready it’s different from boric acid, which is where the danger lies... and only toxic if digested at very high levels. But I can’t help continuing to be a little skeptical and I’m not sure where to find real info on this. Anyone have thoughts? Looks like Calgon is a little concerning too (was reading on the EWG site). One reason I’m cloth diapering is reduced exposure to potentially harmful bla bla bla. Thank you all so much! Don’t mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist. Just new to all this!