Or do you always use it until they are on cows milk?

I'm on my 4th baby so you'd think I'd know what I was doing by now! I haven't sterilised since about 3 months. She's 7 months now....

I think I stopped at about 6 months? Or maybe later for dd1.

I think I stopped about 4 months when I started weaning... I still sterilised but didn't used cooled water. I took her off formula completely at 6 months iirc

What would you use instead of boiled water?

I carried on until they were on cow's milk.

I was in a routine and it worked for me, so I never changed it. Not sure when you are supposed to stop.

you should always use hot water (>70ºC) to make up formula because the powder isn't sterile - not the same issue as sterilising bottles etc.

I stopped at 11 months and went straight onto cow's milk - no probs experienced at all!

I thought it had to be a certain temp for the powder to disolve? {thicko emoticon}

surely you can't use anything but boiled water for formula

I don't know if you are supposed to stop - I just couldn't remember what I did before.... am sick to death of going to make a bottle and dp has left the kettle empty so am stuck with a screaming dd while I boil the kettle then cool it again!

Ooh yes. That's a good point everyone, you are always supposed to use boiling water if you're sticking with formula. It's the sterilising you can be a bit "flexible" with....

A mother I know used bottle water to make up her babies bottles from birth really - sterilised the bottle etc but used bottled water which helped when making up feeds when away from home - also meant that she didn't have to cool / heat it up as the baby was used to having it at room temp.

Dynamicnanny that is way off from the current guidelines, as well you know

I used to feed at room temperature (except evening feed) would mix there and then.

Bottled water is not recommended for babies as too high mineral content IIRC.

I carried on sterilising bottles and using cooled boiled water til DS1 went to cow's milk. Teats should still be sterilised if using bottles as tiny particles of milk can get stuck apparently.

Buy two kettles (get a cheap second one) and use that for babies water. We have two kettles and two sterilisers (and two babies...).

Some bottled water contains high levels of nitrates that make it unsuitable for babies.

No no, would never use bottled water. It contains too much sodium.

It was purely that there was no water left in the kettle and I thought for a split second do I actually need to boil and cool the kettle.

Yes Mrs Badger I know that - my face did go a little when she told me but her girls are perfectly healthy and well adjusted lol and her third is bottle fed with boiled water

I have a jug of water in the fridge of pre boiled water which i re heat in the micro to make the formula

OK, still can't remember who suggested it, but someone has posted about mixing the powder with a small amount of very hot water, and then making up to a full bottle with pre-boiled + cooled water they keep in the fridge.

Could you boil kettle - add 4oz of bolied water, add 7 scoops of formula, shake, then add 3oz of pre-boiled, pre-cooled water to make up the equal parts water/formula?

CombustibleLemon again I know a mother as all good nursery nurses/nannies do - who fills the bottles with freshly boiled water each evening to 1 oz less than the feed and will then add 1 oz of freshly boiled water at the feed alongside the powder - it works out to be the right temp for the baby without microwaving (which I hate) or the worst alternative leaing it in cold water to cool.

That's right - you can just "top" the cooled boiled water up with boiling to make it the right temp. Failing that pour the boiling water into the bottle then place the bottle of just boiled water into a just of cold and it will cool in a few mins.

I make all my bottles up in mornin for the day and always with boiled water saves time and also i weaned dd of baby milk at 10 months

sorry are u all saying we shouldnt use freshly boiled water for making bottles i did for dd shes now 2 and i am doing the same for ds who is 11 weeks

I have to admit, once she got past the 3 month stage I gave up doing all the bottles in advance and now just do them on demand. I would never part-make a bottle though and then add to it later because you can't be sure that you are getting the exact equal amounts of water to formula and that's quite important.

hi boots sell some bottled water on baby section that you can make bottles with it says on it that its safe to use for making formula.

Oh I didn't even realise you were allowed to stop sterilising bottles! Ooops! What age are you meant to stop??? DS is 9 months and I've always sterilised bottles and used boiling water to make up formula. Must admit I do cheat and make up all 3 bottles the night before and keep them in the fridge though!

I stopped sterilising when ds started scratting arond on the floor putting everything in sight in his mouth(5 months or earlier). They all go through the dishwasher at 70 deg or something..

oops... I was making few bottles with tap water since dd turned 10 months....Thanks for reminder.

I used tap water from then too as ds was drinking tap water as a cold drink - I thought uit was fine

New guidelines say that you shouldn't make up bottles in advance (to be cooled then re-heated later) due to them no longer being sterile after a certain amount of time.

Is it also true that in the US no one sterilses bottles (I think I heard this in relation to the recent plastic bottles scare) and they all think we're a bit odd for worrying about it?
I have to say that it seems pretty pointless once they start sticking everything in their mouths!
DS is 8 months and I use filtered tap water and don't bother sterilising bottles anymore.
He licks dogs fgs!

what - warm water from the tap to make up feeds?

I think what can result in ingested formula that hasn't dissolved properly is far more serious that what they can pick up from touching the floor etc. I wouldn't take a chance personally.

[sigh]

it's not the dissolving that's the problem - formula powder can have some quite nasty bacteria in (rare, but is that a risk you want to take?) and you MUST make it up with hot water to kill them.

As suggested below you can dissolve the powder in, say, half the amount of boiling water, then add the rest cold so it's quickly brought to drinking temp.

My midwife told me she has never sterilised any bottles or feeding equipment for her LO's, just washed them in hot water and left to air dry. she told me she wasn't advising me to do it, just saying that she felt it was un- necessary

There is a huge thread on here somewhere from ages ago saying that in the opinion of lots of im portant people (cn't remember exactly - am thinking midwives/HV etc) that there is actually no need to serilise at all.

is it ok to give them tap water as a drink?? or does that still have to be boiled?

tap water is fine from 6m

thanks MrsBadger!

Crikey, there's a lot of people making up their bottles all wrong on this thread!

yes I did know that mrs B thank you, no need to make yourself breathless. However I think you will find that the lack of dissolving does cause tummy upsets.

Bacteria in formula???? Do me a favour Really??

I didnt stop sterilising until DD was 2.5 and someone brought up the issue at M&T and i suddenly thought WTF am i doing? She snogs the dog FGS. It was simply because i had just got so used to doing it and i forgot to stop.

I wash my bottles in dishwasher (she still has a formula bottle at bedtime ) and scald them with boiling water, just to be sure - haven't a clue about the bacteria in formula though, but i would have thought it perfectly feasable that the stuff is packaged in a sterile environment, once it is opened well then of course bacteria could get in there, but for it to come pre-packed, i aint convinced.

Its a good idea, dissolving in boiling and then topping up, but it will result in incorrect dilution rate.

Spare bottle put half boiling water, half cool water up to level. Put formula in normal bottle and pour in water and shake

No - you cant mix hot and cold water the add the formula - it needs to be over 70 deg!!

Put 4oz of freshly boiled water in a bottle
Add 7 scoops of formula
Shake
Add 3oz of cold water (either bolied cooled or tap if +6months)
Shake again

You have correct dilution as 4+3oz of water, 7 scoops of formula, although you will end up with more than 7oz in the bottle - probably closer to 8 - water displacement and all that.

Mmmm I do wonder why the hell i sterilise his bottles when he licks the dog and eats crumbs off the floor but I always worried about the bacteria in milk as it gets warm. Does seem a bit of a waste of time. He's 9 months now and mashes his food into the floor and still eats it so I guess it's time to stop!

Don't see the point in not using boling water though, it only takes a minute. Surely it wouldn't disolve in cool water? Does it?? I'll stick top boiled water though! I used to make up all the bottles as I needed them but then my health visitor told me I was making things much harder than they needed to be and SHE was the one who reccommended making them up the night before. Tbh there is so much conflicting advice- no wonder I'm still clueless!

lucyellensmum, read the information on the link I posted at 16:11 on Friday

formula powder is not sterile

Yes, i read the link, and i am astounded, it is not impossible to prepare things in an asceptic manner, so why not formula?? This is the first time i have ever been told this and i have always let my boiled water cool down before i added the formula (found it mixed better) - this is clearly something that people need to be made better aware of. I know the instructions say used boiling water, well i think they recommend letting it cool too (not sure) but they need to make it clear that this is important.

As to whether this is important in a 2 year old or once you start weaning anyway. I mean, you don't steralise their food. So i guess that this advice is probably only pertinent for so long as sterilisation is necessary.

I personally think we worry far too much about sterile this and antibacterial that, and i often think it causes more problems than it solves. The problem with all of these antibacterial sprays, soaps and handwashes is that they are indescriminate, that destroy everything, (pretty much) and that means the "good" bacteria too. These good bacteria, because they are harmless live on and in our bodies in high numbers. When we come along and zap them with the new all singing all dancing, kill everything in its path, antibacterial soap, we kill these too. That then leaves the playing field open for more virulent and resistent strains which before were kept at bay by the bacterial that normally sits there quite happily in the first place.

So, if you want healthy kids - let them have filthy hands, let them pick something up off the floor and eat it (five second rule of course), let them make mud pies and don't have a anuerism if they put some in their mouth. My DD loves nothing more than playing in the garden when im working out there, she likes to collect the worms, and we collect the snails regularly to carry over to the alley - i don't stand vigil with a baby wipe, so i daresay she puts her hands stright in her mouth (thumb sucker) and she is hardly ever ill - so i dont think im going to threat about a few bacteria that may or may not be floating around in her formula.

But surely Milk bacteria is worse than these garden bugs (honest question)

yes they are - babies in Europe have died from Enterobacter sakazakii and salmonella from contaminated formula.

It's a very different issue to sterilising bottles, handwashing, mud and antibacterial soap etc - more akin to serving underdone chicken.

I'm not going to get into a fight about it though - I've posted the guidelines why you should use hot water and how to do it, and people can make their own judgements.

Ive always sterilised bottles and poured cooled boiled water in and left at room temp. When DS2 wants feeding, I put formula in and heat in a jug. Ive been doing this since birth (his not mine- that would be silly) and he's never had any problems.
When I had DS1 (10 1/2 years ago) I used to make up 6 feeds for the day and put them in fridge till needed. He never had any problems either. When I go out I make up a bottle before I go and put it in a cool bag.
Whats wrong with that?

jellybelly have you read the thread?

What's wrong with it is that the water needs to be hot when it's mixed with the powder to kill any bacteria in it.

Best method: make up bottle using use hot water, cool under tap, feed

Second best method: make up bottle using hot water, cool, put in fridge, reheat in warm water later.

and I'm thrilled your ds has never had any problems. However, it's important to know the risks.

8 month old dd is on sma staydown and that HAS to be made with refridgerated water as stated on tin and advised by gp. i make up 20oz jug of formula each night and take a bottle direct from steriliser as required. However I DO use bottled water. Started on prof advice when we travelled abroad (tap water in mainland spain is actually cleaner than ours but has a higher mineral content than bottled water. found that dd's reflux cleared up immediately and any bottles we make with boiled tap water she just brings back up. of course everyone's shocked when i admit that but, hey, whatever works esp with acute reflux! when ds was younger i used to take a flask of boiled water upstairs, and a bottle of cooled boiled water, and i also kept a half-tin of powder. when he woke for a night-feed i just topped up the bottle then added the correct number of scoops. there isn't any need for the wrong dilutation if you add the powder last. it worked so well to have a fresh instant bottle that i used it in the day as well. just re-filled the flask whenever i had a cuppa. and a flask is much cheaper than specific baby bottle warmers and surely not boiling a kettle just to make one bottle is better on your pocket and the environment? i sometimes wonder how all of our mums etc managed to raise us without all the current guidlines. if we believed it all surely we'd not have survived this long

MrsB I think we should step away from this... my head is going to explode

oh I give up

our parents neveer used carseats either but we all do

you have the information, you can weigh up the risks

Why are you getting so irate about this? I was genuinely astounded by the lack of sterility of formula and still gobsmacked that it is not packaged in a sterile environment, it is something that is done routinely for drugs and other manufacturing, why not formula??

I agree with you regarding the youngsters - but at two? I'm not going to lose sleep over it. I have too many other things to lose sleep over tbh. I think we all strive too much for perfection and therefore find ourselves under so much pressure - i can say this now, my DD is two - but a little baby is quite a different matter and the whole formula thing is quite worrying.

BUT there is no point getting upset over it, people will always do what there is to do - breast milk for one is not without risk of passing on infection - where do we draw the line?

Crush, that is a good question actually and that is the reason why i didn't stop sterilising. However it is more of a case that the milk bateria are in milk, as in a food, which gives them lots of opportunity to multiply - this is highly unlikely in my opinion as a biologist - to happen in a dried preparation, it is only when the milk is hydrated that there is a potential for them to multiply to an extent where there could be a problem. So i would never dream of making up milk to use later, never ever done this as there is obvious risk here. I guess this risk would be elevated further if the formula was made up with tepid milk and then left. But if it is used straight away then i really can't see there being a problem. Unless of course the formula was contaminated with something really nasty, which i would hope i would be pretty secure in assuming it isnt. But thats just my opinion, can't be arsed to read up websites that proclaim death and damnation if we don't do xyz - with the best will in the world, just because something is published it doesnt mean it is an absolute fact. Formula isnt sterile, ok, neither are yoghurts, carrots, lettice etc ( we are quite happy just to rinse that under the tap - how did we ever survive ). Yes our parents dindt use car seats but that is a invalid analogy - They probably didn't obsess so much about sterile either, but then again, they didnt have to worry about MRSA and E.Coli H571....makes you wonder really doesn't it

E. sakazakii is really nasty, but you can't be arsed to read about it, so that's fine

I have just read the formula tin - it says to boil the kettle then let it stand for 30 minutes before adding formula - This is a huge discrepancy between what was said on the site and what mothers are being told.

I did read some info on this, and you are right - however it does seem to point to a problem with neonates or immuno compromised babies rather than older healthy babies.

So actually it is quite that health professionals are not stressing the need to use water > to reconstitute formula, it did say however that infection is extremely rare and making formula up with water this hot is also known to destroy nuturients. Still think we should be made more aware of these things, So Mrs Badger i certainly appreciate your point and frustration.

I do think that the sterilisation question is one that can be answered with simple common sense though.

I am another one who has always used bottled water to make up bottles. Here all the bottle brands are marked on the label which is Ok for babies bottles. I have never boiled bottled water and simply serve it at room temp. Realise this is a complete wrong if you do things exactly as it says on the tin but every other mother I know here does exactly the same thing. Most normal thing is the world to see a mum pouring evian into baby's bottle, adding formula and giving straight to the baby. Maybe I, and all the other women I know who do the same thing, have been lucky but I really can not believe in this day and age formula is so dangerous. If it is a problem with bacteria due to dairy content then surely yoghurts have the same problem.

This is why i NEVER bothered with the powder.

ready mixed is sooooo much easier!

Just pour it in the bottle and drop it in hot water to heat up.

et voila.. DS never had to wait more than 10 mins max for any feed, and that long was only when i overheated the milk.

My understanding re formula is that if you're making up from powder the problem is the powder and the temperature you mix it at, not the quality of the water, and bottled water doesn't make sense from that point of view.

But also, I think TheHedgeWitch makes a good point - if you're going to pay for bottled water then you might as well pay for the ready mixed stuff anyway.

I really hate dealing with formula so much, now DS is a year old we're giving him cows milk. It's also nice in this hot weather, I figure if he needs milk when we're out I can buy it fresh.

Obviously that doesn't work if your baby needs special formula because of an intolerance to cows milk.

that is true THW- I used ready mixed until 1 yr and it was amazing until DD developed excema and then changed to Goats milk formula so hence I have to worry about all this crap.

I must say though I do used cooled boiled water to make up feeds as I just always suspected Milk Bacteria was v dangerous, however what Mums are ACTUALLY doing and being told to do is so so different. The HV after birth visit was so crap at explaining the procedure to me that is why I decided to use ready milk as I just didn't understand what she meant (and I am educated to degree level with A level in Biology LOL). It all made me so that BF didn't work out for me really, so much easier. But that is a whole different thread.

I have to say that I am amazed at the powder not being sterile. I have used formula for 4 babies now and have never known this!

From readin the instructions on the tin, the biggest problem I was aware of was not making it to the right consistency - ie not using equivalent water to scoops. Had I known I would have probably used boiled water with every bottle. As it goes I have used mostly room temp water to make bottles past about 3 months (first few months I was pre-preparing bottles)

I also never realised that bottled water comes with a label to say safe for babies - I was always under the impression that bottled water had to high a sodium/mineral content.

You would think that all this - esp the info in MrsBadger's link would be made extremely well known to new parents!

I used to pour the required amount of boiled water into the bottle and leave until it was feed time and then add the formula.

Formula can be mixed with cooled water too.

I thought you were surposed to let the water cool anyway before adding the formula, as you are not getting the full benefit from it being added to boiling hot water.