AIBU about making up formula at night?

[Chocolateorangegoblin]

A friend of mine told me she boils the kettle, waits 30 minutes for it to cool etc before making a bottle all while her Dd is screaming to be fed during the night.
AIBU to think that's madness?! Surely most people don't do that?!
Obviously a lot of people have perfect prep machines now but that still involves getting out of bed etc.
I make up bottles in advance, cool them and keep them in the fridge and then at bedtime I take one to bed in a cool bag and DS drinks it whenever he wakes up. I am obviously a lazy sod but there's no way I would be standing about waiting for water to cool down at 2am!

[StarlingMurderation]

That's the advice these days, but we made up 12 hours' worth every morning and night, flash cooled them, kept them in the back of the fridge then heated them up as and when required. DS didn't get a single tummy bug. Of course, that could just be our very good luck! I was extremely careful to sterilise everything too.

[StandardNameHere]

I always used the instant formula, big bottles for the day which were kept in the fridge once opened and warmed up then I'd take little bottles to bed with me.
7oz per bottle, no need to heat = no need to get up

[GloriousSlug]

When my eldest was a baby 12 years ago, advice was tomato bottles up 24 hours in advance so in the middle of the night I would do pretty much what you have described.

I'm sure you'll get a load of posters coming on to tell you powder needs to be added to boiling water to kill bacteria but hey hi, the advice changes that often you can never really get it right!!

[trappedinsuburbia]

No chance I would be waiting 30 mins with a screaming baby.
I think guidelines changed but I always made 4 in advance, cooled them and plonked in fridge. Everyone survived !

[HungryHorace]

Not every baby will drink cold formula. You're lucky your DS does.

I got a tip from here: chilled, boiled, water in fridge. Flask of boiling water on side. Pour 50% hot water. Add powder. Top up with chilled. Perfect temp.

Yep, you have to get up, but it's not like I wouldn't wake during a feed anyway.

Horses for courses. Up to your friend what she does.

[Mungobungo]

And when your baby is admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis will you be able to live with yourself? Because that's the risk and the reason why the advice is to make it up as you go along.

Also, perfect prep machines have not been proven to be safe or effective enough in ensuring that the powder is completely sterilised.

[StarlingMurderation]

I found it hideously stressful waiting for the bottle warmer to heat the formula up while DS yelled, can't imagine waiting half an hour. Not sure it'd be good for the baby either.

[GloriousSlug]

To make, not tomato!

[spacefrog35]

If you read the world health organisation advice that all this comes from it says that if you can't make up at the time then it's ok to make in advance and store at the back of the fridge so no, you are not being unreasonable.

[Costalot1]

Used to do the same then warm it in the microwave

[JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam]

I made all my children's bottles up in advance and shock horror not one ever got gastroenteritis. They changed the advice because some stupid people were using them after the 24 hour window. The official advice has to be in line with the stupidest common denominator. More chance of getting gastro by not using boiling water to make the milk in the first place.

[Heatherbell1978]

I used to make up bottles with boiling water then pop in fridge. When I needed one I'd put in microwave for 30 secs. Obviously shake well and taste first. Worked for me and I'll be doing the same again with next one due soon.

[picklemepopcorn]

We made up sterilised bottles with boiled water. In the night added the premeasured powder, good shake, serve.

The boiled water in the sterile bottles stays sterile through the night. It's fed straight away once mixed with milk powder.

[Chocolateorangegoblin]

Why would my baby get gastroenteritis. I make formula up using hot water and store it in a cooled environment until he is ready to drink it. It's not like I leave it sitting on the side all night. The cool bag keeps it cool for up to 8 hours.

Both my kids have drank milk at cool/room temp. I've never heated it up for them so they don't know any different!
Prescription formula so no ready made stuff sadly or I would probably use that at night.

[spacefrog35]

Page 6 for anyone that's interested in the WHO advice www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/PIF_Bottle_en.pdf

[Yell0915]

I used to do as horrace
If there's only a small amount of water in kettle it takes less than a minute to boil and bottle is done in under 2 mins.
My dc does still wake up for one bottle in the night but I use disposables now,
Yes I know they work out costly but I'm happy to pay the money knowing the whole house isn't being disturbed and I can give her a bottle asap and get back to sleep quickly

In answer to your question you are not BU to think her life could be a lot easier but what works for one doesn't always suit another

[user892]

Very much this >

And when your baby is admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis will you be able to live with yourself? Because that's the risk and the reason why the advice is to make it up as you go along

But it's your choice to play bacteria roulette.

[user892]

YABVU for judging a mother who has made an informed choice to follow health advice based on scientific evidence. Very unreasonable indeed.

[MTB1003]

We made up sterilised bottles with boiled water. In the night added the premeasured powder, good shake, serve.

This is what we do as well. It takes about 10sec to make up a fresh bottle. Not hard at all.

[Carrados]

Powder in bottle then add about 50ml boiling water and then make the rest up with cold water from the tap. Stopped sterilising after a couple of months. This is the advice in Netherlands (Anglo Dutch family) and France. No bugs.

Seen plenty of women get stupid hysterical about it in forums. As long as the bottles have been washed properly and made up milk not left too long, it's fine.

We used the small instant formula bottles at night. Just poured them in the unsterilised bottle on bedside table and lent over with bottle. Done:

[ispymincepie]

It's one risk to make up in advance. Another to leave out of the fridge for 2+ hours before using. I suppose I may occasionally do one but certainly not both. I use the perfect prep and while I know it's not proven totally safe I feel the damage by leaving my baby to scream for half an hour is worse than the risk of improperly made formula. I breastfed my first 3, so much easier but my 4th was unable to for various reasons. Nighttime milk is basically the only reason I still pump at nearly 9 months because I can leave a bottle of breastmilk out all night!

[user892]

Why would my baby get gastroenteritis. I make formula up using hot water and store it in a cooled environment until he is ready to drink it

Because bacteria multiply even when feeds are made up and kept refrigerated.

The NHS and WHO Babyfriendly advice isn't just pulled out of someone's arse, you know

[Carrados]

Also seen women go into meltdowns over their partners not using cooled boiled water in the bottle. Crazy.

[Yell0915]

I think the thing with the boiled water is that it's meant to be boiling hot when you add the powder to sterlise the powder
Nothing wrong with making the whole bottle and then cooling it and warming up/giving it cool later

[chocdonutyy]

Boiling water is needed to make up the formula, however you only need to start with boiling water then add cold water to top it up to the right ratio and temp.
Waiting for the water to slowly get to correct temp is madness!
Dd is 14 now but I used Farleys milk that came in a box with a jug/mixer and sachets of milk powder, think each sachet made up about a pint of formula and lines where to add the boiling/cold water up to. Once made it kept for 24 hours.
Great stuff but think it was discontinued.
I heated it up in a jug or just the microwave, given a good shake the dreaded hot spots disappeared!