How do you make, store and give formula at home and out & about?

[onedaybaby]

Hi,

How do you make, store and give your baby formula feeds at home and out and about? I am considering exclusively ff and am interested in how others are doing this?

[Fairylea]

I have ff both of mine and I make mine in advance using just boiled water then I quickly cool in a bowlful of cold water and store in the middle of the fridge. I heat in the microwave and swirl throughrally. I don't shake as it gets bubbles in it which made ds colic worse. I know the guidelines are to make up each bottle as you go but that's impractical. The way I do it is a compromise. I always use piping hot water. I only make up to 2 or 3 bottles in a go so they aren't around a long time..

When I go out I use ready to use sma small bottles and use and throwaway tests from Tesco. Expensive but totally worth it in my opinion. Just screw the lid on and feed.

[Fairylea]

Teats not tests !

[Longdistance]

When I was out and about with my dd's when we ff, I used to take a thermos flask of hot water out, and then ask or a jug of cold water to cool it down, or put under a tap. Also used the cartons. Pricey, but convenient.
I'd make up two feeds the night before to store in the fridge, so not in a hurry in the morning, but my two were 6 months when I introduced ff.

[Rachel130690]

Okay as your not supposed to pre make bottles I make all mine as and when I need them,

When taking out of steriliser I put 2oz of boiling water into them, and leave it to cool. Then when I need a bottle I make up like normal add another 2oz of boiling water from a flask and then add formula. Most times the milk if a perfect temperature however occasionally I do need to cool it down but if out I just ass for a pint of water or a jug.

I would say never heat ff up in a microwave as it doesn't heat it properly and can have hot spots which can burn your babies mouth. If you need to reheat then get a jug of hot water. Although I recommend getting your baby used to a bottle at room temperature, my son (7 weeks) can drink a bottle just made up so warmer than room temp or can take it cold. Therefore I have no need to reheat bottles.

Everyone I know does that method and it works really well. I just usually put half the amount in at the start, when he was younger and only on 3oz bottles I put 1 and a half oz in it. He's now on 4oz and I currently put in 2oz and let it cool so when he needs a bottle I just add another 2oz in. I do shake mine to ensue it mixes properly but you can also swirl the bottle which works but doesn't go all bubbles.

HTH

[Rachel130690]

Oh and I don't use the pre made ff that you can buy as its dear enough buying the powder without buying the pre made stuff which in my opinion you don't need. It only takes a few mins to make a bottle.

Oh and my Lo refused the pre made ff once he started on the powder.

[horseylady]

So do you add the boiling water to the cooled water and powder? I was trying to figure out how to do this. Think it will make time feeding easier for us as currently takes a while to get everything ready.

Hopefully I will be breast feeding after seeing the specialist tomorrow but reading this with interest!!

The expressing, ff, heating, sterilising cycle etc quite wearing!!

[Fairylea]

I've always heated in a microwave but never more than 40 seconds for a 8oz bottle straight from the fridge and if you swirl or shake very very well you won't get hot spots.

[MrsApplepants]

I only ever used the ready made. Never bought a tin of powder. It was great. Used the small cartons and fed it at room temperature. No boiling kettles, measuring powder, warming bottles etc. When I went out would just throw some clean and sterilised bottles and some cartons in the bag and off to go. This admittedly was more expensive but pre maternity leave I spent £5 on lunch at work everyday so the saving made there more than covered it!

[onedaybaby]

MrsApplepants, with the ready made cartons/bottles, how did you store the milk after opening the carton/bottle when out? Did it store well in a cool bag and ice pack?

Are you able to decant the bottle into sterilised bottles and put in a cool bag if going out or store in the fridge?

[5madthings]

you shouldnt do it the way rachel says as the powder needs to be mixed with HOT water of 70 deg.

what i did was

get two bottles, one would have cooled boiled water in about half the amount needed for a feed. then in the other bottle put the rest of the amount needed of hot water, add ALL the powder to this and mix then add the rest of the water that was pre-measured out in the other bottle, shake well and this should be a drinkable temp.

ie 3oz of cooled boiled in one bottle. then in another bottle 3oz of hot, mix the powder with the HOT water, then add the cooled water to the hot, will make the milk the right temp and that way the powder has mixed with te hot water to kill bugs etc.

you may need to experiemnt re how much hot/cold, its normally half and half or 1/3 hot to 2/3 cold but always mix the powder with hot water.

i did this when out as well, took a bottle with pre boiled water (half the amount) then took a flask of boiling water with me to put into an empty bottle, added the powder and then the pre-measured cooled water to make it up to the correct amount.

both amoutns of water need to be measured out so you have the right amoutn of water for the amount of powder.

i did this at home as well as it was quick and easy but you can make up formula in advance with hot water, cool quickly under a running tap and then refrigerate. to warm i stood in a bowl of hot water, only takes a few mins.

[Rachel130690]

No you pour in boiled water first (half the amount you need), then when you need a bottle you add the rest hot water then add the formula. Never add formula to cold water.

This is the way my Mw and Hv explained to me to do it. It's the easiest way to do it and there's no faff involved. And I've done this from birth and there has been no problems here.

If you are really concerned you could always have less cool boiled water and more hot from flask,

[FairiesWearPoppies]

I make up bottles of just water. Ds will drink at any temp. I then add powder when he wants a feed. When out I count out scoops of powder into special pots that sit I the bottle and then tip in powder when ready. Bottles and pots are buy tonmee tippee

[FairiesWearPoppies]

Oh and both hv and mw said it fine to mix powder to cold water. The advice re gratin bottles is that breast milk is warm obviously but like I said my ds will drink it warn or cold or room temp

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

fairies No no no

You must add hotter than 70deg water to the powder as it kills the bacteria in the powder. Bacteria that can make your baby seriously ill.

[FairiesWearPoppies]

Well I'm gonna stick with what the professionals told me. Plus it's never done my dc any harm.

[GoldPlatedNineDoors]

Boil kettle - use water within 30mins - mix with right amount of powder and store in the fridge for 24hrs max.

Remove from fridge 1hr before feed, so gets to room.temp, serve at room temp.

When out and about, take made bottle from fridge and carry round til baby wanted it - drunk at room temp.

[Rachel130690]

We can only tell you how we do it, you'll come up with your own ways of doing it. But don't listen to people to seriouly as not everyone will agree with what you do. Everyone in my family makes it the way I do but that's not for everyone.

Fairies I used those tubs as well but my Lo doesn't take same amount each time and it got frustrating when I was making a 4oz bottle and he wanted more and all I could do was make another 4oz when he only took say another ounce. So I just carry powder with us. Just as handy for me but I wish we could go back to them wee pots very handy.

[5madthings]

hv shouldnt be telling people to make it up with cool or only warm water. the advice is 70deg for a reason. if you look up the nhs advice it tells you clearly why it should be 70deg.

some hv are not always giving out up to date advice re making up formula in the same way as they dont always give out tge right advice with weaning etc.

[GoldPlatedNineDoors]

Fairies, your HV is wrong. Powder is not sterile - mixing it with water over 70° sterilises the powder. Sterilising the tap water is useless - it just needs to be hot.

[Fairylea]

The water must must must be boiling hot or certainly no longer than 30 mins left before adding the powder. It is the powder that is not sterile.

Doing it the way I suggested earlier in the thread (making small batches and flash cooling before refrigerating) is a compromise and is the way many hospitals prepare formula for babies. It is not as good as making each bottle fresh but you are still killing the bacteria and then keeping the bottle cold to stop bacteria growth.

[Fairylea]

Also once you've warmed the bottle from the fridge you must only use it for a max of one hour as the bacteria growth escalates with time. It says this on the packet.

[fairimum]

DD has just spent 17 days in the special care baby unit and any formula that they need to make up they make up with room temperature sterile water... seeing as this is deemed ok for the very prem and vulnerable babies there, I wouldn't be too concerned myself... up to the individual though

[FairiesWearPoppies]

Exactly what happened with my ds fairimum

[Fairylea]

But fair in that environment I would imagine it's superclean and ultra hygienic ... a bit different to making powder up at home. Maybe that's why they deem it's ok to do it that way there.

[5madthings]

Will depend on the firmula they are using as well, there are a few special ones that cannot be mixed with hot water but for your average hipp, sma, aptimil etc they should be mixed with 70 deg water. The nhs website is clear on this ditto WHO etc.