Is there a more efficient way for me to make up bottles?

[Annarose2014]

Right now it seems to take about 25/30 mins. We boil the kettle, sterilise the bottles, wait for about 15 mins for boiling water to cool down slightly, then after making up the bottle we pop it in a jug of water to cool down to "wrist temperature".

This means we occasionally get the timing wrong and its all a bit fraught! He's on a three hour schedule but at least once a day there'll be a period where after 2.5 hrs he's decided he wants his feed NOW but there's no kettle even boiled!

We're trying to go by guidelines but I can't help thinking we're missing a time-saving trick?

(BTW I know about the TT Perfect Prep machine but DH is dubious about it)

[trilbydoll]

You could make them in the same way as the perfect prep machine. 50% boiling water, add powder, shake up, then add 50% cold water. Bottle prob still a bit hot but not too bad. Just have to remember to create a stash of cooled boiled water!

[FelixFelix]

I used to make up bottles with half boiling water then top up with cooled boiled water. It meant you could make it up almost instantly and it would be the right temperature to use straight away.

So for example, if I wanted to make a 6oz bottle I would fill the bottle with 3oz boiling water, add 6 scoops of formula and shake. Then I would measure out another 3oz of cooked boiled water from a container I kept in the fridge, and add this to the original bottle and shake again. If that makes sense! It's so much easier than the 'official' way and it means if you have a screaming hungry baby you can feed them straight away

[Andcake]

You're making them up the right way - you have to add the formula to at least 70c water to kill bacteria in the formulae. This bacteria has killed babies in France and Belgium.
But the trick you're missing is making up two or even 3 at a time. Flash cool then keep them in the coolest part of the fridge ( not the door). I worked on a one in one out basis
Except for at night where we keep one ready for the morning and one for a night feed. Dp made them before he went to bed.
Who guidelines say flash cooled formula can be stored for 12 hours in the fridge. I would just warm under the hot tap!
Sterilising I just used Milton fluid in a huge lidded tub - wash up bottle plonk in tub- leave til needed. Milton needs changing every 24 hours so I always did that first thing.

[FelixFelix]

I believe formula is heated to much higher than 100 degrees during production so I don't think loss of nutrients would be an issue. It can always be left a few minutes before using it just in case.

I also used to make some up in advance and flash cool then keep in the fridge, if I didn't have time to make fresh. It's so much easier than all this boiling and waiting malarkey

[hoobypickypicky]

I used to do as you suggest but for 24 hours worth of bottles, MoreSnowPlease.

I understand it's not the done thing now and would be interested to know why. Is their a risk of real harm in healthy babies living in UK 2015 with a reasonably competent parent, not taking into account statistics from countries without appropriate water supplies or sanitation?

[hoobypickypicky]

*is there a risk, not is there fgs!

[hoobypickypicky]

Gah! There, not their.

[trilbydoll]

Interestingly (relatively speaking) when DD started nursery they asked for bottles made up. We queried this and they said their health and safety expert said making them with boiling water and flash cooling asap was safe, and presumably safer than the risk of the nursery staff making a mistake.

[Paddingtonthebear]

Make them up in batches, they can be flash cooled and stored in the fridge for up to 12 hours. We also had a kettle that boiled to various different temperature settings, one of them was 70 degrees.

[SingRingPing]

The reason they suggest you wait til 70 degree's is due to the risk of scolding yourself with boiling water. Also, when you hover the power spatula over the steamy bottle it makes the powder stick together and therefore you might not get the full volume into the bottle.
You cannot 'kill' nutrients. It would also be silly to produce a product whereby there needed to be an exact temperature where it was hot enough to kill bacteria, yet cool enough to prevent 'killing' nutrients.
The easiest thing to do is boil a kettle, wait for it to become less steamy and poor half into the bottle. Add correct number of scoops of powder, then add a pre measured volume of cool water (can be previously boiled and cooled, but can be straight from tap as tap water is not the risk - the powder is).

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I make them in fours. The steriliser holds four bottles so as soon as I have four empty (I have six bottles), I sterilise and remake them (obvs not at night though!)

[NotQuiteCockney]

I think there is some risk from the water - a bit of bacteria that would be fine for you or me could really harm a newborn.

[MissBeehiving]

The WHO advice is that it's perfectly safe to make the bottles as Paddington suggests. The water needs to be hot enough to kills the bacteria in the milk powder (it's not sterile) but not to hot as to nuke the nutrients, that's 70 degrees - not boiling.

[BackToTheFuschia]

WHO advice says that if a bottle is going to be consumed immediately, it can be made with room temp previously boiled water. This is not the advice for batch making though, which must be made with hot water.
best news ever!

[Annarose2014]

Who guidelines say flash cooled formula can be stored for 12 hours in the fridge.

Ooooh, I didn't know this - thats great news!

Those of you doing the flash cooling thing - are you using ice or a freezer block? Whats handiest?

[Paddingtonthebear]

Bowl of cold water with a freezer block in it

[HOHOHOhwhatsoccuring]

I read the guidelines to say the water used should be no cooler than 70 degrees so not to leave it longer than 30mins before using. So it would be fine to use the kettle straight away, does say to be careful of scalds though.

[NotQuiteCockney]

BackToTheFuschia could you post a link to that WHO evidence? I can see that immediate consumption makes some difference, but I thought the risk of chronobacter death was significant?

[ARandomFridayIn2012]

I had to mix feed DC1 and started off making 12 hours worth (3-4 bottles) but I preferred DC having it made fresh so got the perfect prep, it was invaluable

[eastmidswarwicknightnanny]

Perfect prep machine is excellent I initially thought another over priced gadget but once I night nannied for someone who had one n looked into safety aspects of it I would highly recommend n if we end up switching to bottles . I would def get one, they are £100 but often on offer n will be in asda baby event next week at £60.

[munchkin2902]

Annarose you have the same name as my 4 week old daughter and I have just started making up formula for her this week (now looking at her suspiciously but I don't think she's quite advanced enough to post on mumsnet yet!)

I do three at a time and keep in the fridge until needed. I try not to keep for over 12 hours though. We worked out the ready made cartons would cost us £200 a month so decided powder had to be done although I'm not massively keen on it as I don't trust myself to make and cool it properly (and I'm totally paranoid about her getting ill.)

[NeedaDiscoNap]

I thought the same aseastmids about the perfect prep machine initially too, but it has paid for itself several times over (used to use ready made bottles fur night feeds) and is the best baby related thing we have bought. I'm evangelical about it!