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Infant feeding

Perfect prep unsafe?

11 replies

hulligwen · 17/04/2021 17:59

Hi!
Heard that the NHS don't advocate prep machines as they don't heat the water above 70 degrees which isn't enough to kill some bacteria. There's a statement by an NHS trust saying they shouldn't be used.
My boy has developed awful colic and now I'm concerned it's down to this machine.
Does anyone have any experience of using the Tomee Tippee Perfect Prep?
Anyone use it then change to something else? Disappointed as I find it really useful.

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Vicky1989x · 17/04/2021 20:11

I tried the PP machine but the milk wasn’t warm enough for my DD which gave her a belly ache. I’ve always found warmer than ‘usual’ milk much better for her, she burps a lot easier with it. She’s 11 months now and has her milk almost hot!

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DeeDee9898 · 18/04/2021 20:23

Hi, I use a perfect prep and never had any problems with it. My my daughter did have tummy problems early on but we use Dr brown bottles and kendamil formula and both are game changers for me

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momobots · 18/04/2021 20:35

When I was working in health visiting we did not recommend these. They were swabbed and were found to harbouring bacteria that is not good for humans particularly a babies immature gut.
As they don't get hot enough I would be concerned about legionnaires

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AliasGrape · 18/04/2021 20:58

@momobots

Have you got a source for your claim that they harbour bacteria? I've never seen that as grounds they're not recommended.

The issue has been around the temperature - 70 degrees will kill the bacteria in fact the recommendation is 'not less than 70 degrees'. The NHS statements I've seen have expressed concern that the amount of water dispensed by the 'hot shot' might not be enough and that, when mixed with the measured powder and possibly in a cold bottle, this might cool it below 70 degrees and therefore not be enough to kill the bacteria.

I don't know if there's been any documented cases of this happening.

FWIW I've used a prep machine for dd without any issue and nearly everyone I know who has formula fed has used one including some healthcare professionals. I only use the branded filters and clean it more regularly than the recommendation including doing a cleaning cycle with milton every so often, and I fill it with cool boiled water rather than straight from the tap, but that's probably not necessary. I know a microbiologist who has reviewed all the evidence and nhs statements and doesn't think there's an issue and fills hers from the bathroom tap. Those that didn't use the machine either premade bottles and stored in the fridge or made them up with a mixture of hot boiled water and cool boiled water in the same way as the prep machine just without the actual machine. I don't actually know anyone who made every bottle up exactly in the nhs advised way though of course that's the ideal. I probably could do it that way now dd is older and only has a set number of bottles at fairly predictable times, but when she was tiny and we were supposed to be feeding responsively but throwing bottles away after an hour but making them up fresh by boiling the kettle and leaving it to cool for half an hour then having to cool it all down once made but also supposed to feed her as soon as we spotted hunger cues and she was wanting small amounts like every 30-45 minutes, I genuinely didn't know how wed have done it 'properly' (as it was we still relied on the ready made stuff sometimes).

Anyway I decided it was such a minuscule risk I was ok with it and loads of other people clearly feel the same, you have to decide what you're comfortable with.

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momobots · 18/04/2021 21:43

If you google there are plenty of articles where parents have found 'mould' in the pipes, sadly any studies that prove otherwise are conducted by the company itself so are not good quality sources anyway.
While parents findings are anecdotal they are quite relevant and I for one would not use these and they are not recommended by the NHS who I would trust over a company wanting to sell a product.

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RedPandaFluff · 18/04/2021 22:33

Absolute lifesaver for when I finished breastfeeding. No issues with mould, the initial hot shot kills bacteria (and it's only one of several defences against bacteria anyway - you sterilise the bottles etc.)

Life would have been much harder without it.

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Parker231 · 19/04/2021 20:56

If you don’t clean it properly you could have a problem. Basic common sense.
These are a lifesaver - I’m known amongst my friends as the person who always buys the Perfect Prep as a new baby present. They are very popular.