bottle feeding mums wdyd at night?

[chocorocco]

just wondered what ppl do re. night feeds?

[Panzee]

What do you mean? My son woke up, I fed him formula. I am assuming you want more detail than that but not sure what. :)

[forevergreek]

As a nanny it's usually been ready made formula in individual cartons at night. They don't need heating and are sterile so would take two bottles and two cartons with a pair of scissors up before bed. In your sleepy state just pour milk into bottle and feed. Usually some leftover and thats just poured away, but 100x easier than formula powder at night and keeping the crying to a min

[chocorocco]

sorry silly phone posted before i was ready. did you pre prepare feeds and put them in fridge know they say not to nowadays or make them fresh. also read you can put the cool boiled water in flask then add formula when ready.

[chocorocco]

did think about the cartons they're just so expensive.

[Panzee]

Oh I see. :) I used cartons day and night so sorry can't help you re the powdered stuff.

[PoppyWearer]

The ready made formula in bottles is even easier than cartons, if you can get it for the right age group.

I have in the past contemplated getting a small fridge and bottle warmer for the bedroom, to save trips downstairs. In the end I just kept bf'ing at night - ultimate laziness!!

[PoppyWearer]

Sorry, x-post!

[forevergreek]

The cartons are about 60p each depending on brand. I would wake for a dreamfeed around 10/11pm depending on when you go to sleep. This would be made and cooled correcting from powder.
Then I wouldn't expect more than 2 feeds through the night after that ( remover once the carton is open it's up to two hours before it has to be disposed, although I dispose after 1 hour tops). So if they fed at 11pm, and then woke at say 2am you could feed from same carton from 2-3am. Then they might wake at 6am and you open next

I'm not sure how old baby is but from say 12 weeks I wouldn't expect them to need feeding more than every 4 hrs at night ( so if you fed at 11pm, would only be one carton a night around 3am)

I wouldn't recommend the mixing with hot water/ cold water combo that some people do

[forevergreek]

Oh yes and now ready made bottles of instant formula can be brought and that can be opened and kept in the fridge for up to 24hrs ( but Iv never used so you would have to read up)

[Rooobs]

I wouldn't keep cooled water in a flask as the longer the water is above fridge temperature, the more bacteria has chance to multiply.

There was a sign on the maternity ward saying basically, you can warm your baby's milk if you want, but it's not actually necessary. Therefore, for this (3rd) baby we've kept bottles of water ready in the fridge and added powder when baby wakes.

[FestiveDigestive]

Roobs - the water has to be above 70 degrees at the time you add the powder, this is to make sure any bacteria in the milk powder is killed. The flask advice means that you still will be putting hot water in the feed when you make it.

Once you've made your formula with hot water, it is allowed to sit out of the fridge for up to 2 hrs before you start actually using it so it may well be quite cool by then. Or, if you use the ready-made stuff, you can pour it cold from the carton because the milk in cartons is sterile. The powder can't be guaranteed to be sterile & some babies have got salmonella from powder milk - that's why the feeds have to be made up with water over 70.

[BikeRunSki]

I had a Fridge to Go, a cool bag that keeps the contents properly cold for 8 hours. I put a ready made bottle in and took it upstairs when I went to bed, and warmed it up under the hit tap in the bathroom as needed.

They are brilliant for days out too. The large ones hold 2 bottles and keep them cold for 8 hours.

[Grumpla]

Two bottles, one empty, one full of boiled water. A flask of boiled water. A powder pot.

Open empty bottle, add powder, add about half amount of water hot from flask. Top up with boiled water from other bottle which is now cold.

You need a decent quality flask to make sure is it is hot enough when it is added to the powder.

Almost instantaneous, cheap, safe.

[chocorocco]

thanks. interesting to hear different methods. i like the fridge and go option.

[nicki1978]

I used to make up 5 bottles of formula at a time and take as many up to bed with us as was normally required and gave them DS as they were.

Initially we used to warm them up but crying baby needed feeding now not when it was warm enough so we decided to try at whatever temp they were at and he was fine and happy so we continued.

DS is now 18mths he has a 9oz cows milk bottle straight from fridge to go to bed on, if he wakes in night there is a 5oz cows milk bottle waiting outside his room on standby, and a further 9oz that also sits outside his room all night (except in summer, then I put it in bathroom sink filled with cold water) for when he wakes in morning.

It just makes things that bit easier xx

[harrygracejessica]

I used to just have bottles of cooled boiled water on the side, grab one and add formula - everyone says its not allowed but mine were on SMA stay down and that's how it says to make them up as if they are slightly warm the milk doesn't mix in.

[Ellie092]

I make fresh bottles when she wakes or wants one never pre made I go by all the rules! Plus the thought of giving my baby a premade bottle that has been sat for hours doesn't appeal to me it was tiring at first but she it's like so easy now I don't give it a second thought! She dies sleep thought at night now so it's alot easier but I always made a fresh bottle up for her

[Ellie092]

Does sleep* stupid phone!

[littlemissmulledwine]

we took a bottle warmer upstairs, put cooled boiled water in the bottles then warmed it up to 70c and added the formula powder.

loads easier than going downstairs, cheaper than cartons too

[emblosion]

I use ready mixed bottles at night as ds only wakes once usually (6 months old).

When he used to need more frequent feeds I used to pre-make bottles before I went to bed and put them in the fridge. I too contemplated buying minifridge/microwave for the bedroom

[thedicewoman]

I make up the bottles for the day with cooled boiled water and store them at room temperature, then add the powder when the milk is actually needed. I've always done it this way (I.e. not adding to hot water) with 2 children from 2 weeks old and never had any problems with it. I also never warm the milk if it's from room temperature,only if I've stored it in the fridge for any reason.

[forevergreek]

It's the powder that is unsterile, so basically however you do it, you should be adding powder to water 70 degrees or hotter to kill the bacteria. Yes people have made with cooled boiled water for ages, but many sick babies have resulted from that also. ( yes I know lots are fine, but some aren't)

[ThreeBoostsOneGalaxy]

We took the clean bottles straight from the dishwasher, poured the right amount of just boiled water in from the kettle, then put teats and lids on loosely, tightening once they had cooled a little. Measured formula powder into container with compartments.

When each feed was needed, we opened the bottle, added pre-measured powder, closed bottle and shook to mix.

At no point were any of these bottles ever refrigerated or warmed up. We used a microwave steriliser with DS1 but did not sterilise bottles for any of the other three.

None of them got upset tummies from this. They are now 12, 10, 8 and 8.

[ThreeBoostsOneGalaxy]

I think that if the formula is going to be sitting around after being made up, then it would be wise to make it up with water over 70 degrees for the reasons explained above. If it is going to be used immediately after making it up, then any bacteria present in the powder would not have a chance to proliferate as much, especially if you are not warming bottles either.

[MrsMushroom]

I used to make up the bottles with cooled boiled water and then use an Avent formula dispenser to make up a bottle as and when required. DDs both had their bottles room temp so no heating them up. V easy.