How do you go out and about with baby bottles

[Rainyrain]

I might be being really simple but.....

Many moons ago when my daughter was bottle fed I was able to make up a days worth of bottles and pop them in the fridge to be heated up when needed. If we went out we took a cold bottle of made up milk, a travel flask and heated it up when it was needed.

I have a brand new grandchild who is bottle fed. Each bottle needs to be made up fresh with boiled water that is at least 70 degrees to kill any bacteria in the formula which is fine when at home but how do you manage this when you’re shopping or at the park etc?
At the moment my daughter is taking the little pre made bottles of formula but this is quite costly.

How do you do it?

I was just going to say, I did it the easy way too - make up bottles with hot water, chill fast and fridge, then keep them chilled until needed. It's not warm at the moment, so an ice pack isn't going to melt any time fast.

Faffing about with flasks of boiling water and cooled boiled water sounds incredibly impractical, not to mention likely to end up with you trying to do it in some cramped space on the move, and scalding yourself.

NHS advice

What if I need to transport a made-up feed?

If it is not possible to follow the advice above, or if you need to transport a feed (for example, to a nursery),prepare the feed at home, cool under a running tap or in a bowl of cold water, and cool it for at least 1 hour in the back of the fridge.

Take it out of the fridge just before you leave and carry it in a cool bag with an ice pack, and use it within 4 hours. If you do not have an ice pack, or access to a fridge, the made-up infant formula must be used within 2 hours.

If made-up formula is stored:

• in a fridge–use within 24 hours
• in a cool bag with an ice pack–use within4 hours
• at room temperature–use within2 hours

I remember my health visitor telling me (10yrs ago) that it was fine to make a bottle up up to 24hrs before needing as long as it went into the back of the fridge (coldest part) so that’s we used to do, if we were going out we’d keep made up bottle in an insulated bag. The only time I used cartons was when staying with my mother as I couldn’t deal with her interfering and crap advice about the way I was making up the bottles.

Is it safe to make up a bottle with boiling water then bring out in an insulated bottle bag to feed within 2 hours?

I make them in advance with boiling water to kill bugs then refrigerate.

I take them out with me in a Tommee Tippee thermal bottle bag to keep them cool. All my children have just drunk them at fridge temperature and been happy.

I took cooled boiled water in a flask and the powder in little tubs. Then when I stopped to feed I’d go to a cafe/pub/anywhere that sells food and would get a drink for me and ask for a small amount of boiling water and make the bottle up like the perfect prep machine. I never had a problem with this anywhere.

Asdas cafes have microwaves in and as I used mam bottles I could sterilise them there.

@Felipa - yes, safe so long as you cool it right down quickly first, then you keep a cold pack in the insulated bag with you.

You shouldn't let it cool down slowly (ie., trying to keep it warm).

Felipa that’s what I always did
It’s against guidelines but I used to make up 6 bottles before bed each night using water around 70degrees and cool rapidly in the fridge. Then I used to get them out as required and if at home heat in the microwave (also against guidelines) or take out in a cool bag specifically for bottles and fin d somewhere to heat it. Once heated if not gone in 2 hours I wouldn’t use it
They are guidelines, not laws or rules and as long as you are being careful and sensible it’s ok to use common sense

My friend boils a kettle of hot water before she leaves the house and packs that in the bag with the bottles with measured powder in, then wherever she is just asks for a jug of cold water to cool them!

Second best is to make up in advance with hot water and store in fridge. You can then take out and about with a cool pack, insulated sleeve etc.

Third best is to make up with cold water immediately before consumption.

According to this WHO document :)

www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/PIF_Bottle_en.pdf

Whatever you do, make sure you approve with your DD before you break from her preference, as it's so personal/sensitive at this time when they are so tiny. Feels so important to do it "your own" way