Making up soya formula post-12 months

[cuppachar]

This is not directly allergy-related as such... But if you are making up soya formula for a baby over 12 months (DD is 19 months), do you bother boiling the kettle, leaving for 45 minutes, making up formula and then cooling to right temperature as per the pack instructions?

I assumed all that was only necessary for young babies so have always just used half boiling water, half cold straight from the tap, added formula and given it to DD straight away. However DD has had several bouts of sickness recently (3 in the last 4 weeks) which have all started on a Friday or Saturday not nursery days (Mon-Wed) so I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing something to make her ill.... Pretty sure the vomitting isn't allergy-related as she hasn't been having anything out of the ordinary (she's allergic to dairy, egg and nuts).

Thanks in advance!

Does she have soya formula at nursery?

My DS developed an allergy to soya after having it no problem for months and months. It started as vomiting and we thought he had a tummy bug.

I would try making it up as on the packet to rule out a problem with the formula. Formula is really bad for harbouring bacteria. Also are you quite strict about throwing it out after however many days it says on the tin as i can't imagine a 19 month old is drinking enough to use up a whole tin within the time?

3 of mine continued on soya (or hypo allergenic) formula up until they were about 4yrs old, (due to weight and other issues) and once they hit around 12/14mths IIRC I made it up with just normal water as and when they wanted a 'bottle', with no issues.

as I had to use it in cooking and for there drinks and breakfast, I used a tin up a week easily, so the bacteria issue in the opened tin was not an issue either.

to warm the milk I microwaved it.

HTH

normal water = tap water.

That's interesting/helpful Psycho... On formula until they were 4 years old....

When DS was recently in Children's Hospital, it was such a highlight going to the milk kitchen to learn how to make formula. It was really fascinating.

Anyway, the milk kitchen make up formula by letting boiled water cool down for about 20 minutes, mixing in the powder and then they would fast cool it.

I did it that way when they were small (and in fact, when DS2 was in hospital for 4wks just before he was 5, so he was still on his at that age!), but at home tap water heated in the microwave and used immediately worked for us.

might have been different had I made it up in advance tho. I made it up as we went along, simply because it was what I was used to from being weaned from BF, as the same three were on meds for reflux until 12mths. and the meds mine were on were put in the bottle just before being drunk, so making it is advance was a PITA for me.

thanks all.... DD was sick again first thing this morning, then really tired and lethargic with no appetite. I really need to get to the bottom of this so am going to see the GP tomorrow. She's now suffered from vomitting (to a greater or lesser extent) 4 of the last 5 weekends which is quite worrying to me...

pyschomum5, it sounds like your method of making up formula post-12 months is not too dissimilar to mine, although I use warm water to make it up rather than cold + microwave, so I guess it's possible the microwaves could kill bugs??? Thing is, even on the 3 days a week when she's at nursery I make her morning and evening milk up my usual way (whereas nursery do it the 'correct' way for her mid-morning and mid-afternoon milk) and yet it's only at weekends she's been ill so maybe I'm on the wrong track completely.

trixymalixy - good suggestion but she has 4 x 150ml beakers of soya milk per day so we easily get through a whole tin within a month (probably more like 2 or 3). Nursery don't get through quite so much as she's only there 3 days a week, but they discard whatever's left after a month so it's definitely not a question of it being open too long. Do you think soya formula is as bad for harbouring bacteria as cow's milk formula?

ilovemydog - we're supposed to keep her on soya formula until age 2 then if she's still allergicto cow's milk we will move her onto ordinary soya milk in cartons. That's not rich enough in protein, fat, etc for younger children though so not suitable yet.

Well hopefully the GP might have some bright ideas. It doesn't "feel" like another allergy as it's not always immediately after eating (though it usually is, to be fair). I feel it's something else, just have no idea what unfortunately.....

Anyway thanks for the suggestions so far and if anyone has any more ideas let me know!

Your poor DD .

I would try msking up the formula as for a little baby to rule out the formula contamination and keep a food diary to see if you can pinpoint what is making her sick.

It does sound to me like when my DS developed a soya allergy, it took us ages to work it out as he was never sick immediately after having soya and it went on for a few weeks.

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

thanks trixymalixy

thought I'd just update you following our trip to the GP today. He says the way I make up formula is absolutely fine at her age (phew!) and agrees it doesn't sound like a new allergy. He says it couldn't be some underlying bug/infection that keeps flaring up as she would be ill every day not just weekends. He feels that it's probably just a coincidence that she's been ill several weekends recently, but conceded that keeping a food diary might not be a bad idea, in case it is some kind of intolerance or something. Basically he's not concerned at all, although did give me bottles for urine and stool samples should she have a reocurrence.

I feel fairly reassured by this, although find it hard to believe it's all a coincidence... I suppose maybe each bout weakens her slightly and makes her more susceptible to other bugs each time?? No idea really. Think I will try a food diary to see if I can spot a pattern.

Anyway thanks to those who replied. x