AIBU to be annoyed with HCPs about formula guidelines?

[MuslinSuit]

When making up formula, it is essential to use water of above 70 degrees, to ensure that the water kills any bacteria present in the powder .

HCPs including HVs are recommending using 'cooled boiled water' to make up feeds, and are giving the ok to mums going out with bottles of pre-boiled water, now cool, and little containers of formula to add to the water. Thus any bugs in the formula will not be killed!

So, so many mums I know or come across on tinternet do this, and it annoys me! It annoys me even more that HVs actually recommend this as a safe practice!

AIBU to think that HVs should be aware of how to make up formula hygienically and safely, and that formula companies need to make it clear too? I mean it says to cool the water for 30 minutes, but not why - 30 mins is optimum for the water to be hot enough to kill bugs but not scald the milk.

So many mums think that the point of using boiled water is to kill bugs in the water rather than in the formula! Maybe formula companies just don't care, but I do feel they should be promoting safest practice.

I batch make bottles 2-4 at a time, rapid cool them and store in the fridge btw. I warm them in a tub of hot water for no more than ten mins prior to a feed. That's the safest practical way to do it other than making each one up at the time, which no sane mother does.

I did the same as you. But then dd was old enough to crawl and lick the cat...and suddenly it seemed a bit silly. I then got lazy and resorted to cartons. Now she is on cows milk, still licks the cat and quite healthy.

I made up all by dds' bottles with CBW and at 9 and 5 they both lived to tell the tale!

I thought the half an hour wait (or thereabouts) was pretty much equal to the 'cool boiled water'? Which seems a sensible way of telling people how to make a bottle without having to faff on with thermometers and stopwatches. Which no on is ever going to do in normal life.

Am a bit confused at what you are annoyed about tbh?

Um, my HV always said to boil the kettle and leave for 20-30 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes. She also explained needlessly why.

YANBU, I think the scary thing is, the HCP/HV don't know that the powder is the major problem (as well as the water, which should be boiled to kill bugs in it too), and that is why they are telling people it's ok to take a bottle of boiled, cooled water, and some powder in another bottle and mix when needed.

If you are FF, it's easy, and inexpensive, to buy some UHT cartons of your babies brand of formula and use THOSE for times when you need to feed while out and about. Safe, easy and it keeps fresh for months.

Perhaps most people actually do know as they arent idiots and can read but decide that the risk is so small that they are willing to take it, risk assement is something we all do all day every day in an unconcious way, this is no different.

Perhaps if they want to go out the only otion they have is to take water and pots of powder to make up on demand, rather than have stale milk in botles for long days out. Yes they could take a flask, but the first bottle would be too hot, the last bottle too cold etc, then i spose they could take a bottle of cold water with them as well...but blimey! be practical, unless you travel with a wheelbarrow for supplies its not feasable really.

Ok im with you but im ancient and my babies are much older , But when i was making up formula we had to do with with boiled water then cool, It down , i know it changes all the time i wouldnt want to tell anybody how to do it if they are seeking advice from HV and the instructions ont he tins ,

Surely 70 degrees would kill bacteria stone dead? So I wonder how can some formulas have 'useful' bacteria in?

'cooled boiled water' for the purpose of making up formula is water cooled for no longer than 30 minutes.

There are already two misconceptions on this thread (5 replies) - that you would ever use boiling water to make up formula, and that 'cooled boiled water' means cooled for as long as you fancy, ie right down to room temp.

That is what I'm annoyed about. So many ff mums don't have a clue how to do the most important process they do all day. It makes me

MuslinSuit - this is often discussed on MN :)

For those saying - I did it and no harm came to my kids - Please - can you try to understand that this has nothing to do with other germs around the house. The formula can have enterobacter sakazakii/Cronobacter bacteria in it. It needs to be mixed with water at 70 deg to be killed (and no hotter so it doesn't kill off the good stuff in the formula). It is not uncommon for bottle fed babies to have gastro illnesses due to this and occasionally babies die from it. On a numbers basis it's not a huge risk - but the risk is huge - serious illness and/or death. The reported deaths number is low because hospitals can't always prove that is what caused it to the degree which they would need to against formula companies lawyers :(

It is not 'half an hour' - because it depends entirely on how much water is in your kettle and what your kettle is like. You need to check this out for yourself or there are now kettles that will keep water at 70deg.

Of course, like many other things, as a parent this is your choice - to take the risk or not take the risk - but please accept there is a risk. No matter how many times people post 'I made Little Jane's bottles with cold water and she's fine'

YANBU but plenty of people have done it the wrong way and their kids are ok yadda yadda. just like plenty of people were hit when kids and are ok, and so on.

yanbu though.

CBW is fine if you're feeding immediately. If you're batching bottles then must be water over 70C and cool as quickly as poss.

I wouldn't spend 10 mins heating a bottle though. Just microwave or stand in v hot water for a couple of mins

i used to heat mine back up in a bottle warmer at 2 am stranded i dont think that is advised anymore i also make them up and keep them in the fridge for the day , the advice is always changing I think , I work with parents and i see them with little pots of formula and bottles of water and it seems such a faff , I also used the cartons somebody else said with mine if we were out and about ,

Oh, and by CBW I mean boiling water put in sterile bottles and sealed, then kept in the fridge

Some OP. I think the word you are missing is some.

Some HCPs have read guidelines and advise accordingly.

Some parents don't listen

Some are stupid and Some parents do what they want no matter what HCPs advise.

No I don't boil the kettle at 2am - I get a bottle from fridge and sit it in hot water to warm it up.

When out and about, I have a bottle in a bottleshaped coolbag, and a tiny thermos with boiling water to warm it up on the go. Hardly a wheelbarrow - both items fit easily in my change bag.

So did i do it the right way im a tad confused not that it matters to me anymore I have no babies ,

I'd have said cooled boiled water = around 30 mins anyway. Any longer than that and surely the baby would have taken umbridge?

I just followed what the tin said.

Cor it must be crappola being a health visitor, imagine having to tell a knackered mum to be sure and boil her kettle and leave it until the water was at 70 degrees and never to premake etc etc.

Bet the dirty looks they get sear the soul!

and parents who use formula are usually perfectly capable of reading the tin. What they choose to do after that is entirely up to them.

To make it clearer then - too hot and the water denatures ("kills") some important nutrients.

Too cold and the bacteria in the formula could kill your baby (which has happened fairly recently I believe).

Denatured nutrients isn't tooooo much of a problem for the odd feed, so making it up with too hot water isn't a problem occasionally as long as you don't scald the baby - but any feed made with cooler than 70 degree water is a risk.

YANBU

Jareth, you are wrong. CBW is not fine if you are using it straight away. This is exactly the point the OP is making and the guidelines are v v clear about this. You are feeding your baby a potentially contaminated product and have missed out a vital step in reducing a serious risk.

Thank you ChippingIn and others! Just because little Johnny is ok, doesn't mean it is fine.

I told my friend she may as well use tap water for all the good her painstakingly 'cooled, boiled' water does. She did this

Yabu because the risk of bacteria and infection is negligible. I make it from freshly boiled myself, rarely waiting it to cool at all, then put it straight in fridge which is actually the safest way to cool hot liquids or food.