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.

Are you a member of the ff police?

Re reading the tin, not all tins have the correct instructions as per the UK guidelines .

Usual - yes

I'm so fucking confused with this bottle lark. With DS 6 years ago I'd boil the kettle, leave it for 20 minutes, make up 6 bottles and put them in the fridge. Baby cries, I'd fill a jug with boiling water and stand a cold bottle from the fridge in it for a few minutes, feed baby. I did use the microwave to heat the bottles later on when no one was watching.

Is this safe? Mad? I have no idea what to do this time, so much conflicting info out there, I'm not making and cooling as I go that's bloody madness. And I see people out with little tubs and loads of bottles of water - what's that all about?

Christ it's enough to drive a woman to breastfeeding.

(That's a joke BTW, I'm going to give the boob another go but not holding out much hope)

It also annoys me because the unhygienic system users think it is better because they are 'making it up fresh' each time! It is such a faff to use the little pots of powder! My method is so speedy whilst out and about and is actually hygienic.

Oh and I can bet you that nurseries make it the wring way - I have a friend who works in a nursery and we had this argument because they use cold boiled water there and in her previous nurseries....

I never sterilised DD's bottles or made feeds with boiling water. I am not sterillising DS's bottles and the bottle I just made him was made with cooled boiled water. Children are not exposed to enough bugs these days.

Takingiteasy - exactly ! your method is 100% correct, but so many mums are doing the wee pots thing thinking it's better now

How do you know your water is the right temp when you're out? I carry ready made for going out.

'children are not exposed to enough bugs these day's

May I refer you please to ChippingIn's post.

Yeah but surely if you are carrying pots of water and powder about that is a great germ culture medium?

I can't actually believe that a bottle with a lid on is simply impermeable to bacteria? Operating instruments are packed in 3 sterile layers to ensure sterility in transit, so how can a cap on a teat ensure nothing gets through?

Anyhow - there is probably no fail safe methos outside of a lab, so I honestly don't think it is something anyone should get wild about. The degrees of risk between methods must be tiny and perhaps something we are stuck with until the bastard formula companies withdraw powder and make the premixed stuff standard.

I have had this argument on MN many many times.

My DS was 5 mths old when he had a really nasty tummy bug. I took him to the doc, who took a sample to be on the safe side. We were so surprised when it came back as positive for salmonella and could not work out where he could have got it from.

It was not until much, when I read on MN about how to make up bottles safely, did I realise that he had almost certainly got it from the formula.

He wasn't weaned, none of us had salmonella, it must have been the formula.

He was lucky that a dose of antibiotics was enough, and was soon back to normal.

To anyone who says, "that is the way I have always done it, never harmed my kids", I can only say that you were lucky.

If going out I would keep a bottle cool in one of those wee insulated bags then heat it up when out or just give it as is. Is that ok?

Is it still ok to store them made up in the fridge for 24 hours?

Don'task - I agree that the liquid form should be standard

But disagree that levels of risk only differ slightly between methods.

The 70 degree, premaking method kills bugs in the powder, the pots and bottles whilst out and about way doesn't.

I think of it like preparing meat.

Sootie
The formula is not sterile. It can be infected with salmonella or other nasties.

You would not give a toddler uncooked chicken to eat with the excuse, "children are not exposed to enough bugs nowadays", and this is exactly the same.

Seriously, think of it like preparing meat. Cook it properly, chill it quickly and only reheat once, carefully.

So many women would easily know how to deal with chicken, yet milk powder eludes. And HcPs do IMO need to take more responsibility for making sure women do know.

I think the confusion lies about which bacteria are the problem.

The really worrying bacteria that are the most dangerous are the ones that sometimes come in the formula so you need to kill them. It's a specific bug. Use hot water (but not boiling or you reduce the nutrients).

Then you have the normal everyday about you bacteria that can contaminate and breed in milk. To combat this - use hot washed/sterilised bottles, keep made up formula cool, don't reheat, don't use left over made up stuff etc etc...

LittleWavey - yes I think a lot of mums focus on killing bacteria in the water which is not the problem in the UK!

I guess formula companies have the same spiel here or in countries where it would be the water that's the problem.

It's the powder you are debugging with the preparation.

I think HCP could do all they like but people will ultimately do what it says on the tin, closely followed by whatever habit they slip into.

I got given a UNICEF leaflet on making the feeds. Which was great, but it had no sensible plan on feeding when out and about.

So can you heat formula that has been made up and stored previously? Would it need to be kept cool once made? How would you keep it cool on a trip?

I always wonder about people making up bottles as they go in cafes etc, the surfaces aren't clean - not kitchen clean, and they are laying everything out, scooping and mixing. At home I'd use the lid of the steriliser to do all that with clean hands, once a day.

MmeLindor if just one lurker reads and starts preparing formula hygienically, I'll be glad I started the thread. I'm aware it's probably been done on MN loads, but it is so widespread at baby groups I've been going to to do the wee pots technique and I can't exactly lecture them all

Dontask- you can get bottleshaped cool bags to keep the bottle chilled safely while you're out, ready to reheat when needed. Mine came with my Cath Kidston change bag but I'm sure you can find one cba googling any coffee joint will give you hot water to sit it in to warm it or Mothercare have bottle warmersfor customer use.

I dunno - it seems like swapping one risk for another. The risk of not sterilaising the milk swapped for the risk of the milk being infected whilst out and about (surely a cool bag thing can't be as good as a fridge)

It was ready made all the way for me, when we did use formula - which means extra money to the formula companies. Bastards.

Again Muslin - you are missing the word some