to carry this much about with me??

[Scheherezade]

DS was ebf, but now he'd 6months we're bottle feeding in the day, plus well into our solids.

So when we leave the house I have 4 flasks. Two hot flasks for making bottle and warming food, two cold for cooling bottle and keeping food cold. Bottles, Plus spare clothing, finger food, nappies, wipes etc.

Is this a reasonable amount, or is there some trick I'm missing out on?!

It sounds as if you are preparing for an onslaught on Everest. Do you really need 4 flasks? What about using cartons of readymade formula when out?

Depending on how long we are going to be out I either make bottles up beforehand and keep the temperature warm-ish by using one of those thermos bottle bags or I just take bottles and those little ready made cartons you can buy which have been a lifesaver at times.

I still have sun cream from last year in my bag. Along with 'spare' clothes that haven't fitted DS for 6 months at least, various socks in various sizes (no pairs, obviously), crumbly old biscuits well past their best, a bib covered in orange stuff... But I frequently leave home without any nappies or wipes and end up having to drive back home again swearing.

So I guess what I'm saying is, as long as you have the stuff you actually need with you, and it's not inconvenient (wel, not too inconvenient) lugging it all round with you, don't worry about it.

I would use ready made milk for out and about and take food with me that didn't need to be kept at a specific temperature (finger food generally!)

How long are you planning to be out for?
It does seem a bit excessive

Why not just make up the bottles in bulk before you go out?

Depends how long you plan to be out.
Sounds like a lot TBH.
One flask of hot if you have to (& if you aren't going somewhere with no hot water) formula in individual cartons (for day trips only) an empty bottle and a couple of jars to eat at room temp.

Sorry, Convenience all the way here.

Or fill half the bottle with cooled boiled water before you leave and top up with hot water in the flask? Save you having to being four flasks and should be more or less at the right temperature.

I bring nappies, wipes, spare clothes and some snacks.

myname: And that is why I don't understand why people switch from bf to ff.

It's always a choice?

i have two children under three (baby is seven months, bf and eats what we eat) and don't have a pram

i go out somewhere on public transport in central london every day (museums, parks, zoo, aquarium etc etc, usually not always out for lunch and i carry a medium rucksack.

but i like to dice with danger and don't always take full changes of clothes and tend to buy stuff in an emergency.

baby in sling pretty much spends half the time with a nipple in her mouth anyway (food, napping to sleep, shutting her up on transport etc)

what does annoy me is having to cart a milion of my eldest daughter's objets, from scooter to tiny pokemons, dolls and wotnot and not lose them.

Yikes! Far too much. Do you know roughly when your baby will need fed? Can you make up a bottle and keep it in a thermos bag? Or take a carton of premade milk?

when i went out with my babies all i needed foodwise was myself for the bf and i would take an avocado and spoon and feed it direct!

I have my (very valid) reasons for stopping daytime bf.

myname:It quite often is. I know loads of people who got to 6 months and switched to formula with a sigh of relief.
Okay...

I used to carry loads of stuff, much to the amusement of other mums. It made me feel better to know I had it, so if this is true for you, there's no harm in it.

myname x post.

Here :)

sounds like you've got your work cut out heating and cooling food. why not dish out what you eat?

i'd try to stick with bf and blw if you don't like carrying about half of Robert Dyas

but if you're happy, then what's the problem?

i'm happy with a rucksack and carrying two children and i'm in a habit of being ut and about and travelling light but to most people that's insane. i don't care!

In a week of switching to formula, DS has gone from feeding every 90-120 minutes to 5 hours. Considering I'm an inpatient in a mother & baby unit from PND brought on from sheer exhaustion, I can't go back to that. So this is my only option. DS is still bf 4 times at morning & night feeds.

Avocado is a great idea! DS gets too irate for blw, I try make his lunch finger foods, with a yoghurt to satisfy him, he's a v. Hungry baby!

I'm a bit confused - are you talking about days out ? Because if he's only feeding once every 5 hours then surely you would only need to feed him if you were out for a long period of time ?

(Today he drank 10oz of formula in one go, 4 hours after breakfast and breastfeed!)

But its good to be prepared in case, for whatever reason, I can't get home to feed him.

i'm sorry to hear about your situation and hope you're on the mend and you're on getting good support.

in tht light i'd not sweat the small stuff. or flasks, or whatever.

from someone who was also a MH inpatient, albeit not baby related