About prep time for powdered formula?

[MissMalteser]

Ds is 6 weeks and I am just starting to introduce the odd bottle of formula so we can combination feed, at the minute I am using the pre made bottles but i have been looking into powder and because of the gap between dc's I'm not sure if ive just forgot it was always this complicated?
So each bottle has to be made fresh as required, this includes boiling kettle, making bottle and letting cool, but each bottle also has to be sterilised, once I open my steriliser to get a bottle out the rest are contaminated and need resterilised, so by the time ds starts grunting for a feed and I actually go through the faff of sterilising bottle, boiling water, making bottle and letting it cool enough to drink it could surely take at least 45 minutes each time? Am i missing something? and aibu to think surely there is a more time effective way to do it?

[Birdsgottafly]

I've babysat for people and done overnights, with new born babies.

I did what Crayfish, does.

Put boiled water into a bottle, let it cool, put it in fridge.

Then put two-three ounces of boiling hot water into a fresh bottle, add the formula and top up with the cooled boiled water.

You generally have enough time to boil a kettle. The powder can be measured out, in one of those compartment containers, for overnight, if needed.

There's no need to add powder to warm water.

[Artandco]

Birds - I hope you get those parents to sign a disclosure saying they agree for you to not follow the guildlines. If not and any child became ill you could seriously be sued to high hell.

You do need to add powder to the recommended amount of hot water as listed. 6iz of powder need 6 oz of hot water to be able to kill any bacteria adequately

[Skivvywoman]

Splendide when I had my first child (I was a young mum) and was still sterilising ds bottles when he was 10mths my HV was not happy as he wouldn't get immune to bacteria! But I wasn't to know they don't tell you these things

[splendide]

Blimey Skivvy, you really can't win sometimes!

[toomuchtooold]

But birds does that not mean the amount of water is a little too low? When I used to do them, the instructions said to add the powder to the measured volume of water, and not to add powder first and make up to volume. So say you've got a 150ml bottle and 5 spoonfuls - if you put the powder in first the volume will be 150ml total, if you put the powder in second the volume will be 150ml+ the volume of the powder once dissolved. Not a huge difference though.

You can get round it by measuring the water out in a separate bottle though.


Hey and while we're all complaining about formula - do Tesco still limit the number of tins you can buy in one go? I used to fall foul of that the whole time. With twins I think I went through a box about every 10 days, and they didn't always have our one in stock. The cashiers were nice though and would ring through my additional tins in a separate transaction.

[Writerwannabe83]

toomuch - I've seen a lot of families do that too: put 6 scoops of formula into a bottle first and then add boiling water until it reaches the 6oz line

[Artandco]

Writer - yes which then leads to dehydration as powder to water volume is slightly too concentrated

[NickyEds]

There's no need to add powder to warm water

Yes. There. Is! Hot water in fact. Formula powder is not sterile and needs to be add to water over 70 degrees. The risk may be small but it just isn't that much of an inconvenience getting the water hot. I would not take that risk with my children and it was irresponsible to do so with children you were being paid to care for.

At my hospital they wouldn't discuss ff at all on the visit. The women who planned to ff weren't even told what they needed to bring.

[SpecialEquation]

If I was making a 7oz bottle, I would have 5oz of cooled boiled water ready in the bottle. 7 scoops of powder then added into a separate bottle of 2oz of boiling water. Shake till dissolved and pour into the 5oz of cooled water. Perfect drinking temperature and is the same way the perfect peen does it, just without spending 100 pounds.

[Artandco]

Special - but those 2oz of hot water are not enough to safely kill germs in 7oz of powder. 7oz of powder need 7oznof hot water. Hence the perfect prep machines are not recommended either.

7oz hot water, add 7oz powder. Seal bottle up. Run under cold water tap to get to drinking temp

[SpecialEquation]

Well my formula days are over now but both my HV and doctor said it was fine to do it that way.

[ithinkitstimeforanamechange]

Well this thread has made me not worry about my perfect prep machine. Out of everyone formula feeding it seems most make some error without realising anyway ! Since my baby is 6 months anyway I will stick with the machine

[randomsabreuse]

Interestingly my DD's prescription formula has to be made up with cool water otherwise the helpful bacteria in it will be killed. We've had no issues...

We do sterilise bottles and make up a batch of bottles with boiling water before cooling to the required temperature. Also sterilise the scoop and wash hands well.

[KatharinaRosalie]

Out of interest, what would you all do when travelling in Europe and you buy formula locally? On the one hand, you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions on the tin. But the instructions are not as described on this thread. Example:

[Marmalade85]

I sterilise 5 bottles and fill with boiling water and add formula then let them cool down and store them in the back of the fridge and reheat in microwave for one minute when needed.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

When I had ds2 as a baby and I travelled in Europe I took a tin of British formula and made it up the same way I would at home. Why would I do it differently just because i am in another country? I wouldn't buy formula abroad because you can't guarantee getting the same brand your baby usually has.

For those questioning using part hot water and part booked cooked water - the research which queried the safety of the perfect prep machine actually showed that using part freshly boiled water as a hot shot and then topping up with cooled boiled water was okay as long as sufficient boiling water was used. The perfect prep machine was using 1oz hot water and 3oz cooled water for a 4oz bottle and 1oz was not sufficient to kill all the bacteria in the powder as it cooled to quickly when it hit the powder. Using 2ox boiling water would have been enough to make the powder safe and free from bacteria and if could then be topped up with 2 oz cool previously boiled water.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

Booked cooked

It should say boiled, cooled.

[MaisieDotes]

Why am I not surprised that this thread has descended into a hotbed of sanctimony and pontification.

Why on earth do some of you think that a formula feeding thread, populated by formula feeding mothers, is a good place to spout off about the benefits of BF? We all know the benefits of BF. Sometimes people don't have the option to supply those benefits to their babies.

They don't have the option. Do you understand that?

Do you actually?

Why don't you fuck off and start your own thread if you wish to discuss BF?

[FeckOfffCup]

If you have a dishwasher you don't need to sterilise.

This isn't true either. Dishwashers are not sterilisers.

A lot of misinformation and hearsay on this thread. To be on the safe side follow the guidelines for safe formula preparation. The NHS website has a good guide IIRC.
I'm not sure if it's worth justifying shaving a couple of minutes off prep time if it's putting a baby at risk of a bacterial infection, but maybe that's just me.

[ErrinPerrin]

I think the European guidelines are different as they decided that their was more risk to babies from them accidentally being given a bottle that was too hot than from the bacteria in the powder. If people in his country actually followed the uk guidelines in large numbers then I'm sure there would be accidents to babies involving hot water.

[FeckOfffCup]

Errin what type of accidents? Do you mean like giving a baby a bottle that is too warm?

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

maisie the third comment on the thread included this ridiculous line Keep in mind that your boobs aren't "sterile" hence a conversation about the differences between breastmilk and formula powder was inevitable.

It is funny though how it is seen as a sin by some people to mention breastfeeding benefits on any thread which isn't rigidly about breastfeeding whereas formula feeding can be mentioned on most threads without causing any angst.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

Are people too thick to check the temperature of a baby's bottle before feeding the baby with it

[TheCatsMeow]

I really don't understand the problem with discussing breast milk. I didn't bf for long, I don't feel judged or like anyone was having a go. And I learned something cool.

[TheCatsMeow]

loobrush sometimes you can get hot "spots" where although it feels fine, a small area of the liquid is hotter than the rest,

That's usually from microwaving though