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?

[ErrinPerrin]

Yes I guess giving them a bottle that's too hot or maybe spelling the water and scalding the baby. I don't know exactly, just that that is the reason.

[FeckOfffCup]

Yeah I was going to say surely everyone checks the temp, and heating bottles up also creates a risk of scalding?

[splendide]

Iamnotloobrushphobic

Do you have a link about the antibodies being created in response to unwell baby? I just mentioned it to a friend who works in the field (immunology) and he thought it sounded like rubbish. I'd mentioned it as in "wow this is so cool".

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

splendide I can't remember where I read about it but this article about one woman's experience mentions research leading to the same conclusion / outcome.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

Sorry, forgot link
m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/9296968

[splendide]

Cool thank you!

[splendide]

Right he has clarified! This makes sense to me.

Basically what you're saying is that when the baby has an infection, the mother picks up that infection via breastfeeding the baby (from the baby's saliva) and because she is infected she produces antibodies and they end up in the milk. My mate reckons that all sounds OK but that it is many many times more likely you've picked up the infection from general interaction with your baby. The saliva sucked into the nipple is an unlikely source.

[splendide]

So same brilliant outcome (extra antibodies for babies) but just a different path there.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

Makes sense splendide but however it happens its supercool that the mothers milk can produce extra antibodies in the milk especially as regardless of whether mum is ff or bf she is likely to pick up infections from her baby due to being in constant close contact.
I never knew all this stuff when my oldest was born and I wish I had known.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

I wonder if it is a misconception then that mothers who exclusively pump don't produce those extra antibodies? It would be great if your friend is right and would be comforting to mums who exclusively pump.

[DeadGood]

"I never ever ever fed warm bottles, that is a rod for your own back! Babies learn to take it cold."

They might learn to take it cold, but that doesn't mean it's good for them.

[TheCatsMeow]

Is there any danger feeding cold bottles? I feed anything from warm to cool to cold depending on whether DS will wait for it to heat..

[DeadGood]

"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."

Actually, I would struggle with leaving my baby to scream with hunger while I stood holding a bottle under a tap for minutes on end. The simple fact is that some people do not believe that you have to do this, and will therefore avoid leaving their baby needlessly distressed.
Some people on here say you need a 1:1 ratio of boiling water to formula to sterilise it. Others are saying you can use 1:2 and top the rest up with cooled boiled water. (The Perfect Prep using 1:4, and therefore inadequate to sterilise.) Personally, I believe that. And it is what I would do if I formula fed, rather then just "being on the safe side, no matter what" and leaving my newborn to cry with hunger. They don't understand delayed gratification.

[DeadGood]

thecatsmeow I think warm or cool is ok, but I would not give a baby a cold bottle. Don't really believe in cold drinks in general but especially not for newborns, the human body is around 37 degrees and anything cold introduced has to be brought to that temperature. That takes energy and burns calories. It's the same reason we are encouraged to keep babies warm - because it uses up a lot of their energy to warm themselves up, and they lose weight x

[TheCatsMeow]

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. I don't like DS waiting because he cries, but I try to make sure it isn't too cold.

He's a huge bugger luckily so hopefully he won't have been harmed by the odd cold bottle!

[Artandco]

Yes, a babies milk is its only food. Most adults wouldn't want cold meals all the time, so I think warm milk is best

[MrsTerryPratchett]

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. Well actually the OP is mixed feeding. So it's a mixed feeding thread.

[DeadGood]

"He's a huge bugger luckily so hopefully he won't have been harmed by the odd cold bottle!" Ah he'll be fine I know exactly what you mean about not wanting him to wait too. I didn't have a microwave for years, but caved when solid food started, because I just couldn't justify the time spent faffing around with immersing stuff in boiling water etc etc trying to warm stuff up!

I do think that cold drinks aren't great for people in general, we wouldn't really be consuming ice cold water in nature, I think it's a bit "unnatural" and our bodies aren't really designed for it. But maybe I'm a bit biased because I don't particularly enjoy cold drinks anyway.
Cocktails are an exception

[splendide]

In nature we'd be consuming very cold water in winter and less so in summer I suppose!

[pearlylum]

"In nature" babies would be consuming milk from a breast though- at body temperature.

[ToniWol]

Iamnot Splendid - I think the saliva backwash from baby changes the composition of the bm, so the bm will have more antibodies in if baby has the infection than it would if baby was well.

[splendide]

Oh yes pearly quite agree was just responding to the the drinking cold drinks generally being unnatural.

On the backwash thing I've been doing some reading it's really interesting. Basically there has been measured increase in leukocytes in breastmilk of the mother/baby days when the baby is ill. This is because the mother has been exposed to the same infection. One possible way is via the actual breastfeeding but that's not the only or (from what I can see) most likely reason for the mother having it. It's more likely she picked it up from the same place the baby did or she got it from the baby in the "normal" way. From saliva or whatever.

Sorry for the derail I just got really interested in it!

[LittleMoonbuggy]

Speak for yourself, DeadGood! Personally I can't bear any kind of hot drink (tea, coffee, etc), only every drink cold ones. The colder the better, with ice, even in winter!

My baby DD noticeably preferred her bottles of milk fridge cold, when her DGM warmed them up she turned her nose up at them! She must take after me eh.

[TheCatsMeow]

DeadGood I don't think river water would be that warm? I personally don't really like hot drinks, I don't find them thirst quenching!

[LittleMoonbuggy]

Sorry reading my above post back, it sounds a bit aggressive, hope it didn't come across that way DeadGood. I just wanted to give my own perspective