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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To make baby bottles in advance?

66 replies

MrsMotherHen · 26/09/2017 14:37

I have a tommee tippee machine but it doesnt make the milk warm enough for my DDs liking. Its a struggle to get milk in her as it is now today I made a bottle with boiling water so by the time we got to play group it was nice and warm (not red hot but hotter than the perfect prep) ready to give her she downed 5oz then did the same with her next bottle.
So am thinking of making her bottles up in advance then ping in the micro. How is it done? just make them up then throw in fridge?

This is daft i have two children and dont know how to make a bottle Blush

OP posts:
SquareWord · 26/09/2017 15:17

Yes it's fine but you must make sure that you cool them rapidly and use within 24 hours. Make sure you allow the bottle to stand for a minute then shake to get rid of any hot spots after microwaving.

xqwertyx · 26/09/2017 17:13

I used to make up my whole bottles for the day, put them in a sink of cold water to cool faster then put them all in the fridge. Then at night i would put them all in the tommy tippee steriliser and they'd be ready for the same thing next day.

When i needed a bottle i took it out of the fridge and microwaved them in short bursts shaking them in between.

I never had a problem ever with this routine and DCs were never ill or burnt.

xqwertyx · 26/09/2017 17:14

and before DCs were sleeping through i would also do 24 hours worth as previous poster mentioned Smile

Runningpear · 26/09/2017 17:29

When I had my DS 13 yrs ago, the advice was it was fine to sterilise bottles then make from boiling water, cool and store in fridge for 24 hrs. We would heat in a jug in boiled water. A couple of healthy kids & no food poisioning either.
I probably microwaved them and shook them up when I was in a rush too,

Mammylamb · 26/09/2017 17:31

Have you thought about using ready made bottles of formula, and then heating them up using a bottle warmer?

LadyInDread · 26/09/2017 17:35

Mrsdraper

"you do know the advice is for stupid people and you're not stupid so put the bloody bottle in the microwave and shake it after!"

This killed me. So much of the parenting advice we're given is based on this thinking about it. Your relative is wise.

Mulch · 26/09/2017 17:35

Boil water
Add to bottles
Take out or leave in fridge
Warm up in microwave 30seconds
Add powder

Happy mum happy baby. Dont know anyone who makes a bottle fresh every time.

kaytee87 · 26/09/2017 18:00

mulch so you don't sterilise the powder?

toomuchtooold · 26/09/2017 18:25

Regarding the adding of boiling water to powder to sterilise the powder, I thought people might be interested to know that here in Germany the advice doesn't include doing that - the temperature of the water isn't specified in the guidance here - the only brand of infant milk that specifies a make up temperature is Hipp where they specify below 50 Deg C - I think because they have some prebiotics in it.

Haven't noticed any epidemics of babies with food poisoning here, and Germany does have reasonably good food safety, so if you're looking for a reason not to bother with the boiling water step...

PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon · 26/09/2017 18:28

Boil kettle. Leave to cool for 30 mins. Put water in bottle then put in fridge. Heat water in microwave for 45secs (based on an 8oz bottle and 850w microwave). Shake the fuck out of it. Add milk powder. Shake the fuck out of it more.

When dd was at the stage of still having powder I just heated the water in boiling water instead of microwave. Only now that it's cows milk do I use the microwave. Never had heat spots

Pengggwn · 26/09/2017 18:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pengggwn · 26/09/2017 18:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Katescurios · 26/09/2017 18:31

Filled a thermos and a jug with boiling water in the morning, jug went in the fridge.

When a bottle was needed we would put half the amount of water in the bottle from the thermos, add the powder then shake and top up with the cold boiled water from the fridge.

That way the powder was mixed with hot water like the instructions say but it was ready to drink straight away.

Water kept really hot for 8 hrs then we would tip out and fill again. Only needed a small thermos so could stick it in the nappy bag with a small bottle of cooled water and make up while we were out. Powder in those little pre measured pots that fit inside the baby bottle.

welshweasel · 26/09/2017 18:31

The most important step is that boiling water (or hotter than 70 degrees) is added to the powder. After that step there are plenty of options - leave to cool and drink, add cooled boiled water so no need to wait to cool, flash cool in fridge to use later etc...

But the UK guidelines are very clear about that first step.

Mulch · 26/09/2017 18:33

Nope it's at room temperature when I add it. 9months and so far he's survived. My motto I fed but not dead

teaortequila23 · 26/09/2017 18:36

Instead of making them up before you could do this which was a life saver for me as my little man was so fussy with the temp of his bottles.
I would sterilise all bottles then boil a full kettle and fill all bottles to let's say 5oz and put lids on and leave them on the counter for them to cool. then I got myself a small thermos flask and put boiling hot water in that. (It's stayed boiling for about 6hrs) so when I go out I pick up as many bottles as I need and my hot water flask and formula dispenser. When he needs a feed I would add 2oz of hot water to his bottle and then add pre measured 7oz powder to the perfect temp water.
It saved me having to cool boiling bottles.
Just make sure it's not too hot when you add the hot water. My bottles where completely cold when adding 2oz but if they were just a little cool I would just add 1oz

coddiwomple · 26/09/2017 18:41

I have always microwaved my bottles.
Fill bottle with water, microwave, then shake to even out the temperature inside - test it for the first few times, then you do know your microwave but check anyway, add baby milk powder. Done.

Germany and France do not advise to boil the water, French use bottled water (low mineral for newborns obviously), and babies are just fine.

FlandersRocks · 26/09/2017 18:42

Filled a thermos and a jug with boiling water in the morning, jug went in the fridge. When a bottle was needed we would put half the amount of water in the bottle from the thermos, add the powder then shake and top up with the cold boiled water from the fridge

Your formula was under-diluted using that method, and risks giving a baby constipation or dehydration.

Marchmummy17 · 26/09/2017 18:45

See section what if I need to transport feed:
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/infant-formula-questions.aspx#whatif

This is NHS guidance and if it can be used for 'emergency' use then no reason why it isn't safe for daily use. This is what I've done with my DC feeds as we're the guidelines before health and safety went mad

SeaToSki · 26/09/2017 18:50

One of the reasons they say to use boiling water to mix the power is so that the powder dissolves properly. If it doesnt dissolve then your baby isnt getting the nutrition you think he is. So hot water and shake/swirl like mad - both aids to dissolve. After it is dissolved, cool it and store it for up to 24 hrs. I always used to reheat in the microwave and then shake/swirl again, so no hot spots. If you put a bottle straight in the fridge when its v hot, its going to heat up its area in the fridge, which might be a problem for other food you have in there right next to the bottles, so just think about what you put it next to!

butterfly198615 · 26/09/2017 18:51

I used to make mine in advance enough for the day, then enough for the night , then do it again the next day.
With my first I was anti microwave so used a bottle warmer or stick it in a jug of hot water but I found it to be a pain as one min it's too hot and then when you get it right it goes cold to quickly and my ds wouldn't drink it.
With my second I used the microwave just do it carefully and keep shaking the bottle and keep trying it on your wrist if it's too hot stick it in some cold water and keep checking and shaking till it's cooled down. It's much quicker and ive never harmed my child doing it.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 26/09/2017 18:51

I had my babies back in the dark ages, when no-one thought twice about making up bottles in advance. I microwaved them too - though I did check with my HV, when I saw a warning about hot spots. Her answer was that it was fine as long as I gave the bottle a good shake (to disperse any hot spots) and checked the temperature (on my wrist) before feeding it to the baby.

All three are fine, strapping lads and seem to have survived unscathed.

TheDisillusionedAnarchist · 26/09/2017 18:59

Babies are not just fine in France, their rates of reported cronobacter deaths are among the highest in Europe.

It is up to everyone to decide whether to follow the guidelines which are WHO guidelines not UK guidelines but they should understand the risk.

Cronobacter infection in infants is predominantly caused by exposure to contaminated formula.
It can cause meningitis and/or systemic infection with a mortality rate of 40-80% depending on the study.

Preparing powdered formula in water over 70 degrees virtually eliminates this risk however the risk is low in the first place around 9 per 100000 babies. In the US over 10 years 103 babies died. Small numbers but obviously catastrophic for those families.

99% of infections occur in babies under 3 months and pre term, low birth weight and babies under 4 weeks old are at highest risk.

Preparing formula in advance in hot water and cooling, keeping in fridge and using within 24 hours is fine.

Personally I've stuck with hot water, prepare in advance but mine drinks milk cold. I can see using less safe prep with older babies as the risk is very low after the first three months.

Katescurios · 26/09/2017 19:00

"Filled a thermos and a jug with boiling water in the morning, jug went in the fridge. When a bottle was needed we would put half the amount of water in the bottle from the thermos, add the powder then shake and top up with the cold boiled water from the fridge

Your formula was under-diluted using that method, and risks giving a baby constipation or dehydration."

She's 3 now, healthy , happy and has never been constipated so worked just fine.

coddiwomple · 26/09/2017 19:08

Babies are not just fine in France, their rates of reported cronobacter deaths are among the highest in Europe

which is what? How many deaths are we talking about, not in US but in Germany, France and UK?

Don't you think a country's guideline would be updated if the advice were putting babies at risk? Especially in a country where pregnancy is taking seriously, giving birth and the care of women is taken seriously (and people are horrified about the risk to send a woman home after a few hours!), and babies followed by specialists pediatricians for years, instead of a one-off check-up in this country?

I am ashamed of the medical care of pregnant women and new mums and babies in this country, can you tell Grin