Can I prepare bottles of boiling water in advance for formula?

[Jojonewmaman]

I have just started mixed feeding, expressing some feeds and using formula. I know the advice is very much to prepare bottles as required however I have read that some parents have pre prepared bottles of boiling water, then quickly cooled and stored them in the fridge and added formula when required. Is this safe? And does the powder mix as well in cold water? TIA

Why why why do people think you can do this still??! It’s quite clear on the nhs website how to prepare it safely. For the zillionth time Formula is not sterile. You need to kill the bugs in formula not in the water. You need to add boiling water to formula.

It is more important to make with hot water than to make directly before feeding, as long as you're not storing it for too long. I'm not sure why these seem to have been swapped in many people's understanding.

If you want hot water to go you could use a thermos flask :)

The biggest problem with this whole thread is that HCP’s are required to promote breastfeeding (fine) and not give ANY advice about bottle feeding other than “read the instructions”.

There are WHO guidelines that you can follow for pre-preparing bottles however. www.who.int/foodsafety/document_centre/PIF_Bottle_en.pdf?ua=1

I used to make up a batch at a time with freshly sterilised bottles and boiling water and put them in the fridge until required after cooling down quickly in cold water. We never had any tummy upsets from doing it this way. I had a bottle cooler for when we were out.

When I started mix feeding, my milk dried up quite quickly which wasn't what I wanted to happen so maybe keep expressing when you're not breast feeding.

My friend's baby was in special care. They prepared formula by filling bottles & letting the water cool & adding powder to cool water when needed. Can't honestly see the issue if that's how they do it in hospital. Also the way I did it on the back of that.

I just make them all the nigh before with boiling water and store in fridge. Its a lot quicker to warm bottles up in microwave (30 seconds) than trying to cool a freshly made bottle (10mins+)

If you are going to let the boiled water cool then what is the point in boiling it in the first place? I don’t understand this! My understanding always was the formula must be mixed with very hot water to kill bacteria.

I fill a 9oz sterile bottle up with boiled water in a morning and let it cool.
If i was making say a 7oz feed I'd boil the kettle and pour out 3oz, add the formula and shake, then add 4oz from the cooled boiled water (measuring 4oz from the water only bottle as the formula distorts the measurements). Perfect temp every time and didn't take ages.

We make up the days worth of bottles with water in the morning. I add the water and let them cool then when we need the bottle I add the powder. We use Tommy tippy powder pots. After doing a fair bit of research on what risks there were I felt comfortable making bottle up this way and not following the NHS guidelines. It may not be the way everyone is comfortable with but that's parenting. We all weigh up risks and benefits and decide what balance we are happy with for our own children.

No. Make the bottle fully (with formula added) then rapid cool in the fridge. Can be warmed in a mug of boiling water when needed.

The formula needs to be added to boiling water to sterilise the formula powder - it's not the water that's the problem.

My supply is dropping as to hard to keep up the expressed feeds, after two weeks of a struggle to feed with tongue tie and infections we started on formula. Yes, breast is best but it’s unfortunately not plain sailing for everyone. I express when I can during the day but get most at night and have been getting 2/3 feeds of breast milk for my ds.
It’s been good to read over all the replies and there certainly seems to be a general consensus

Another who makes them up in the morning here!
The powder needs to be mixed with hot water in order to kill any bugs as it's not sterile so just boil your kettle and make the bottles up and put them in the fridge. Heat in the microwave when you're ready to use them. Or as others have said, try a perfect prep if you want to make them up as required x

A friend’s baby got e-coli from incorrectly prepared fornula (i.e. adding the powder to cooled water). Baby was hospitalised, luckily recovered but it could have been much worse.

I would be stunned if any hospital in the last 20 years prepared formula like this, unless it was a special prescribed formula for premature babies that has different prep rules.

Formula is not sterile. Some batches can contain bacteria. There’s no way of telling which. That’s why you need water at 70 degrees to sterilise the ‘raw’ powder.

It is absurdly difficult to prepare bottles ‘as needed’ and not risk giving a screaming baby formula that’s too hot. That’s why batch preparing bottles and flash cooling them (as mentioned several times above) is the safest realistic option.

Someone else’s baby being ‘fine’ using cold water prep is luck, not proof it’s safe. Also, how can you tell all those tummy bugs, bad nappies and random stomach symptoms aren’t down to unsterile formula...

Buy the formula pots and you will be fine.
This whole 'add formula to boiling water' is a brand new load of bollocks. As long as you are meticulous in washing up the bottles and sterilising them there should be no probs.
DC1 (now 11) had all his bottles prepped in this way...made 24 hours in advance then the powder added as needed. DC2 (11 months) exactly the same way and is blooming!
Nurseries have to have bottles pre prepared and can't fanny about waiting the 30 minutes when they have more that one baby to deal with!

We started doing the kettle method from scratch everytime, but this was too much of a pain, so we bought a perfect prep machine. Was really happy with it, though it's probably not the safest. For the next one, I'm hoping to mostly do the two Flask method - half fill with hot water from a Flask, add premeasured powder, the half fill with cooled boiled water. Just have to be careful with measurements, as the powder adds some volume. Once they are 3 months old, then will mostly be on the perfect prep at home, or ready made when out and about.

Please read this:

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2008/02/start4lifeguideetobottlee-feeding.pdf

And educate yourselves. Babies die from gastroenteritis from inappropriately made formula. Be careful with your little ones.

Also, do your research on Perfect Prep. Health Care staff DO NOT recommend them as there is little evidence that they are safe to use. There needs to be more research into whether the 'hot shot' is enough volume and hot enough for long enough to properly sterilise the milk powder. Relying on these may be convenient, but you use them at your own (your baby's) risk.

Just a quick question about storing them in the fridge. The instructions on box’s of formula say the bottle needs to be consumed within 2 hours so why is it ok to store them for 24 hours in the fridge and then bring them back up to drinking temperature? Any other food item you would need to bring back up to 70 degrees before it’s safe to consume? So if you did that with the formula you would pretty much just put yourself in the same situation as having a freshly made bottle with boiling water? Or am I being stupid?

@Isadora2007 where are your stats from? Or are you just the standard breastfeeding drone that has to condem all formula feeders? FYI I have to formula feed as I had no fucking milk to breastfeed with and I would rather not kill my children by starving them

Jojo all power to you, it sounds like you are doing a great job. BFing can be so tough, especially in the UK when the advice and support can be so sketchy. Expressing is hard work and formula has saved many women’s sanity! Batch prepare the bottles and you’re good to go.

@Deadheadstickeronacadillac
I don't think Isodora was being anti-formula feeding, just highlighting that there are so many different responses in this thread that it's pretty scary.
Making up formula against manufacturer and Word Heath Org guidelines can cause gastroenteritis. It's one of the biggest risks of not making up formula to guidelines.

No mention that formula is wrong or shouldn't be used, just that it should be prepared safely - would you serve up undercooked chicken you your kids?

Pixies advice above is correct.

Boil 1liter of water in kettle
Allow to cool for half hour
Pour into bottles (water 70 degrees at this point)
Add correct amount of formula per ounce.

Although it is best practice to make each bottle as needed it really is not feasible for most people and will drive you insane. The guidelines do say it's ok to make up enough bottles for 24 hrs at the one time. After making them up cool quickly in cold water. Place in back of the fridge. Then warm up bottle at feed time.

An undrunk bottle can be kept at room temperature for 2 hours. 24 hours in the fridge. Or an hour after it comes into contact with baby's saliva.

Just get a perfect prep. I wouldn't have been without mine.