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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Am I being unreasonable /silly for my idea of a nighttime formula-making method?

193 replies

Bubsworth · 13/09/2019 20:48

I guess AIBU (or possibly silly?) to consider this method to make formula tonight? The main thing I want to know is, is this method safe or would the water not be sterile anymore?

If I boiled the kettle in the evening and pour it into small sterilised containers and left to cool down before putting the lid on. Then put the formula powder into a bottle ready. Then took it to the bedroom. Would I be able to use that (room temperature, but sterile) water in the night/early hours to make a bottle up? Would it be safe to do so?

Backstory I fully intended to BF, baby born with condition that means I had to bottle feed but I was completely unprepared, never made a bottle in my life. After EPing for 3 months I switched to formula and from day one of formula have been using a Tommy Tippee bottle maker machine, so I have no knowledge of making formula the good 'old fashioned way'! I don't know the 'rules' for sterilising the water or how long it's sterile for, etc, etc.

Also moved house recently to a VERY old cottage... I would like to be able to NOT have to venture downstairs in the night alone!!!

OP posts:
lifeinthedeep · 14/09/2019 07:49

I would say take the perfect prep upstairs but I’ve got a few doubts about the prep since this thread... Does the perfect prep actually despense boiling hot water for the formula to be added to or is it slightly cooler? I’m asking because if you were to make a bottle by hand you would leave the kettle to cool for 30 minutes first as to kill the bacteria but not any of the nutrients in the milk? I’m slightly worried now as I’ve been using the prep for 8 month now!

ItsMischerWavy · 14/09/2019 08:01

I bought the small ready to drink cartons of formula for night feeds and had a bottle warmer in my room in the early days. My daughter was happy with room temp milk anyway though

blahblahblahblahhh · 14/09/2019 08:02

You need the water to be 70 degrees to kill any bugs in the milk.
You could buy a prep machine or do the two flasks method - one flask of boiling add to the powder then top up with cold boiled water out of second flask. Or just use hot water and then cool the bottle in jug of cold water.

Dil5162 · 14/09/2019 09:16

My sister had her baby 7 weeks before I did and she was using cool boiled water for her baby and he would do a strange coloured blueish greenish poo which was very smelly and odd, and seemed constipated or trapped wind issues. When I had my daughter and used the cool boiled water method the same thing happened so I emailed the formula milk company and they told me that the water must be atleast 70c or above to sterilise the formula powder. So from then onwards they had normal coloured poo and no tummy aches. And for night feeds I used a Tommy Tippie thermos to take water upstairs, it stayed hot all night. If u fill it right up to the top. Then u have too cool it down I just stood bottle in cool water for 5 mins (In the white outer case of Tommy Tippie thermos). It's so strange midwives and health visitors tell you to use cools boiled water. But that's completely wrong. I saw someone say it's safe to use cool boiled water in one of the replies, I didn't read all but please don't listen to them. If u have doubts email the formula company like I did. But I was told by them less than 70ç will not sterilise the formula. Has to be 70c or above to make it safe.

Toffeecakes · 14/09/2019 09:49

The advice isn’t to make up bottles and store them in the fridge, they must be discarded after 2 hours otherwise they can harbour bacteria.

OP there is a lot of advice on here about short cuts that go against official guidelines. I don’t think it’s worth the risk to avoid a few extra minutes of making up a fresh bottle or having to go downstairs. Yes, the majority of babies had no issues but there are the small percentage who did. I just don’t think the possible consequences are worth the risk, despite how small that risk actually is.

Midwives and HV who give information ‘off the record’ are irresponsible and there’s no way I’d be taking any advice from them again if they did that. It’s not hard to make up fresh bottles, yes it’s exhausting having a baby but some people just sound determined to do things differently for no actual reason (yes I realise there are always exceptions to the rules here and circumstances where certain things are unavoidable). But in a day and age where pre made formula cartons can be bought ready for use there’s no need to take risks.

Mammyloveswine · 14/09/2019 09:56

I don't mean this to sound mean, but the instructions for making up a bottle are written on the tin...why people don't bother to actually read them I don't know!

I breastfed both my boys and I know to always make a bottle by boiling the kettle, leaving it roughly 30 mins, filling the bottle then adding the appropriate scoops to the water.

The water needs to be hot enough to kill the bacteria in the formula.

It is not about having sterile water, it is about making sure the formula is safe.

kshaw · 14/09/2019 10:01

I bought a flask. Put formula in sterile bottles. Pour a little of flask water onto formula to sterilise it then top it up with cooled water to room temp. It's basically what the prep machine does

Debbiecurtbag · 14/09/2019 10:01

I did it the way you suggested as did all my friends but it’s not recommended now. Ready made room temperature cartons are the easiest but expensive .

Snowy111 · 14/09/2019 10:10

I did the same as you suggest, 13 years ago, but following some cases of bacteria in formula causing illness or death, the guidance has changed. I imagine the risk is small by your method, and I agree it’s the easiest method.

They used to sell travel pots to measure out the formula, and I carried round room temp cooled boiled water in sterilised bottles. It took seconds to mix it and feed which was idea for my hungry and impatient baby!

But the guidance has changed since they identified a particular bacterium in formula.

How do people cope with going out and about nowConfused

SoyDora · 14/09/2019 10:18

How do people cope with going out and about now

We used the ready made bottles. I didn’t use formula until after 6 months though so knew generally when she’d need a feed. Harder with a newborn that feeds little and often I guess, there would be a lot of wastage.

mogtheexcellent · 14/09/2019 10:19

I did it the way you are suggest. I formula fed DD and never made it with hot water. All my friends did the same.

Before everyone piles on i considered the risks and made my decision. This was 5 years ago.

BlessedBeTheFruitCake · 14/09/2019 10:19

I used the flask with boiling water, spare bottle with cooled boiled water method too.
If I was making a 5oz bottle I'd put 3oz of the hot flask water into a sterile bottle, add the formula powder, shake, then top up with 2oz of the cool water, using the markers in the side of the water to count down from 6-4oz or whatever so I knew it was 2oz that was going in. It was easy to do going out and about too and cheaper than the cartons.

mogtheexcellent · 14/09/2019 10:23

@snowy111 women arent allowed to think of anything other than beastfeeding. Formula has to be made as awkward as possible to discourage its use.

I physically couldnt breastfeed but i was still a piss poor parent for not doing it according to my MIL.

Snowy111 · 14/09/2019 10:41

Mog, very true.

My boobs just didn’t work but I did try. When you’ve got a screaming baby not getting any milk it’s hard to persist.

Hotseat · 14/09/2019 11:09

FYETTE is correct. The boiled water is to kill bacteria in the water not the formula. The formula has been prepared in a sterilized setting and then sealed airtight. Hot water stops the formula from clumping making it easier to blend. Your method is perfectly safe.

chickenyhead · 14/09/2019 11:11

Nope defo the formula
<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/pif_guidelines.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjLybDt7c7kAhWjunEKHSg4BMQQFjALegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw3BOJLXMHZ-LfU5mk7FWpTn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/pif_guidelines.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjLybDt7c7kAhWjunEKHSg4BMQQFjALegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw3BOJLXMHZ-LfU5mk7FWpTn

ethelfleda · 14/09/2019 11:27

The formula has been prepared in a sterilized setting and then sealed airtight

So what happens after you open the tin and keep putting the scoop/tips of your fingers (by accident) etc? Is it still sterile?

SoyDora · 14/09/2019 11:29

FYETTE is correct. The boiled water is to kill bacteria in the water not the formula. The formula has been prepared in a sterilized setting and then sealed airtight

Not true. A simple google will tell you that.

Puddingmum · 14/09/2019 12:08

I pre make all my bottles. Last thing I do at night I make the 5 bottles wait for them to cool and stick them in the fridge and warm them when needed. I never leave them longer than 24 hours though. Been doing that since my wee one was 2 months old she is now 10 months and she is doing just fine so many other mums recommended it to me health visitor wouldn't though

Anotherdayanotherdollar · 14/09/2019 13:18

The formula has been prepared in a sterilized setting and then sealed airtight.

So yeah, its sterile until the tin is opened. After that first feed you make up, not so much.

In Ireland the guidelines are slightly different. The recommended method is the same as NHS but if that's not possible they recommend making up complete feeds in advance (powder into 70° water, cool quickly and store in back of fridge). So the health service here seem happy to have feeds made up for more than 2 hours as long as they're kept cold. Only keep for 1 hour if baby has started feeding from the bottle though. Our maternity leave provisions aren't as long though so that has probably been taken into account as the majority of parents would be sending a days worth of feeds to a creche/childminder.

donquixotedelamancha · 14/09/2019 13:40

So yeah, its sterile until the tin is opened.

Assuming the factory never picks up contamination. I recall a listeria outbreak in a German factory killing several babies when I did my dissertation.

While it's obviously very unlikely, I tend to think this is a worse risk than contamination in the kitchen. Either way, I just don't understand why anyone would take the risk of making up a bottle with cold water?

chickenyhead · 14/09/2019 14:09

Knowing this now, I would not take the risk under any circumstances. If anything ever happened you would always be asking what if...

You could have a small kettle by the bed and some pre-boiled cold water to add in after mixing thoroughly.

I never used any bottles an hour after mixing. They taste nasty (yes I tasted every bottle just in case).

LisaSimpsonsbff · 14/09/2019 17:26

Our maternity leave provisions aren't as long though so that has probably been taken into account as the majority of parents would be sending a days worth of feeds to a creche/childminder.

That's interesting - the few childcare facilities I looked at in the UK (both childminder and nurseries) took it as read that you'd send a tin of formula and then they'd make it up if you had a baby who still needed bottles.

littleduckeggblue · 14/09/2019 17:57

Can't leave a bottle out for more than 2 hours for all those users saying make them on a evening and just take them up with you at bedtime.

DungeonDweller · 14/09/2019 18:51

I don't mean this to sound mean, but the instructions for making up a bottle are written on the tin...why people don't bother to actually read them I don't know!

I agree, it's like some parallel universe.... "How should I make this" ... Dr, read the instructions, and if in doubt consult NHS guidelines, surely? Isn't this approach so basic as to be entirely obvious?! It's a life and parenting fail if you can't even do that with something so important/risky.