Night time bottles

[Overthebow]

We have a prep machine that we use at home, and sometimes the ready made milk bottles. I wouldn’t mind the nighttime’s so much if I didn’t have to keep going downstairs to make bottles from the prep machine. How do you make bottles at night, is there a way of doing it so they’re already prepared and ready to drink in the bedroom?

Bring the perfect prep up to bed with you! Empty the water, take upstairs, fill up. Have the formula measured out and quickly make a bottle with the prep in your room. Sorted.

Ready made formula. Take it up to bed with you, open it and tip into bottle. 40 seconds tops

I used to make the bottles using kettle, but I'd chill them right down, then at bed time bring them up with ice pack in cool bag. I bought a second hand microwave for upstairs to long them quickly. Had a tommee tipper bottle warmer but couldn't be listening to a baby scream with hunger for the 15 mins it took to heat bottle.
And I know microwaves aren't recommended for heating bottle but I never heated them much and shook the hell out of them to avoid hot spots.

Pre-measured bottle of boiled water and pot of powder. The bottle goes into a small bottle warmer (it fits on the bedside table) and then, when warm (which takes a minute or two) I pop the powder in on top, swirl and feed.

It isn't perfect as the powder isn't sterilised by boiling water in the way it would be using the recommended methods. However, if the baby drinks all the milk right away, and the powder was safely stored and dry before use, there really isn't time for any bacteria to multiple to dangerous levels. Formula manufacturers actually suggest this method as safer, because the burn risk from boiling water is so much lower. Maybe not one for a tiny newborn.

When my DD started dropping feeds she’d still have one at around 2am like clockwork for a good while. To avoid the zombie trudge downstairs, I’d bring one of the ready made cow and gates plus a sterilised bottle to bed, then bang it in when she woke. Much easier.

Nuby rapid cool, flask of hot water, pre measured formula. Job done!

This is what we do and we worked out the cost (£1ish a night) is absolutely worth it to us for our sanity but appreciate this might not be the case for everyone. Just so lovely to not have to go downstairs and it helps us stay more sleepy and one eye opened so it's easier to go back to sleep afterwards for everyone.

My niece used the Nuby Rapid cool set. She took to bed the flask of very hot water, measured powder and two rapid cool flasks which cools the boiled water very quickly.

That gave her two bottles overnight, and she had premade ones available for emergencies, but her baby was pretty settled and she didnt need to use often.

She also had a UV steriliser that would steralise the rapid cool flasks after washing in just 3-4 mins so they were ready to go again quickly in the morning.

I do occasionally do this, but it’s almost £1 a bottle and we’re still on 2 night feeds. We’d be spending around £80 a month on formula if we did that every night

I’ll likely do it when down to only one night feed though

We took the prep machine to bed!

Just had a quick Google, as there must be gap in the market for something portable for nights and out and about….

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjWn-KG35KEAxW4mFAGHY1SAtoYABAJGgJkZw&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfnpoKUUtf25myCurcyreqJsYGBTUEwNtI6MajlPRRnEEU2FLQu2vBYBoCvaYQAvD_BwE&ohost=www.google.co.uk&cid=CAESVuD2rSEkO35OJ9zSdtyx83yyH8SH_NqbXy_WwNv4r7tpqZD0WKGFWR87-IJr8IOCmYIxaM9XGPN6EDle3I1pP4RdpqIEcoCnNs_OnPVaeeO0ry6tMNr8&sig=AOD64_0-4MVwXTch3DW1u94OBKrNJNAItQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiz0dyG35KEAxVWVEEAHb7cAIAQwg8oAHoECAMQDA&nis=2&dct=1&adurl=

this looks really good, I know it’s £38 but seems like it might be worth it

Is this an option OP?

Our baby cut down to one wake a night then sleeping through not long afterwards and I think that not disturbing her as much overnight (by feeding in our room) might have contributed to her being a good sleeper. I know so much of it is luck but perhaps it helped maximise the luck we had.

We could try it, I’m worried about it disturbing my toddler, she’s in her own room but the prep isn’t silent and I can hear it downstairs! May give it a try and see if it does wake her

Otherwise I like the rapid cool set suggestion, seems simple and can take it out and about too

I decided early on that I was just going to foot the cost of ready made bottles for overnight. I'm such a light sleeper that if I had to get up and make a bottle with the prep machine, I'd be fully awake and take hours to settle. So we just use ready made bottles.

Absolutely prep machine by the bed for night time

Take the prep to bed; put tape over the speaker on the back; several strips of tape reduce the noise significantly.

Take a flask of hot water
Pre measure cool boiled water (50% of how much water you need for a bottle), in another bottle
Sterilised bottle

When baby wakes, measure out 50% hot water in the bottle. Put powder in and shake. To up with remainder 50% premeasured cool water

I kept a small fridge with made up bottles in upstairs. But that was in the “olden days” when the instructions said you could do that.

My dd never minded cold formula milk.

Also - it wasn’t til she was nine months or so as before that we had prescription high calorie formula which came ready made.

Thanks, I hadn’t even though about covering the speaker. You may have solved our problem

Don’t worry, it took us a few DC’s to figure it out! 😂

The NHS website says that you can still do it, bottles can be kept for up to 24hrs in the fridge. We do it , although, not for 24hours more like 12-16 or so and it's been fine. We just make sure we rapidly cool the bottles in an ice bath before popping them in the back of the fridge with an icepack.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/formula-milk-questions/#:~:text=Take%20it%20out%20of%20the,fridge%20%E2%80%93%20use%20within%2024%20hours

Thanks - I’m miles past that stage but I just didn’t want to give outdated advice!

Noooo it needs to be freshly boiled water in the rapid cool. Because of the risk of bacteria. A flask won't keep it hot enough to safely use.