To find this unhygienic?

[TeenyTinyToria]

Recently, I've seen a number of mothers go into public toilets, fill up a baby's bottle with hot water from the sink, add milk powder, and feed the baby. AIB totally U to find this disgusting and unhygienic, and think there must surely be a better alternative?

A number of mothers?

Really?

I can't imagine anyone doing this.

Bleurgh, I am staggered that you have seen this on more than one occasion! [vom]

"But how do you sterilize a (human) nipple? Dip it in boiling water? "
Errrm soap and water??

LittleRedDragon - you dont need to sterilise a human nipple. Any bacteria in the mothers immediate environment she will already have developed immunity to. If the antibodies are in her blood, then they are in her breastmilk, and are passed to the baby at every feed, so while baby certainly ingests bacteria from the nipple, they already have immunity and don't get poorly (from this anyhow!).
But obviously the formula doesn't contain any human antibodies so bottles etc have to be sterilised and every reasonable precaution should be taken to avoid contamination.

Good God it is a miracle those babies are still alive.

What are they thinking of

I have to say that once DC were beyong tiny, I used to use bottled water which I know some people disapprove of - if DC in question was really anti having it cold then I would get boiling water from cafe and add a bit of that to it - which I know does not meet the 'sterile' requirements, but is IMO a lot better than hot water from a public toilet.

Gross. I refuse to even pee in the public toilet in my local town, last time I went in there was a turd on the floor in one of the toilets. I narrowly avoided throwing up and walked straight back out.

Yeah, I was kind of joking with the boiling water . Mind you, soap and water is not sterilizing!

Making your own tea from the hot tap is disgusting. DP used to do it because he reckoned if you boil the water it doesn't matter. Ick.

tabouleh - your second link doesn't work, could you repost?

There has been some discussion before about whether soap and water is as good as sterilising.

First MN thread I stumbled upon and a corker

Ah, ok. retreats hastily from controversy

I used to use cooled boiled water to make up the dses bottles, and then store them for up to 24 hours - it's a wonder any of them survived!

On a practical note, it is my understanding that the only babies who have died as a result of this bacterium in formula milk, were already sick or had weakened immune systems for some reason (prematurity etc, I think), and there have been no recorded deaths attributed to this bacterium in healthy infants.

That said, I can see the point of following the guidelines stringently when you are making up feeds for a newborn, but when the baby is older, and is playing on the floor, putting things in their mouth etc, I personally would relax my methods.

sorry - here is the second link from my post

It is interesting that the FSA did research into the attitides of mothers to the new
guidelines. See here

Are you an avoider, a pragmatist, a headline reactive or a purist?

I think that a better explanation of this guidance is needed together with more
explanation of the risks.

I definitely think that the formula packets and websites and HCPs need to fully explain the 70 deg C rule and the next safest alternative.

Just found these:

FSA advice issued 3 March 2010

A new study into Bacteriocidal preparation of powdered infant milk formulae

I am going to have a read of the study now.

My dad is a plumber and says you should never drink water from the hot tap because it sits around in a tank getting dirty whereas water from the cold tap is running water flowing straight in from the pipes and so is clean.

I made my bottles with boiled water left to cool for 30 min or so, and then put them in the fridge and used them over the next 24 hours. Surely this isn't the end of the world??? I bloody hope bf works this time!

Depends on how old the baby is that the bottle is being made up for. After 6 months I can't imagine that it matters. DS was licking the dog, eating whatever he could find on the ground and generally being feral by that point. And while he was still breastfed after 6 months, a bottle of formula was sometimes tossed his way, made with tap water and powder - didn't usually bother to warm it up either and if I did it was often warm the water in the microwave and then add the powder and shake shake shake.

I drink water from the hot tap all the time, always have, not to keen on cold water. Am 32 and have not had a single problem from it. DS is almost six and has the immune system of an ox (the kids at school can be dropping with D&V and he sails right through), I assume it is because his is busy busy busy and any new germs have to get past his current ones.

DH is a feral as well and in the 5 years we have lived here in the UK hasn't bothered to register with a doctor cause he hasn't been sick during that time.

Being nice and feral works like a vaccination!

Why bother with all that mixing/correct temperature hassle - just buy the ready made formula - worked for me!

do people really do this???? seriously that's just disgusting, poor babies getting fed formula in water that hasn't been boiled to get rid of any nasty bugs

If ever you've looked into the water storage tank that feeds a hot water cylinder you will know that this is a REALLY bad idea. Thick layers of mould and scum, bugs, the occasional dead pigeon or mouse, bat droppings etc...I would have had to say something I think. Gently, as they are obviously a bit dim. Cholera and dysentry are springing to mind...

Some people are thick extremely unthinking, that's for sure. YANBU. That's pretty disturbing.

I have never heard of anyone using a hot tap to make formula it sounds unhygienic to me too.

Having said that now that my baby is 13 months I make her up toddler milk in the morning and evening and just use the cold tap to mix it - she normally drinks it cold now and also drink plain water during the day which isnt boiled first so perhaps this is as bad! I also just wash the bottles with the normal dishes rather than the sterilizer. From some of the foul things I have pulled out of her mouth the last few months I think this is probably one of the things least likley to make her ill!.

Never knew people did that. I thought people were (generally) obsessively clean when it comes to baby bottles.

Anyway, I didn't know that water from the hot side of the tap shouldn't be drunk. I've given my kids water a bit mixed up from the hot tap when the water is too icy . So mad at myself.

Tiggy - you know the tanks that are 'septic' with dead birds etc...mould and all that - ovbiously not 'cool' to drink from, but howcome you can wash in it??? surely these bugs can get through skin, even irritate skin - I mean arent we just rubbing mould into ourselves - and yes I know soap is there - but as an eczema sufferer I can onyl use the real gentle types like aqueaous or E45 - am I clean enough really???? Ive drank bath water as a child, use to pretend I was a whale and spirt it out my mouth - eugh if thats the case and it came from a tank filled with crap. NICE!

Because, lorelilee, the ready made formula costs a bleeding fortune if you're fully FF a young baby.