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?

tabouleh as I said before my baby is 13 months now and until she was around a year had boiled water, sterilized bottles etc. I think that boiling water for babies of over a year is a little obsessive tbh!

I wouldnt do this myself, but i did read somewhere that nearly all scottish tap water is fine to drink, i cant remember why this was the case compared to England. I certainly wouldn't extend this to a baby though.

Morloth - you have a point there. I am upset.

You've made me think - what am I upset about?

(Well a whole other issue is that I am upset that BF didn't work out for me...)

But I am also upset and angry that HCPs don't know and understand the guidelines and that the advice and risks are not laid out clearly anywhere.

TBH you sound very obviously to me someone who is able to think through the risks and obviously your breastfed baby having very infrequent bottles was at extremely extremely low risk of a problem.

Isn't it shocking though there are mothers using hot tap water - these mothers are not able to research and assess risks

I think it illustrates 2 things quite clearly:

• one of the main reasons it is vital to ensure breast feedng occurs in less developed countries is the issue of sterlisation/lack of equipment to correctly prepare formula

• plus the other reason is a lack of communication of safe preparation/levels of literacy among women

The fact that this can also be seen to be a relevant point for the UK is very illuminating.

Given the poor BF rates in the country I find it alarming that information on safe
preparation of formula may somehow be being lost within the Breast is Best ethos.

One thing that it worth bearing in mind is
that there is evidence that Death rates for formula-fed U.S. infants who get diarrhea may be three times higher or more than their breastfed contemporaries.

Presumably this will be a mixture of a stronger immune system/receipt of anti-bodies in a breastfed baby plus formula being made up unsafely.

the problem is that is virtually no support for FF mums out there other than the odd leaflet and the `Birth to Five' book.

I think its being 'lost' because breast is best...and if formula companies were to advertise 'our milk contains e-coli, so heat it up real hot before giving baby' would somehow lose them lots and lots of money. the government are trying to spread the word of breastfeeding - trying to get uneducated mums to take that route (they were doing camapign in my area aimed at teenage mums who breastfeed - and it was a brill campaign)
I think that the government also make too much money off formula companies with vat etc... its somehow a vicious circle -and I think if we had a woman who breastfed as priminister we would somehow maybe not have this problem???

Chellesgirl - there will always be those of us who are unable to BF and have no choice but to FF

I am a ff feeding mum - so Ill clarify - no offense against ff mums and thier babies

simply think that our government is to blame.
Too bust spending money on new computer technology, asbo's and prison cells (making them all comfy) theyve forgotten about the people that matter and that our babies are simply the next generation...'who cares if they get eaten alive by bacteria for formula, well just make a robot out of him/his mum should have BF' bla bla

no offence taken

from me that is

good good hogshead wasnt meant to stir anything up I have no problems with mums who use formula (id be highly hypocritical if I did) as long as they dont use WARM WATER FROM NASTY DIRTY MOULD RIDDEN TAPS IN PUBLIC LOO'S!!!!!

OH GOSH IM GONNA BARF just thinking about it! (puke face)

I'm pretty both hot and cold taps in public loos aren't supposed to be used for drinking water - there are usually signs up saying so. However I had no qualms in using cold water out the taps in other places for making bottles up with.

That's interesting Jenny, I wonder why Scottish tap water is supposed to be better? I definitely find that the water tastes nicer up here than it does in England.

thats cause your closer to the mountain springs where water is fresher, has less travelling time, doesnt get transferred as much...you lucky things...my water in england tastes nice actually, though 5 miles up the road at my nans, its a diff story.

Tap water is fine to drink throughout the U - indeed some studies have shown that tap water is safer than bottled water. Most people don't think about drinking hot water though (generally speaking) which has been sitting in a tank. We got a dead squirrel in our tank once - the smell was absolutely disgusting!

urgh
I can't believe more than one person thinks this is OK

I'll never understand how people can think FF is "less hassle".

It does, however,make me about the level of education available to FF women. Our local hospital has a "baby friendly policy" which means the ladies only get information on FF if they say they are intending to FF on leaving hospital. If a few months down the road they decide to FF, I'm not sure if the information is available.

I wouldn't have a scooby how to make a bottle. I do know that the water needs to be a certain temperature though and everything must be sterile.

you know these mums that take previously boiled water out in bottles, then add the powder when say, out shopping... isnt this just as bad as not bothering to boil the water (obviously boiled water is healthier for younger babies)??? If the water has to be atleast 70'C before adding the powder. surely this isnt happening while out n about - not even when using a flask, caus it stays at around 50'C. Anyone???

Yep, Chelles, that's just as bad. The important thing is that the water is very hot because of the milk powder not being sterile.

Wow this has brought all those formula feeding discussions back to me! DD is 20 months now but refused breast at 6 weeks (went on strike for 2 days) so I then expressed until she was 3 months I think. Whilst I could take out a bottle of expressed milk in a cool bag I was lost at what to do with formula. I was living overseas and cartons were sometimes not available or £6 a pop so sometimes I did end up using cooled water and mixing the powder. Did buy a flask at one point but could then not get my head round that as it was metal and couldn't be immersed in water so no way to sterilise it! Hot tap water is just stupid though surely?!

I'm having serious trouble believing that this actually happened. No-one can be that completly stupid. There was a tv progra a while back where they filmed tramps taking nappies out of public bins and eating the contents - it was a set up. It was chocolate mousse ( oops nearly typed mouse!) I'm hoping that this is either fabricated or a wind up on the op, because that is disgusting.

You know what kitkat I really wouldnt put it past some 'parents'...some think giving thier 1 yr old cola is a good idea, some think it good to give lollies 24/7 if a child whimpers, some dont take thier child to the dentist, some dont bother giving babies important jabs, and some give thier baby calpol to help them sleep - really to me its believable!

yeah but, seriously??????

Calpol to help them sleep? It used to be brandy!

Flasks don't need to be sterilised. I think flasks would keep the water at 70 for a fair few hours.

i have read all 150 msgs and looked at studies

ok i am really tired, 6mths pg and have a bottle of follow on milk in the fridge that i made at 7.30pm and will give to ds 8.ooam tomorrow.
it was made with boiled water after 20mins cooled in water and put in fridge.

this is what i have done with all his bottles since he was born (he's2 now - yes i know he shouldnt still be having his breccy and bed bottle) obviously i sterilised bottles til bout 9mths

i can't breast feed. nobodys business why not but i will again attempt a few weeks expressing with next though i expect to FF over half the time.

had planned to get ready mades for the first few weeks for conv (moving house directly after birth) but for financial reasons will go on to powder after that.

was going to make in advance and cool then fridge as desc above.

am i not supposed to do this?
although alot easier to instill a routine on the bottles its hard to tell a screaming babe that they'll have to wait for the water to cool, add powder then wait some more.

i'd normally just get one out of fridge and heat in warm water.

really, really and now.