Powdered formula vs ready made cartons? Please tell me about the pros and cons of each.

[DDDixon]

I'm breastfeeding just now, but will be switching to formula for daytime feeds before I go back to work. I've never been able to express enough to make it feasible to send my milk to nursery, so I'm planning to introduce mixed feeding gradually a couple of months before I go back.
I've read some threads on here about formula and have got myself thoroughly scared about the safety aspect of making up feeds myself! My friend has done mixed feeding since her baby was born and swears by cartons, and they seem like they'd be perfect to send to nursery, but are they very expensive compared to powder? Any other drawbacks of cartons other than the price?
I'd love to hear about the pros and cons of powder and cartons from some seasoned formula feeders, obviously I won't be making any firm choices until I start the mixed feeding, but I like to be prepared

It wasn't a suggestion, tabouleh, it was a question. Plus you post above referred to US formula which has to be watered down. I don't think it was an unreasonable question!

if you check the nutritional info, they have the same calories per 100mls (carton v reconstituted powder) so I dont think they can be more concentrated. The cartons have been heat treated and that may give them a slightly different taste/texture. I have heard of people using carton milk to help with constipation so dont believe that the carton milk is any more constipating than powdered.

US formula is designed to be watered down though, carton formula in the UK is ready to feed and shouldnt be watered down as it could lead to your lo not getting the peoper nutrition from them.

Sorry - LolaKnickers - I posted in haste - I can see that it was a question now!

I agree with Seona1973 -i.e. ready to feed and formula made from powder has the same calories.

There is a product in the US called concentrated liquid formula (I don't think it is available in the UK).

Pros of powder - cost
Cons of powder - everything else
Pros of cartons - everything bar cost
Cons of cartons - cost

Thanks everyone, I've started stocking up on cartons of Hipp - if I buy a couple here and there it should spread the cost a bit when I come to use it! Hopefully baby will like it
She should be starting to eat bits of "real" food round about the time of introducing formula, so I hope we can avoid too much of a constipation issue as it won't be her only source of milk (I hope) and she should be having bits of fruit/veg.

This may be a dumb comment and I may get flamed but here goes anyway.... I really truly understand the concern about wanting to do the safest possible thing for your DC but (unless we're talking about a newborn or a sick child with immune issues here and I'm assuming we are not) it really seems to me that there's a lot of paranoia about this issue. I've discussed with friends who are HCPs who agree. I use formula only (we have to use special formula due to DS's allergies so ready mixed cartons aren't an issue). I sometimes pre-make for a tonne of reasons. I went all round the houses with this (having read on here about all the nasties that can lurk in formula) but then realised that provided I make formula with pretty-much-boiling water, and follow all the relevant guidelines if out and about (I pre-make, cool and then keep in a cool bag with ice) then my very healthy bouncing boy will be just fine.

Do whatever you're comfortable with and you'll soon realise that what you're comfortable with in week 1 is probably very different than what you're comfortable with in week 10......

Wow, Tabouleh my dcs are 10, 9 and 7 and I never heard about the 70 degree rule when I was ff. I don't think any of my friends did either (and we were educated to the hilt by HVs, NCT etc). We just took sterilised water out with us and tipped in pre-measured powder as and when required.

Do you think that rule existed then, or is this just another example of hygiene "paranoia" which seems to be rife nowadays?

I do see your point, ReadingTeaLeaves, but I am ex HCP myself and due to certain jobs I had, HAVE to do things like this to the letter, and I can see me worrying myself daft about whether or not I have mixed milk correctly. Plus there is every likelyhood I'll scald myself

ps re jobs/having to do things to the letter; it's nothing to do with milk (didn't do paeds), just to do with having set routines to follow to minimise the chance of error, and I get a bit obsessive about these things!

mummuwithA1family

I don't see what you were doing wrong - you were heating the water (for all we know to 70 degrees) and then adding powder from a sterile container. Sounds fine to me.

I used a flask when out with fresh powder (water cooled for 30 mins first on a timer).

I still do that and she's 11mo. I think I need to chill a bit

Agree with you ReadingTeaLeaves, I'm very much in the "you've got to eat a peck of dirt before you die" camp, and while I understand you have to be mighty careful with small babes I do think we have gone to the other extreme where we believe that the world is teeming with evil bugs just waiting to slay our children.

A friend of mine was still sterilising her dd's spoons, when I pointed out that said dd was crawling on the floor, then putting her fingers in her mouth....and surviving!

Yes I agree, as I said I def need to chill.

My dd chews on her 11 year old boy cousin's fingers. Can you imagine the germs

Powder - much cheaper
Cartons - you know it is prepared properly whoever makes it up.

I think it's about specific types of bacteria that is found in both formula powder and made-up-milk that has been left for a while. The DOH has specific guidelines now re making up powdered formula (make with water at 70, feed immediately) because there have been some instances of babies dying in europe when milk ws made the old way (using cooled boiled water)

I do a FF at bed time and use powder, by boling the kettle and leaving it for 30mins. It is a faff, and when DS is looked after by MIL I give her cartons. I'm glad I don't have to do it for every feed but I still think although the guidelines have changed they have changed for a reason and that is enough for me.

And BTW I severely dislike all antibacterial products, they are completely unecessary, kids need to be mucky, my DS chews shoes regularly and is obsessed with his pram wheels!

ReadingTeaLeaves - you are right that the risk of a serious issue caused by bacteria in powder is much higher for a newborn and an immune compromised baby.

The pre-making that you are doing with hot water is safer than making up with room temp/cool water.

The World Health Organisation guidelines explain how to safely make up formula in advance. (There are more risks involved which is why it is not the first choice recommendation).

Incidentally - the WHO guidelines are not just for less developed countries.

I would just caution you though on using the "pretty-much-boiling" water. I have seen lots of mentions of issues with this:

• that the very hot water will destroy nutrients and vitamins

• that water this hot can cause a "clumping" effect on the powder and lead to the possibility of bacteria not being killed (more of an issue if you are pre-making and storing)

• that as very hot water is producing steam then this steam will get onto the scoop and be introduced into the formula box (can be solved by scooping out into a separate sterile container first)

Are you sure what temp your ice packs are keeping the milk at?

TheNextMrsDepp - I believe the guidelines changed in 2006/2007.

I do not think that this advice should be put into the box labelled "hygiene paranoia".

The bacteria which has been found in formula is E. sakazakii and has caused deaths and severe brain damage - most of the issues have been with newborn/premature babies.

Therefore I think that it is key that premature and newborns are either fed ready to feed or that the guidelines are followed.

The bacteria E. sakazakii is not one which would commonly be encountered by a baby eg "licking the floor/their shoe etc". It is more a food safety issue rather than a general hygiene. Someone on another thread made an analogy with thoroughly cooking chicken - we do this as we know uncooked chicken can contain nasty bacteria etc.

Personally although the risks are small, having been gutted at breastfeeding not working out I was determined that the source of my DS's ONLY NOURISHMENT/SUSTINANCE - i.e. formula milk should be as safe as possible.

My DS had his first formula at 4weeks so not a new newborn and he had cartons to start. I then found out about the 70 degree info and followed the "safe preparation in advance" rules and made 3 bottles at a time.

If I was doing it again I would use a flask of water and make as I go along or use cartons.

The main thing I hate is the lack of information on this from the formula companies and the various risks/issues and the fact that different countries are interpreting the guidelines in different ways etc.

Very interesting tabouleh, obviously the revised guidelines were "after" my time.

Luckily I bf until five months, so I didn't have that worrying ff newborn stage.

I was very scathing recently about a work colleague who only used pre-made formula (waste of money!!!!); now I understand a little more maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty to judge.

Thanks Tabouleh - you're right about some of the issues with boiling water and formula of course (and I do use water that has cooled a bit for these reasons but was using shorthand in my comments above).

I would love love love it if there were pre-made cartons of the hypoallergenic stuff I have to say - I would certainly use them not all the time but when out and about. Tis very annoying that there isn't. Hey ho.