How do/did people who FF make up the bottles?

[DetectivePotato]

DS is 2.6 and was FF.

At first we were making them up as and when they were needed which was a nightmare. How is a hungry baby suppose to wait up to half an hour for a bottle?

My midwife then said we could make up the bottles with the right amount of water and leave them for up to 24 hours and add the powder when needed then heat it up. This made it very easy for us and we did it this way thinking nothing of it.

Now there are all these guildlines and they are saying you have to make the powder up in water that is 70 degrees to kill any bacteria so you need to make them on demand, which I'm sorry, unless you have a baby that is feeding every 4 hours etc its just not feasible IMHO.

Someone on here put a link that you can make up the bottles with the boiling water then put them in the back of the fridge and heat when necessary. Taking them out you need to put them in a cool bag with an ice brick and use within 4 hours. This doesn't seem to be too bad and this was from the official guidlines too.

I have just been reading the pregnancy book that you get in the bounty pack and they say not to make them up and put them in the fridge as bacteria can still multiply.

I am so bloody confused. DS never had any problems. In fact he has a bloody good immune system. Rarely even gets a cold whereas loads of toddlers seem to have snotty noses all the time.

How did/do you make your bottles up and do you worry about all these official guidlines?

over the last 12 years i have always used the same technique and it has always worked a dream.

Make up enough bottles for 24 hrs (water and powder) put them in the fridge or even leave them out it doesn't matter and then warm in the microwave when required, shake really well to get rid of hot spots.

works a dream

I make mine with boiled water from the kettle, which has been left for around 20 mins. Then chill them in iced water (about 10-15mins), and keep them in the back of the fridge until I need them. Have done this since my dd was small. You do need to use water at least 70 degrees C to kill any bacteria which may be in the milk powder (although the risk is small, the consequences can be dire). From the forums I've read, taboleh (sp) seems to be the woman who has read most of the research - she'd be the person to find and ask.

Thanks, she may have been the one that provided the link I read, giving the official guidlines. What did you do when you went out and about?

I dont understand this either but I dont want to take any risks iyswim?

Neither do I and we know that in hospital they aren't allowed to bloody help us. Even my midwife said she wasn't really allowed to tell me what she did! Pisses me right off really. Its all confusing.

When I'm out, I either take a sterilised empty bottle and use a carton of formula (if it would be a while before I would use it) or I took one of the chilled bottles in a thermal bottle bag to keep it cool if I was going to use it within an hour or so.

The Department of health guidelines do say you should make it up as and when you need it, but then say that you can chill it and keep it cool until ready for use if you need it outside the house.

I was told by my MW before dd was born (dd is now 9 months) that the reason for the new guidelines was an increase in newborns being readmitted to hospital with gastroentiritis, suspected to be because of bottles of formula not being made up properly.

I have an easier way which complies with guidelines (I think)...

Keep cooled boiled water in the fridge or on the side in an airtight container.

Make up bottle by adding full amount of powder (eg six scoops) to 1/3 boiling water (eg 2 fl.oz), mix well.

Top up with 2/3 cooled boiled water (eg 4 fl.oz).

Ready to drink

70c and powder, quick chill in cold water in sink, back of fridge. Heat in microwave when needed. Hygeinic but practical.

Ready to feed, straight out of the fridge. I've never used powder and wouldn't know how!

When you make them up before, can you put them straight in the fridge or do you need to cool them first?

Also what did everyone do when they were out and about if they didn't use the ready made cartons? They are so expensive!

Flask of boiling water, bottle 2/3 full of cold boiled water and powder measured in pot.

I didn't adhere to guidelines when out and about but used easy digest formula which only dissolves in hot water- but you could always take another container in which to mix boiling water and powder before adding it to the cooled boiled water in the bottle if you were worried.

I also did the 70 degree water, make them up with the powder, put in fridge til needed, then stuck in jug of hot water to warm or just gave at room temperature. I did allow them to cool a bit before putting in fridge, also put them in cold water in sink to cool quickly; If going out either just took a carton and sterilised bottle or bottle from the fridge in cool bag. Again just given at room temperature. Seemed to work fine!

Same as makeupmummy - although I heat in microwave as shaking properly removes hotspots.

Re the 70 degree thing - just to further confuse matters...was talking to a biologist friend who thought that this would not make any real difference to bacteria. He thought the temperature would not be high enough - and bacteria are not destroyed through one dose of hot water, rather from keeping the heat applied constantly. The example he gave was if you were going to drink water from a stream, you need to keep it at a rolling boil for 15 mins for it to kill off bacteria successfully (he goes on a lot of fieldtrips )

So I remain as confused as ever.

One obsersavation from making the bottles at 70 deg: the powder sticks to the scoop as the steam clogs everything up. Now, are the guidelines factoring this in, or should we be compensating for this clogging by adding another one for luck!
(This is a bit tongue in cheek, as I have not been putting another scoop in, but DH and I did discuss the other day)

I put 5 fl oz straight from kettle (cooled to room temperature from boiling earlier in day) then add 2 fl oz boiling water then add the powder - shake and ready to feed. Right temp for immediate feeding. I think I have been quite relaxed about this 'cos DD was over 6months before we started FF.

Oooh! Thanks for this thread! I was starting to panic about making up the formula, I will be bottle feeding from birth, and guidelines have changed so much in 5 short years, but was too afraid to post anything myself in case I got whipped for not BFing! Thank you xx

I used to make 24 hours worth the night before. Allow to cool and then put in fridge. I would then warm in a jug of boiled water before giving to dd.

DD was 9lb 4oz at birth and a very hungry baby who just wouldn't/couldn't wait to be fed. The method above worked fine (I was paranoid about hygiene etc as she was my pfb) and we never had any problems with upset tummies.

If I was going out I took a carton of ready to use formula and a flask of hot water.

I did exactly the same as sallypuss with my ds who is 4 next week and I'll be doing the same with dc2 who is due in feb.

Ok, sounds like it is fine to make them up and put them in the fridge. I have possibly wasted my time buying the little pots to measure out the right amount of powder to carry it around in, like I did last time.

Although I do heat in the microwave for a few seconds, just long enough so it takes the chill off. I did faff about with a jug of hot water with my DS and it was such a pain. Like Sallypuss, DS was very hungry and didn't want to wait. The jug took ages to heat it!

I'll have to carry around a flask for when we are out and heat it up. Last time I just used to heat the water in the bottle and add the powder when it was needed. This worked fine but won't be now if I make them up before!

Bloody guidlines!

I think this is the link to the official guidance (see page 4 onwards)
www.dwrcymru.com/English/library/publications/milk%20guidance/english.pdf

Because of the steam making the powder stick to the scoop, I did:

Optional - Weigh out powder into dispensers in advance.
Put empty bottle on scales reading in grams.
Add powder to empty bottle (so it doesn't stick) from dispenser (or straight from carton).
Zero scale.
Add some recently boiled water (no waiting absolutely ages, but some people will tell you to wait a bit so the water isn't too hot to kill off all the nutrients in the formula - I'm not convinced by that argument) [make mental note of weight on scale.]
Add lid, shake to dissolve, remove lid.
Return to scale [check weight is same as before in case scale has zeroed in meantime.]
Add cold boiled water from fridge until right amount of water is added, reading scale.

This requires the knowledge that 1 ml of water weighs 1 gram. So if you need a total of 120 ml of water (~4oz) you want a total of 120 g of water NOT including the powder or bottle or bottle lid. I found that 1/3 hot and 2/3 cold made the temperature right for my DS. Your child may differ. The powder increases the volume of the final formula so 120ml of water plus powder will give maybe 130ml of formula, and your carton will tell you how much water you need to how much powder.

Once my DS was over 6 months and we weren't boiling any water he drank or sterilising paranoidly, we still boiled the water to make the powder dissolve but then added tap water rather than chilled boiled water.

Does anyone take the temperature of the water they are using? I'm unsure as to whether the guidelines mean us to boil a full kettle, (what a waste of electricity!) half a kettle or just the amount you need - they can't all be 70 degrees twenty minutes later...

1 litre of water for 30 mins, should be 70 degrees.

i think that the reason that the advice is not to keep them in the fridge is that, any bacteria not killed off by 70 degree water, could breed in bottles in fridge if temperature fluctuates (fridge not cold enough, door opening and closing etc)

i do tethersends method, and when i go out take a flask of hot water, and a bottle of pre boiled chilled water.

Detective I did the same has you 5 years ago and 6 months ago with DD2. Wasn't aware that anything changed before reading it here.

I did start the FF at around 1 or 2 months though not with a newborn. Both DDs were/are massive and never had any gut diseases. (finger crossed I can't deal with vomit)
I am a microbiologist and agree with pass freind. And keeping premade milk in the fridge is probably the worse you can do.

Boiling water strait to the powder will probably kill most bacteria, but also destroy any vitamins and probiotic in the powder as well, so not a good advice.

Sorry no recommendations, but follow the guidance or do like you have always have done.
If you have a premature, underweight or sickly child use premade cartons. It is not worth the risk.

tabouleh will be here soon to tell you exactely how to make the bottle.

If the milk coagulate on the spoon due to the steam it is a health hazard. The spoon and milk have to be kept dry.

This has stuff on most of the things raised here - why water >70 degrees reduces the risks, why it is ok to use near boiling water, why it is better to use feeds immediately, it is long and repetitive, but worth a read!

Hmmm here in Spain it says on the boxes that water only needs to be heated to 40C ...

Will try the 1/3 boiling, 2/3 cooled boiled water method tomorrow for the 6am feed.