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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

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

58 replies

DetectivePotato · 18/08/2010 15:35

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?

OP posts:
ReneRusso · 23/08/2010 22:17

The problem with mixing the powder with 1/3 boiling water and then mixing with 2/3 cooled water is that boiling water kills off some of the nutrients in the powder. Whereas 70 degree water is meant to be a balance between retaining most nutrients and killing off bacteria. I think. It's a pain in the arse the whole thing. I'm bfing and having problems, so thinking of stopping and the thought of all this pissing about with powder and kettles is putting me off.

tabouleh · 24/08/2010 13:05

Hello - I see my reputation preceeds me. Blush Grin.

I need to log off now but will come back to the thread later and address individual points.

People have already pointed out the advice re 70 degrees and the leaflets etc.

gingercat12 · 24/08/2010 13:18

In the hospital (Rota virus for DS) they gave us boiled and then cooled down water in a glass bottle, which we then made up to formula feed on demand.

DS could not stop throwing up, etc. so it must be safe if the hospital recommends you to do it with a very sick child in an isolation unit.

tabouleh · 24/08/2010 13:23

"so it must be safe if the hospital recommends you to do it with a very sick child in an isolation unit" Sad

No unfortunately doctors and nurses and hospitals are not following the guidelines.

It is not a case of "safe" it is a case of "risk". IMO hospitals should be ensuring that formula is made up according to WHO guidelines particularly when a DC is already ill!

gingercat12 · 24/08/2010 13:49

tabouleh Sadly, it was simply impossible to make up the formula feed on demadn in the isolation unit.

tiktok · 24/08/2010 13:53

gingercat - your unit was not working safely :( You should have been given ready-to-feed bottles or cartons.

Bubbles1066 · 24/08/2010 15:23

I would have thought though that a hospital isolation unit could have used the sterile bottles that you get in antenatal wards? Using powdered formula seems a bit of a faff on a hospital ward, not to mention potentially unsafe. What I do with my bottles is to make them up one at a time, exactly as it says on the tin, as I need them to a rough schedule of around the time my son usually wants feeding (he is pretty predictable). I also have cartons in the house for if he needs feeding straight away and I don't have time to make a powdered feed. It is a faff and it can be hard to balance feeding on demand with safer FF'ing, there's no denying it, but it's also doable if you are organised. Read some of the info people have provided for you here and you can see why it's necessary.

katiecubs · 24/08/2010 16:26

I was asking my midwife about this just this morning and she said that if you aren't going to follow the guidelines to the letter - and most people don't as they aren't practical!Then the lesser of two evils would be to sterilise, add boiled water to bottles, leave out and add powder as and when required. She was of the thinking that the bacteria starts to multiply as soon as power and water are mixed together even when refridgerated and that this could be much more harmful to baby than any bacteria in the milk powder.

Seems most people on here do the opposite though so not sure what to think!

tabouleh · 24/08/2010 16:32

katiecubs your midwife has it BACKWARDS.

Please look at this leaflet It is an NHS leaflet. Your midwife works for the NHS.

Jeez I am so pissed off that they cannot give out their own information. It is evidence based. Water at 70 degrees will kill the bacteria - they have done tests on this - I have looked at the results.

Whilst the guidelines might be difficult to follow there are much safer options than adding powder to cool water.

Also if people aren't going to follow the guidelines when the baby is a bit older then they should definitely think about following them when the baby is first born. Sad.

katiecubs · 24/08/2010 17:21

Thanks for that link tabouleh - am quite shocked that she told me the opposite!

Have the health visitor coming tomorrow so am interested to see what advicee she gives.

southcoaster · 24/08/2010 18:22

I would love to use ready-made cartons but they are not available in Spain (only in hospitals).

So how is this: Heat 1/3 of the water required to 70C, mix with the full amount of powder required, then add 2/3 of cooled boiled water, mix, serve.

Would that work?

StarlightMcKenzie · 24/08/2010 18:58

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aimee0211 · 24/08/2010 19:23

Ok, I am going to sound completely stupid but I just don't get it...I mean how is it practical?

If I was to make up bottles on demand (don't see how that is practical) this means I would have to take baby downstairs in the night, boil kettle, wait 30 mins, make bottle, cool in ice water until the right temperature for feeding?

OR I could make bottles in advance with 70 degree water leave in fridge then microwave when needed...still meaning I would have to take baby downstairs whilst doing this and have the microwave on...am I wrong in thinking this would be disruptive for baby (aren't you supposed to try and stay quiet/relaxed/dim light during night feeds?) as well as waking everyone else in the house up...

The final alternative being I would take powder in bottles upstairs for night feeds with flask of hot water and make upstairs as I go along (solves going downstairs problem but leaves me with the problem of perhaps flask water either being too hot and needing a while to cool down or being cooler than 70 degrees therefore not killing bacteria)

Tis soooooo confusing Confused

StarlightMcKenzie · 24/08/2010 19:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

gingercat12 · 24/08/2010 21:15

I would have loved to have used ready-to-made formula in the hospital, but we were abroad where availability of formula fee is much more limited.

Original poster
DetectivePotato · 27/08/2010 10:21

Thanks for the link Tablouleh. Was hoping you were going to come along seeing as others had mentioned you.

That is the leaflet that I have read on here. So the 'right' way to do it if you cannot do it on demand (and DS was never that predictable) is to make them up with the powder, then put in the fridge, at the back until needed?

Why are midwives giving out the bloody opposite advice then?! Mine told me the same as katiecubs.

I wish they would make their minds up. I have a different midwife this time as I am now at another surgery so it will be interesting to hear what she has to say about it.

OP posts:
katiecubs · 27/08/2010 13:15

Detective potato i also asked my HV the other day and she said the same as well! Safest way is to make up fresh using cooled boiled water and powder - they are of the thinking that the risk of bacteria in the powder is very minimal and it's the formula companies covering there backs.

Crazy that there seems to be so much conflicting advice out there - i would like to think my HV and midwife know what they are talking about!

Original poster
DetectivePotato · 27/08/2010 15:07

Me too!!!

How the hell are we suppose to know whats going on?! Surely health professionals would be following the guidelines that are in leaflet above.

Saying that, every single one of my friends who FF, made their bottles up in the exact same way, powder added to cooled boiled water and they were told this by midwife and HV.

I also think there is probably some truth to what people who are microbiologists are saying about water needing to be boiled constantly for 15 minutes to kill bacteria. Surely they would know?!

Too bloody confusing. I bet its done on purpose to stop women FF.

OP posts:
tiktok · 27/08/2010 15:16

:( :(

It is confusing, but DetectivePotato, it's not to kill bugs in the water that the guidelines are the way they are - it's to kill the bugs in the powder. Boiling for 15 mins is pointless. It's the temp of the water when it hits the powder that matters.

Original poster
DetectivePotato · 27/08/2010 15:19

I know its to kill the bugs in the powder, not the water. Its just that as above a couple of people mentioned microbiologists saying that it would have to maintained at 70 degrees for over 15 minutes to kill this bacteria, its got me confused. Or are they the ones thinking its the water not the powder?

OP posts:
tiktok · 27/08/2010 15:23

Oh, right....sorry, I'm confused now :)

Original poster
DetectivePotato · 27/08/2010 15:25

Sorry for confusing you. Smile

I know you are highly recommended on feeding problems, but I think that may be more BF from what I have read.

Now I am confusing everyone as well as myself!!! Confused

OP posts:
nicnacinoonoo · 27/08/2010 15:27

my dd has reflux and is on sma staydown. the powder for this HAS to be added to chilled water from the fridge and then rolled instead of shaken and cannot be warmed up to harshly. instead it states on the video tutorial on the sma website that it can be made up to 2 hours before a feed and left out to warm up to room temp. this goes against all guidlines but it is the only way you can make up this milk and the milk has done wonders. she is a different baby on it, completely content and never has the sick flooding out like it used to.

tiktok · 27/08/2010 15:28

I don't think the water needs to be at a rolling boil for 15 mins. The guidance is based on European research and testing, and the conclusions are that if the water is 70 deg C minimum, the harmful bacteria (or enough of them to make the feed safe) will be killed.

tiktok · 27/08/2010 15:29

Detective, yes, BF is my specialist area but do know about FF as well :)