Reheating pre-prepared formula

[gingerkirsty]

I know this subject has been done to death but I can't seem to find a clear answer to my exact question.

DD is starting with CM tomorrow (gulp) and I need to make her bottles up beforehand. I am happy that I know how to prepare formula safely.

However DD is used to lovely warm BM and as a result likes formula to be warmed up for her! Is it safe for me to give her bottles to the CM to be stored in the fridge, and for her to warm them up before giving them to DD?

TIA

I would think it safer for you to provide clean bottles and formula so that the CM can make up as per guidelines

or send ready made cartons (too late for tomorrow probably, unless you have a sooooopermarket nearby)

or can you express?

I have found it impossible to make up bottles freshly because it just takes too long, and don't like to keep DS2 waiting ie boil kettle, wait 30 mins to get to right temp, then add powder and another 10 mins to cool to body temp. After only 1 week of bottle feeding I can't believe many people actually make up each feed freshly according to guidelines esp if demand feeding.

I therefore have 2 choices:
a) make up bottles in advance
b) mix powder with cold water at time of feed like I did for my older DC before 70c thing.

I generally go for a) - as from everything I've read on here its safer - and this is suggested on the NHS website if you don't want to carry boiling water in a flask and milk powder etc.

www.nhs.uk/Planners/birthtofive/Pages/Bottlefeedingbasics.aspx

I cool the bottles as quickly as possible by sitting them in cold water and put in fridge.

Thanks random - CM won't make up bottles from powder(fair enough as far as I'm concerned) and I've decided not to express, so will either have to buy cartons (but obv more expensive) or make up in advance for her to warm up if that is safe.

MumNW thanks for that link, I have had a shufty and it doesn't mention reheating once formula is mixed and cooled, but it does say that you should always make a fresh bottle for each feed. I know that lots of people pre-mix and I am fairly comfortable with doing that and keeping the bottles in the fridge, but haven't heard of anyone re-heating.

Will pop into supermarche in the morning for some cartons and perhaps DD will need to get used to cold formula in the future - she's just settling in this month, then I'm doing 1 day a wk til Jan, but when I go to 3 days a wk from Jan it will cost me almost a fiver a week if she has cartons!

I ff my first baby nearly 15 years ago and it was the norm back then to make 24hrs worth of bottles in advance, store them in the fridge and reheat when needed. Friends who also ff still do it this way now.

My understanding was, and still is, as long as the bottles are scrupulously clean (I, personally, would sterilise them) and that the formula is quickly cooled as soon as it has been made before putting in fridge then it is perfectly safe to reheat them.

It is also safe to reheat the ready made cartons, they just need a couple of minutes in a jug of hot water (in bottles of course).

The WHO guidance says that making in advance and storing is fine. I reheat mine ofr 20 secs in the microwave - just to take the chill off really.

Oh, and good luck for tomorrow! Hope she settles in well :)

yes it says ok to make in advance - presumably that is the same as reheating as v unlikely baby will drink directly from fridge!

Feeding away from home

The safest way to feed your baby away from home is to carry a measured amount of milk powder in a small, clean dry container, a flask of boiled hot water and an empty sterilised feeding bottle. Make up a fresh feed whenever you need it. The water must still be hot when you use it, otherwise any bacteria in the milk powder may not be destroyed. Cool the outside of the bottle under cold running water once you've filled it with the made-up formula.

Alternatively, you can use ready-to-drink infant formula milk when you're away from home. If it?s not possible to follow this advice, or if you need to transport a feed (for example to a nursery or childminder), you should prepare the feed at home and cool it in the back of the fridge.

Take it out of the fridge just before you leave and carry it in a cool bag with an ice pack. Use it within four hours. If you reach your destination within four hours, take it out of the cool bag and store it at the back of the fridge, but make sure you still use it within four hours. Never store feeds for longer than 24 hours and remember, it?s always safer to make up a fresh feed if you can.

Great thanks all, that's much easier and cheaper! And thanks Jess I am sure DD will be fine, it's me who is likely to have a bit of a wobble! :)

Theres also this guidance from the DH and FSA here see from page 4 onwards.

It basically says the same as MumNWLondon's last post but it might reassure you to see it from an official source.

Found this talk very helpful. Just stopped expressing with 5 week old baby boy, we were using cartons of formula to top him up but now changed to powder.

Feeling bad about stopping expressing but was totally exhausted and felt wasnt really enjoying being a mummy as felt spent all time expressing then feeding.

Just joined this website, excellent so far, keep up the good work!