Would this be an OK way to make bottles up?

[lurcherlover]

Firstly, let me say my baby is due on Saturday and I really want to breastfeed, and that is hopefully what's going to happen. So this question will hopefully be irrelevant. But I just want to cover my back so that if for whatever reason breastfeeding doesn't work out (and I will be posting on here with lots of questions for you ladies if it's not going well!) I know what to do in advance with bottles and I'm not googling frantically with a screaming baby in the background...

OK, I know the official way is to make up bottles on demand. But I know that in practice most people seem to make a day's worth in advance. So would this be acceptable or is it too risky?

• Sterilise all bottles/teats for a day's feed.
• Boil kettle, wait til it's cooled to 70 degrees, make up all feeds. Allow to cool and refrigerate.
• Remove and warm as needed.

Is this what most people end up doing?

Yes, Hazey that is for the odd occasion that you are unable to follow guidelines, not for the regular prepation of bottles

Mmm, but neither are "...advise(ing) that feeds can be made up in advance as long as they are used within 24 hours."

Advice is being given for what to do when it is not possible / practicable to follow the guidelines.

From the WHO leaflet Hazy linked to:

Part 2: In Care Settings

...

2.1.5 Preparing feeds in advance for later use

It is best to make PIF fresh for each feed and to consume immediately, as reconstituted PIF provides ideal conditions for the growth of harmful bacteria. For practical reasons, feeds may need to be prepared in advance.
In care or institutional settings, feeds may have to be prepared in batches and stored until required. The steps below outline the safest practice for preparing feeds in advance and storing for later use. If refrigeration is not available, feeds should be prepared fresh and consumed immediately. They should not be prepared in advance
for later use.

1. Follow steps 1 to 7 in Section 2.1.4. If using feeding cups, a batch of formula should be prepared in a clean, sterilized jar or container that is no larger than 1 litre and has a lid. The prepared PIF can be refrigerated in the lidded container and dispensed into cups as needed.

1. Place cooled feeds in a dedicated refrigerator. The temperature of the refrigerator should be no higher than 5 °C and should be monitored daily.

1. Feeds can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

It is not recommended that batches of formula are cooled and stored in large volumes as large volumes can
promote inadequate cooling and hence lead to the growth of harmful bacteria.

2.1.6 Re-warming stored feeds

1. Remove feeds from the refrigerator just before they are needed.

1. Re-warm for no more than 15 minutes.

1. To ensure that the feed heats evenly, periodically shake or swirl the feed in its covered container. Note: microwave ovens should never be used for re-warming feeds as uneven heating may result in 'hot spots'that may scald the infant's mouth.

1. Check feeding temperature in order to avoid scalding the infant's mouth.

1. Discard any re-warmed feed that has not been consumed within two hours.

...

Yes - but you're quoting from the first part of the leaflet that deal with preparation in "Care Settings" the second part deals with preparation in the "Home". The WHO accept that there are practical issues with preapring feeds one at a time and recognise this in the guidance as follows;

"3.1.3 Preparing feeds in advance for later use
It is best to make PIF fresh for each feed and to consume immediately, as reconstituted PIF provides ideal
conditions for the growth of harmful bacteria. For practical reasons, however, feeds may need to be prepared in
advance. The steps below outline the safest way to prepare and store feeds for later use. If refrigeration is not
available, feeds should be prepared fresh and consumed immediately rather than prepared in advance for later use.

1. Follow steps 1 to 7 of Section 3.1.2. If using feeding cups, a batch of formula should be prepared in a clean,

sterile jar that is no larger than 1 litre, with a lid. The prepared PIF can be refrigerated and dispensed into cups as needed.

1. Place cooled feeds in a refrigerator. The temperature of the refrigerator should be no higher than 5 °C.
2. Feeds can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours."

OP Really hope BF works out for you!

The 70degrees is to kill enough bacteria to not pose a risk (that's why it's best to use quickly, as some bacteria will be left and so can breed) while preserving the nutrients. Hotter than this would strip some of the nutrients.

If one litre of boiled water is left in a kettle for half an houur it is (apparently) at 70degrees

Good luck! [hsmile]

I wonder if anyone on here can tell me the best way to do night feeds when my baby comes in jan.I will have had a section and my bedroom is in the attic so lots of stairs. Of course dh will go but is there any alternative?
With dd 8 i used to take prepared cooled bottles to bed in a cool bag with an ice block. Then use a bottle warmer to heat as needed. Is this stil ok? It doesnt sound like it does it. Blimey. I cant feed as had mastectomy but i sure wish i could as it all seems such a hassle

Ledkr - cartons. For night feeds, there's no point messing around IMHO.

Oh, and for the OP, I do prepare each of my bottles fresh, but found it extremely impractical to wait for the kettle for 30 mins each time. So, I got my thermometer out and found out what proportion of refrigerated, cooled boiled water mixed with just-boiled water it took to get a temp of 70 degrees (eg. My DS drinks 210 mls of PIF at the moment. It takes 60 mls of refrigerated cooled boiled water mixed with 150 mls of just boiled water to get 210 mls of water at exactly 70 degrees). This means I can stick the kettle on just ten mins before my DS wants a feed, mix the just boiled water with the previously refrigerated water, add powder, then plunge in a jug of icy cold water for rapid cooling (I make sure that the refrigerated water is stored for less than 24 hours to be on the super-cautious side also).

This way I'm killing any potential bugs by my water being at 70 degrees when I add the powder, and also rapid cooling and using immediately so bacteria doesn't have chance to grow and multiply, but only have to wait ten mins. Works well for me.

Having said all that, I breastfed for 4 months and it worked well for me once I got the hang, so I really hope you get the support you need and it works well for you.

I would check with the proper authorities just in case I have this wrong but I used to sterilise 24 hours worth of bottles, fill with 10ml less than needed of cooled boiled water and when feed was needed I added the formula and 10ml of boiling water and shook it v v well.

This worked for me as I had to stop BF. I hope you can BF though.

Congrats and best of luck[hsmile]

Ledker- I used to bring a tray with formula powder, sterilised bottles with 10ml less than required of cooled boiled water in, a small kettle to add the 10ml boiling water and bibs, wipes etc. to bed with me as the stairs are so noisy I used to wake DD1. Again, I would check if this is ok.

Sorry Ledkr. Can't spell.

Iwishiwasalive - it's a bit more complicated than that because current guidelines say the water needs to be 70 degrees when you add the powder to make sure all the nasty bacteria is killed (formula powder isn't sterile). That's why I go to all that faff I described above..... It's a pain but worth it to make sure the milk is safe :)

Sorry if I sound patronising I just wanted to say in case you hadn't heard what the new guidelines were.

Pepperonipizza- no I didn't know the new guidelines. My excuse is I haven't needed to know. If I was using formula again I would make sure I was making it up properly.