Making up bottles of formula in advance

[daisystone]

Hopefully someone can help with this.

I have been using the ready made cartons of SMA but as we are going through them like nobody's business I have just bought a tub of the powdered SMA.

It says on the tub to prepare each bottle as you need it, but as you have to boil water and then leave for half an hour before making the bottle, this seems less than ideal. Cannot imagine doing that in the middle of the night!

Can I make up a batch of bottles during the day and then stick them in the fridge to be re-heated as necessary throughout the evening and night?

With my first baby (5 years ago) I used to make up 2 bottles with boiled water that had cooled for 15 mins or so then put those fully made up bottles in the fridge and reheat in the microwave if I needed them. But 3 years later with DD this was not the right thing to do! But if you are scrupulous with hygiene it shouldn't be a problem.

DD is 3 and I still don't know anyone who makes up bottles hot. Tho I mix feed with breast so don't need as many bottles.
I personally think this is all health and safety gone mad. I don't sterilise my nipples
Does anyone have stats on number if babies getting such illnesses in uk ? I'm now hugely curious.

Your nipples don't contain salmonella or enterobacter though MayDayChild!

I think that method is still fine actually flinginghasflung. It's not really hygiene which is the issue though, as it's the powder itself which isn't sterile.

I started doing it that way because we were using easy digest formula which doesn't dissolve in cold water. The fact that it is within the guidelines was an added bonus.

As other posters have stated MayDayChild formula powder is not sterile which is why you need to put it in hot water to get rid of the bacteria and could be very bad for tiny babies.

Breast milk is completely different as it's "ready made"

OP we make each bottle up fresh with hot water and have come up with a method which makes it pretty easy:

Boil the kettle and pour the water into the bottle immediately. (the guidelines say to leave it to cool for 30mins but according to our midwife this is just to ensure people don't scald themselves with boiling water - it doesn't matter what temp. the water is as long as it is above 70 C)

Add the formula and put the lid on the bottle.

Wrap a tea towel around it and give it a good shake (the tea towel means you won't scald yourself if any water escapes).

Fill your washing up bowl with cold water up to the height of the milk and stand the bottle in it.

It cools in less than ten mins esp. in winter when the water in the taps is very cold. Once I have put the bottle in cold water I then set our microwave steriliser going with the next bottle, this takes 8 mins and so when the microwave pings I know the bottle I made will be nearly cool enough (very useful during the night when you are too tired to be looking at the clock!)

The guidelines changed in recent years and I have had loads of people tell me that they never made bottles up with hot water and it totally isn't necessary as their babies are fine, but we made the decision to stick to the current guidelines as it is clear the formula is not sterile and we have got so used to doing it this way that it really isn't a hassle anymore we just do it on autopilot!

Good god! I've been doing it all wrong :( we never had these guidelines with my 6 year old. Good job 3 month old ds has only had a few bottles.

I hate the way they change all this stuff and then it get's stuck in my head that if I don't do it the ''guideline'' way my son will get sick.

Wish I had the confidence to say shove the guidelines

I think it's partly the fault of the formula manufacturers for not making it clear on the packets why the water has to be hot.

I'm pretty sure that's not the reason Pookimum.If the water is too hot it scalds the formula and burns the nutrients or something to that effect.

Op you can make bottles up and leave them in the fridge for a maximum of 24 hours. What I would do in your case is make the day bottles up in the morning and the night bottles last thing before bed

This advice wasn't around 6 years ago with DS1 but was last year when I had DS2.

I too heard that if the water is too hot, the nutrients are destroyed. If it's too cold, the powder isn't sterile and it doesn't dissolve properly. That is why 70 degrees is optimum.

When DS2 was younger, I made up a batch in the morning and one at night and kept in the fridge. Now he is older (10 months), I make up one batch a day.

Mellicauli - the powder does dissolve in cold water. I live in Belgium and the guidelines here (and in France and other European countries and the US as well I think) are to make feeds with cold bottled water or cold boiled water then heat to room temp before giving to DC. I do it the 'UK way' with 70 degree water and everyone here (health visitors, paediatrician, creche) thinks I am mad as literally no-one here uses water at 70 degrees