Feeding formula milk without heating

[shinyshilling]

Our baby is due today and we are in the process of reading 'baby instruction manuals', having read all about birth and labour but not on what to do when he/she arrives!

We are planning to bottle feed and have received mixed messages about the temperature of a formula bottle. Some places seem to suggest heating whilst others say that it's okay to give a baby an unheated bottle - obviously this would be easier, especially as we are outdoor, walker type people who are usually on the middle of a moor at lunch time, rather than near a microwave. However, I don't want to give our baby something which is unpleasant. Some people have said to start the way you mean to go on...so what are your ideas and suggestions? Thanks

You don't have to heat it at all. Room temperature is fine.

If you can get the baby to take unheated, go for it! We couldn't get DD1 to, but yeah, you have to start the way you mean to go on, so it was our bad for always giving her heated - we used one of those Lindam bottle heater thingies.

You can take a flask of hot water out with you to heat the milk if you do go down the heated route (slow but takes the chill off!).

The other thing you might find helpful are the ready made sachets. I found they are not as rich as formula made up from powder and water, they tend to be runnier. BUT, they're a godsend when you're out and about. You just open the sachet, pour it into a pre-sterilised bottle, and baby's meal is ready.

I was once a major hillwalker and climber. If you find you've got a child who won't take an unheated bottle, you can always carry a flask of hot water - extra weight, arrggh! - and a plastic bowl and use it to stand the bottle in and heat it.

SNAP, Xmas!

Not sure if it has to be warm, but if you decide to use it warm, here's a couple of ways me and my friends use.
I dont formula feed, but a lot of my friends do.
One friend makes up the formula with only half the water and then when needed, tops up with boiled water which then doesn't need heating.
Another friend of mine has a thin flask which she puts boiling water in, and carries this and a jug around with her so when baby requires a bottle, puts the water from the flask to the jug, warms the bottle then puts the water back in the flask so it stays hot and can be used again.
Even though my DD is breastfed, I have taken the odd expressed bottle with me (esp when I'm meeting workmates for lunch, I prefer to bottle feed then rather than whipping my boobs out!!). I have one of these which are really handy, just put the bottle inside, pop the button and the crysals heat up the gel pack and the bottle. The pack then just gets boiled in a saucepan to be reset.

we never heated formula, they prefered it cool.

absolutely no issue with giving it at room temp, even to newborns - formula top ups at my maternity hospital were NEVER heated!

Hey shinyshilling, my ds1 was due on 31st December too! He eventually came on 11th January, though.

We always warmed his bottles and it was a real bind. So with ds2 I was determined never to let him know that milk could come warm. And as he has never known otherwise he is perfectly happy.

We always never made up bottles in advance for ds2. We make up bottles with the right amount of water and then put in the powder when it is time for the feed. This means you don't have the 24 hour time limit. You also don't have to sterilise in theory, but in practice we were too scared, so we did sterilise for the 1st 6 months.

Whilst it is fine to give a baby a feed at room temperature if you do carry feeds around with you (and this is no longer recommended) you must chill the milk and carry it in an insulated bag so you would be giving baby a feed of chilled milk.

The alternative would be to carry bottles of just boiled water and add the formula powder when required. In practice this probaby means the feed would be either slightly warm or room temp. This method too is no longer recomended as they say the water has to be just under boiling hot to so that bugs from the unsterile powder don't develop when it is mixed with the water.

Gosh I'd forgotten just what a nightmare bottle feeding is when out and about. I ended up relying on the pretty expensive ready made cartons for dd.

baby is not born with an innate preference 4 warmed milk, they acquire it by habit (and bottle warmers!!) so yep u can give ur wee baby formula at room temp, with no adverse effects for the nipper. its easier 4u and 2b honest if baby gets used to it then no problemo and yes start as u wish 2 go on, it also gives u the convenience when ur r out walking/being active shopping etc

happy hogmany

The "don't warm it up" ethos goes for baby food too when you're at that stage

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I worried about this but then read a book (Daughters of Britannia, about Diplomats wives) which told of a wife and mother of a newborn preparing for a trip to Siberia, she deliberately started her baby on cold milk (actually chilled) so that he'd be used to it on the journey. This particular wife was writing in the 18th century, so no microwaves there then.

I figured if it was alright then, it'd be alright now!

Thanks for all the speedy and informative responses so far. Can I also check (sorry to sound daft!) but if I am feeding unheated milk, would I still make up bottles and store them in the fridge, then take them out so that they reach room temperature, or is that encouraging bacteria? I'm a bit worried about storing the milk as I don't want to make my baby ill. Also, if I was feeding my baby through the night, would I just take the bottle out of the fridge before I went to bed and take it upstairs with me ready to feed during the night (or does it have to be stored in a special way?) or should I maybe use cartons for night feeds? Thanks once again.

You could get a couple of powder storage containers . They have 3 compartments, each big enough for up to 8 scoops of powder. Once a day, I filled my 2 containers with powder (so, 6 feeds) and put the right amount of boiled water in each of 6 bottles. Then, when I needed to make up a feed, I just tipped a section of powder into a bottle, shook, and fed. Means you don't need to get out of bed to feed at night either - just have the bottle with water in and the powder container at your bedside.

Once you've made a bottle up (mixed the powder with the water) you can leave it at room temp for up to an hour before you need to throw it away.

But you don't need to make the bottle up until you're ready to use it. Very easy when out and about to tip your measured formula into a bottle of water. Then you don't need to worry about temperatures or storing milk at all.

I have to add this too; a message from the "Liberate bottlefeeders" brigade -

Please read this thread and consider not bothering to sterilise your bottles...

There is a post on 21 September that shows the email from aMicrobiology consultant at UCH.

agree with fruitful - don't make the bottle up in advance when you are out, just add the powder to the cooled boiled water when you need a bottle.

also tommee tippe make individual milk powder stoarge containers 3 for 1.99 in mothercare they are excellent and I found that the 3 compartment container did sometimes allow powder to leak from one part to another thus making the amounts unequal. I have 6 of the toimmee tippee ones and use them evry day, I would think they would be useful for powdered food/purees too

At risk of being beaten to death with Tommee Tippee bottles if you are usually in the middle of a moor at lunchtime, I cannot recommend breastfeeding highly enough. No crap to carry, no worries about leaving the baby's lunch 20 miles away in the car, no messing about with powder in a high wind or wondering if the water is harbouring germs or whatever. And teh milk always tastes nice, is packed full of good stuff, is sterile and just the right temperature.
I mixed fed ds and never bothered warming the water - just tipped in the powder when required.

I have to disagree with scottishmummy- of course they are born with an innate desire for warm milk! Breastmilk isnt chilled- it's body temperature!

That said if I was bottlefeeding I wouldnt bother heating it up all the time.

ds initially accepted unheated bottles (he was a june baby), then as the ambient temperature dropped suddenly in Sept he protested so we started heating them a little bit and gradually cut back until he was back on unheated.

Like others I prepare all my bottles with just water and add powder at the time of the feed. If I am going out and am concerned that the water in the bottle might be a bit chilly I heat the bottle before leaving and pop it in an insulated bottle cover so that by the time I need it the temperature is lukewarm.

im with fruitful.

Rebecca is 10 weeks old and has NEVER had a heated bottle!

I make up the bottles with the water only in, and use the powder containers and measure out once a day only and then when i need it, pour in powder, shake and feed.

So easy and great for being out and about.

I agree Aloha, having done both myself it sounds like breastfeeding would be far more convenient in this situation but didn't like to say.