How do I make up bottles?

[birchykel]

Ok so prob sounds so silly I know how to make them up if I'm using them at home but I've breast fed for 8months and starting to wean her off very slowly. I'm worried about making a bottle to take out and about with us. I've seen some parents have a bottle of water and the powder in a container to mix when ready but still not sure about cooling water before we go out or do u leave it? Any help would be great as I'm really not up to scratch on bottle feeding.

There are instructions on the tin.

This is the official guidance on the safest way to make up bottles

A few ways I did it- take carton and bottle (most practical but more expensive).

Take powder , hot water in mini flask and water - make up bottle with mostly hot water but some mineral water ( I used Evian) to get it to temperature. Ime mineral water not only is against advice to use to mix with powder but actually you need some hot water to make the formula mix .

Third alternative If just popping out and knew dd needed feed imminently (eg going for coffee with friends) is make up bottle and put it in bag. Then would be cooled when ready to drink (only really works If about half an hour til feed).

Yes I can do bottles at home but going out for afternoon with friends I was concerned about letting the water cool down slowly cos they don't advise you cool it down as quick as poss?

Strictly yes but I think half hour is ok.

Ok so prob if longer than half hour then ready made cartons would be better? I work at crèche and some mums bring in cooled water with powder in container and keep it in their baby bags and ask us to mix it wen baby is due a feed sometimes this is after an hour or so. Just wondered how they did it. I should ask I guess.

I think it depends on preference. The cooled water route is same as the second alternative really . You find what works for you .

birchy the creche you work at should be advising a safer method for the mothers. Cooled water is not considered safe.

Any bottle once made up should be cooled down quickly.

The older the baby, the less risk there is - but the instructions are there for a reason :)

Tiktok I cool down bottles down quick at home defo but I think I'll get cartons for being out and about.
As for the crèche I'm not sure if they offer advise as I'm new there but will be offering it from now on.

when out i take two bottles one empty one with half the amount i need in it of previously cooled water, then i put HOT water in the empty bottle so a 6oz feed i would put in 3oz of hot, add all 6 scoops of powder from a little tub and mix, then add the other 3oz of previously cooled water and this will cool it down quickly. you need to experiment a bit to find out how much hot and how much cold but it means you are mixing the powder with HOT water which is the important bit and then adding the previously cooled water cools the feed down to drinking temp quickly :)

you're probably all going to think DH and I are completely slack but we make up a day's worth of bottles in terms of water in one go, then just add powder, to cooled water, as we go. The powder is not sterile, that's true. But unless you pour it into more or less boiling water, I don't really see how warm water will kill anything in the powder

Bling, you'd actually be safer making up and mixing the powder into water above 70 degrees and then cooling quickly and refrigerating for less than 24hrs.

the water should be 70 deg or more to kill the bacteria, it doesnt kill all but they think that is the temp needed to kill certain bacteria that can cause serious illness in little babies.

and what needsomeadvice said, you can make them up in advance, just use hot water, then cool quickly ie under a running tap and then refrigerate :)

If i'm going out, i'd make up two feeds - one for now, before we leave, and the other would go in the change bag and by the time she needs her next feed, its cooled. I dont warm the bottles before drinking, she has them room temperature.

Thanks for all advice, with my first (9 years ago)! I used to make them in advance for thru out the night and once cooled put in fridge but I can't remember for the life of me what I did wen I took her out. So if it's just the powder needs to be mixed in hot water 70degrees then once cooled surely it's safe? So annoying I feel so stupid for not knowing

yes the powder needs to mix with water of 70 deg or above and then once cooled its fine, so you could do what i do when outand do half and half, or make it in advance withhot water, cool down quickly under a running tap and then put it in one of those cool bag/bottle holder things to keep it chilled and then warm up when needed, or just buy cartons!

Yes I'll do that 4madboys thanks for advice.x

I make up my bottles in advance then rapid cool in fridge. To go out I either make a bottle with all boiled water and put into a insulated bag or if I'm going to a friends where I can use kettle I have a powder dispenser and take that and an empty sterile bottle. Third option is if you batch make bottles then put cold into bottle bag and heat up when out. From my experience I don't recommend using cartons and formula together regularly as although they should be the same they aren't. The cartons are much richer in taste and baby can get quite constipated as we found after Xmas where LO had been on cartons while at nans then wouldn't take powder formula as well for a while. You shouldn't feel silly for asking when I had my baby I had no clue at all. Also I would say don't panic about the guidelines for how soon to use up formula and how to use all boiled water, babies are a lot tougher than we realise but formula companies have to cover theirselves

Thanks south, that's a real help. X