Making up formula

[AlisonL1981]

Hi, I know this has probably been asked many times but I couldn't find any threads.

I know official advice is to make up bottles when needed but after trying that for the last couple of days with a hysterical baby screaming, I wanted to know if its ok to make them up in advance?

Is it ok to make some up and store in the fridge? Should it be left to cool first? How long could they be kept in the fridge?

I'm mainly breast feeding but in the evening ds screams at the breast but is fine with a bottle. Im not sure if hes just over hungry, he seems to nurse well but not for long each time. i know from expressing i can fill a 150ml bottle in 5 minutes so im guessing hes getting enough. I was expressing and feeding him it but formula seemed easier. I was giving him those little pre mixed cartons but brought some powder to save some pennies.

Any help appreciated!

You can make it with hot, 70deg water, flash cool is under a running tap of food water in a bowl. Then store in the fridge (not in the door of the fridge) I think you can store it for twelve hours?

The WHO guidelines gave info on this. Making it fresh is recommended but if not making it with hot water, then flash cooling it and storing in fridge is next best :)

The main thing (I believe) is to mix the milk powder with hot water, >70C I think. This is because the milk powder is an ideal bacterial growth medium.

You could add half the water with the full amount of powder, quickly cool and keep in the fridge. Then top up with cooled boiled water when needed. (Or, hot water to bring it up to temp again?)

I can't emphasise enough that its the powder that is the hazard, rather than our lovely safe British tap water!

Fusdiness in thge evenings is normal BTW, how old is baby? Could just be tired etc, cluster feeding is normal. You may want to express to keep supply up if you are giving formula. Lots of people successfully mix feed but you may want to be careful it doesn't interfere with bfeeding, particularly if feeding isn't well established.

I ve always bulk made dd whos 8 months bottles.

I make them up every evening, store in the fridge for no longer than 24 hours.

Never had a problem

And yes as basket says you can mix all the powder to the hit water say half the feed is 3oz if its a six ounce feed. So mix all six scoops if powder with 3oz of hot water, then shake well, then add another 3oz if cooled booked water, you will need to ore measure the 3oz of cooled booked water to make sure you get the right amount if water to formula.

I ff both DDs and made up bottles for the day each morning. Not much choice than to make them up in advance when you're out and about. We always used cooled boiled water, then reheated before we used a bottle.

I was put in an unsecured carry cot in the car as a baby, but I'm alright. (Presumably those who weren't are unable to post from beyond the grave)

However, as milk powder has all the nutrients on which to grow a person, it can also grow bacteria and fungi. And once opened, those things will get in.

By all means cool and refrigerate, but alway mix powder with HOT water to sterilise the milk powder itself.

And beware the "it didn't do me/us/mine any harm" brigade.

Thanks ladies.

My lo is 15 weeks (8 weeks corrected). We have had a roller coaster as he was in scu for 4 weeks and was tube fed, I struggled to breast feed originally so I expressed and bottle fed for the first few weeks he was home and then gradually built up to breast feeding.

As I'm on my own most evenings I was beginning to crack with the constant screaming so giving him the bottle saved my sanity! And also helped me actually eat as I was having dinner at midnight after cluster feeding from 5pm-11pm!

I think the advice is that for small/prem babies its more important to make up milk correctly so do mix the formula with hot 70deg water, not to worry you but that is the guideline. And then the WHO advice is you can flash cool it and store in fridge. Will try and find a link..

If you want to make up the bottles when needed very very quickly here is my ready-almost-instantly-but-still-within-the-guidelines method:

In advance:
Measure out the appropriate number of scoops of powder into a clean pot.
Measure out 2/3 of the required boiled water into a sterile container - bottle or similar and allow to cool. So for 6 scoops this would be 120ml.
Fill a (good) Thermos with (boiled) water at around 80 degrees. Either use a thermometer or boil a litre of water in a kettle and wait 20mins.

When needed:
Put 1/3 of water at 80 degrees into a bottle (for 6 scoops this would be 60ml). Add the formula, replace the lid and shake for 10 secs.
Now add the 120ml (or whatever it is) of cool water into the hot formula, shake briefly and it's ready.
TaDa.

If anyone checks back on this thread, I have a question relating to the OP...

Why do you have to wait til the water cools to 70 degrees? Why can't you just use freshly boiled water steaming hot? Does it kill the goodness in the formula if it's too hot?

Just wanted to add that the guidelunes have changed on how to make bottles with all 3 of my babies!

First was advised to make up bottles and store in fridge

second to have the water measured out in the bottle and leave on the side (room temp) and add powder when you need a feed

Third to make up with 70° water when needed.

I have decided to fo with what was easiest this time as I now have 3 children to think about and my experience tells me it will be ok!

So I make up the water in the bottles and add the power when I need it.
I am sure there are germ that could.enter the bottle but that could happen in any situation and so far my babies have been fine...

Im sure if you dont mind a screaming baby for 20mins while you try to cool the milk down it would work for you but it just isnt an option for us.

Just wanted to give another perspective...

zoobaby - I expect boiling water WILL kill the "goodness" - though that's just an assumption.

Unless they think that some mothers are so stupid, they would give their babies boilig hot milk to drink!

You can use boiling water - it won't 'kill' anything. But some powder does not dissolve well in water at 100 deg C. It is also reckoned to be a safety hazard for the baby and the mother - there is a risk of scalds as the bottle is made up because of spills and splashes (though a baby or a mother would be scalded at 70 deg C I think, though less seriously).

The hot water thing comes up again and again ... Last thread I saw had a poster with proof from formula manufacturers that leaving the boiled water to cool was simply to stop you burning yourself.

The theory is about adding water to the powder that is hot enough to kill any bacteria in the powder. If you work from that principle, and don't water down/overdo the formula, then I'm sure you'll all be fine.

I thought that boiling water destroyed some of the vitamins/nutrients?

I make up 2/3 bottles at a time & store in the fridge.

I always left the water to cool before mixing well below 70 dg the chance of an issue with the formula is minute.

Thanks for the answers. Hope Alison didn't mind me adding the question. Just always wondered as I'm a BFer but seriously considering FF for last thing at night.

If you were full time FF then I would deffo reccommend the Tommee Tippee perfect prep machine. Bottle made within 2 mins at perfect temperature!

I used to boil a kettle the night before and pour the amount into the bottles. Scooped the powder into little containers and added as needed. I know it's recommended to use hot water, but I never had any problems and it's not exactly practical when out and about