Using the 'perfect prep' model for making formula

[Orchardbeck]

Right, so we've begun combination feeding and it's a bit of a faff already, especially using mam bottles that you aren't supposed to fill with liquid hotter than 70 degrees. So I've been having a think about the perfect prep machine's method and thought it coul be replicated without forking out for one - Would the following be ok?

Fill sterilised bottles with 2 oz of water from freshly boiled kettle. Add powder for a 5oz feed. Add 3 oz of previously cooled boiled water from fridge stored in sterilised sealed mam milk storage pots, pre-measured to avoid guess work.

Surely this would save me a fortune and my sanity kill all bugs and not damage nutrients in milk, and save hanging around with screaming baby

Sounds like more trouble to me. Is your baby in a routine yet, so you know what times they will need a bottle? Sounds easier to just boil the kettle 15 mins in advance.

You'd be killing the nutrients in the formula with the boiling water and giving yourself hassle - try the same method but switched round!

I did a top up method where I used cooled boiled water topped up with a smaller amount of just boiled to get the right temperature and added my formula. Means you can just boil and make, but the cooled water chills it.

Now that DS is nearly six months I am making a couple, flash cooking and then storing in fridge but I'm still reticent about doing many in advance, would want them to be fresh.

Hope this helps.

Flash cooling!! Oh dear!

Orchard - I think your solution sounds great - bottle is freshly made, bugs killed, job done :)

Forgetmenots - your advice in dangerous. Formula is not sterile and must be added to water no cooler than 70 degrees.

No I've clearly mistated - I was making my water 70 then adding formula :(

If I misread the OP I apologise but it sounded like she was adding formula to boiling water then cooling. I was doing cooled boiled topped with boiling to make 70 (had a thermometer and everything!) then adding powder.

My last paragraph about making more in advance still involves 70 degree bottles.

Should say (cos I'm obviously not making myself clear) that I tend to make the bottles around 80 degrees, said 70 in last post as that's the figure used for a bottom limit.

Boiling water does not kill the nutrients in formula.

Really tictac? Bad HV advice here then - genuinely thought I had to make them less than boiling but above 70.

Honestly, its a myth.

After you've boiled the kettle, They tell you to wait half an hour to reduce the risk of you scalding yourself. The temperature of the water is meant to be a minimum of 70.

Presumably the formula companies make ready to use cartons which are sterile so I have never understood why the powder isn't. Is it because as soon as you open the tub bacteria can enter?
I found that if you scoop powder into hot liquid then the scoop clogs due to the moisture from the steam. This would surely be more likely to encourage bacteria when the wet scoop is put back in the tub.
Sorry for sounding rather science boffiny!
I think your cooled water in the fridge sounds a good idea.

FFS. Far too long spent waiting for kettle to cool then!

(I agree on the 70 rule and I clearly didn't get that over at first, frightening how many people make with cold water but there's obviously a lot of misinformation out there!)

Really, it doesn't kill the nutrients? That's the worry I had, also apparently some formulas don't mix properly if they are added to boiling water, is that true?

I always used aptamil in the past with dd1, and added it to just boiled water and it did often have 'granules' that stuck to the bottle - I made one up this morning using the method above and it was nice and smooth, like the cartons! Is there something in that?

Surely it's the correct amount of cold boiled water, then the correct amount of boiling water and shake. So bottles only get 70°C. Then milk powder, then cool to safe drinking, so powder gets 70 too.

You can't pasteurise powder like you can cartons so even if it came in little sachets there could still be contamination.

Some brands don't mix properly with boiling water but the advice is principally to do with the scald risk. Which is slightly barking.

Sorry, but you can't do this. I'll try to explain, sorry if it doesn't make sense!

When you add 5 scoops to 5oz you end up with slightly over 5oz of finished product - because you've got the powder 'taking up space' too. So if you add 5 scoops to 2oz you get slightly over 2oz. Then you add your 3oz to the slightly over 2oz - you won't get the same volume as if you'd added 5oz to 5 scoops all along. Does that make sense? Formula has to be made up exactly right to make the right balance of electrolytes.

As for why you have to use hot water - the powder isn't sterile - some babies in France died from gastroenteritis linked to a contaminant in the powder which was why the guidelines changed. The cartons are presumably heat treated (ie. pasteurised) before they are sold.

As to why the formula companies cannot find a way to sterilise the powder in the 21st century - who knows?!

amandine I've tested adding powder to the full amount and powder to half and topping up. The volume comes out the same but you have to shake really well to make sure all the powder disperses. As long as you add a total of 5oz water and 5 scoops powder (or whatever your quantities are) you'll get the correct concentration.

Also you need to measure out your water separately to the powder so your 2oz in one bottle and your 3oz in a bottle of the same brand. That way you have 5oz total volume.

Amanda, I thouht of that already - water in storage pots is already pre measured, one pot per feed so yes once water is added it will still be over the 5oz. I had read of other peoples prep methods and that part worried me.

Amandine that's not correct.

I used 2-3 oz of cooled boiled water and topped it up to correct amount before adding powder so was always correct.

Even if you add 5scoops of formula to 2oz of boiled water, if you have cooled boiled water pre measured you will always have the correct amount.

When out I occasionally used to add all formula to a small amount of boiled water. Then from another bottle I added the rest of the water that was previously measured out so was still correct.

However, unless you have per measured it correctly before hand then yes you are correct in that the water to formula amounts would be incorrect.

Starbal that's exactly what I've been doing!

OP I found that granular thing too whenever I made a warmer bottle.