Powdered formula questions! Advice needed!

[MissRatty]

I have been mixed feeding LO for eight weeks now, to cut a long story short, bf then offering formula top ups, and OH occasionslly giving a formula feed if I've just expressed or there is no expressed milk to give. We have been using the ready made cartons, but thet are siper expensive, so I've bought some Aptamil powder today. Crikey...it seems complicated!

Here are my queries...

1. Is there any reason why I have to boil a whole litre of water to make up a bottle? Seems like a huge waste...We're on a water metre here too!

1. Can the water be added say ten minutes after boiling, or does it have to be a very specific temp? I assume it can't be too hot to scald the powder or too cool or it won't kill the bacteria...

1. Can the water/powder amount be changed whilst keeping the ratio the same? As a specific example, the minimum quantity to make is 3oz, but we usually only offer 1.5oz top up...can the quantities be halved like this?

1. What is the real deal on making up bottles in advance? I see nightmarish times, especially at night, waiting so long for bottles with a screaming baby (ours goes from happy to hungry in about 0.1 seconds!). With making up in mind, is it safe to keep the bottle in the fridge, then heat in a bottle warmer (we have the tommee tippee one).

1. I've heard that the scoops gets clogged with the steam...so a lot of people use the powder dispensers...do these have to be washed and sterelise with each use, or is the theory that the boiled water will sterelise the powder anyway?

Phew...I did't realise I had so many questions until I got started!

Thanks so much for your patience if you have managed to make it to the end of this post!! X x

1. I never boiled up a litre of water for a bottle. I didn't even know about this until I read it on here when my ds was about 6-7 months old. I still didn't change my opinion.

1. It needs to be around 70degrees def not below.

1. One scoop of formula to be mixed with one ozof water. Therefore you would need to make 2oz of milk up at a time as you are not supposed to make half measures.

1. I premade bottles at night. Just make them like you do during the day. Boil water, leave up to 30 mins, add powder, cool very quickly, pop into the back of the fridge.

You can then use hot water to heat up, bottle warmer or like me the microwave.

1. You can use either, although I found the formula stuck around the lid of the dispenser. I just washed it in very hot water, then either dried with a clean towel or left to dry.

. Is there any reason why I have to boil a whole litre of water to make up a bottle? Seems like a huge waste...We're on a water metre here too!

no you can boil less water but would have to use it quicker than 30 minutes

1. Can the water be added say ten minutes after boiling, or does it have to be a very specific temp? I assume it can't be too hot to scald the powder or too cool or it won't kill the bacteria...

yes you can make it up earlier than 30 minutes as that is the maximum time it should be left

1. Can the water/powder amount be changed whilst keeping the ratio the same? As a specific example, the minimum quantity to make is 3oz, but we usually only offer 1.5oz top up...can the quantities be halved like this?

it is 1 scoop to 1oz of water so make up any amount you want e.g. 2 scoops to 2oz, 8scoops to 8oz, etc

1. What is the real deal on making up bottles in advance? I see nightmarish times, especially at night, waiting so long for bottles with a screaming baby (ours goes from happy to hungry in about 0.1 seconds!). With making up in mind, is it safe to keep the bottle in the fridge, then heat in a bottle warmer (we have the tommee tippee one).

you can make the bottles up with hot water and cool before putting in the back of the fridge for a maximum of 24 hours. I used to take the chill off in the microwave and then shake thoroughly to get rid of hot spots

1. I've heard that the scoops gets clogged with the steam...so a lot of people use the powder dispensers...do these have to be washed and sterelise with each use, or is the theory that the boiled water will sterelise the powder anyway?

no need to sterilise dispensers as the hot water would get rid of any germs. I used the dispenser when out and about or for night-time feeds

Thanks so much! Just made the first powder bottle...nightmare at first (would have helped if I had sterelised all the bottle parts I needed!), but I'm sure it will get easier...

Thanks again!

Yes it will get easier. Good luck x