Tomm tipp prep machine UNSAFE says midwife

[HeavenK76]

Had my gorgeous little baby girl on Monday and came home on Tuesday from hospital.
Midwife came next day and while talking about bottle feeding, as I'm ff my lo, she says we midwives DON'T recommend the perfect prep as it's not the way the feeds should be made up, the feeds are not sterile.
Also when my HV came with 38 weeks pregnancy she said they don't want people to use this machine.
What's the fuss about this. Why are they saying all this.
IMO if there was anything wrong with it or against the guidelines, Tom Tip would not be allowed to bring this out in the market first place.

Anyway, have others been told things like this before and what is your opinion on this.

[embo1]

I have just bought one. If I add cooled boiled water to the machine, I can't see any issues.
The bottles will be sterile, the powder will be sterilised by the steam shot and then topped up with filtered cooled boiled water.
Yes, the cooled boiled water will be reheated for the steam shot, but I can't honestly say that I filled the kettle fresh every time I made up a bottle for my ds last time round.

[LFpianogirl89]

I had this warning from my midwife... my sister brought me the prep machine as a gift... I want to use it but am so unsure. Surely you just clean it regularly?

[RandomCake]

I know this hasn't been posted on for a while, and I don't claim to know for certain that Perfect Prep is totally safe, but when it comes to the issue of the sterility of the cold water, the Tommy Tippee website says:


Is the Perfect Prep Machine safe for my baby as it does not boil the water?

Provided your tap water is of drinking quality the filter in the unit will remove any impurities. Certain bacteria such as e-coli and pseudomonas can be present in water, which is why guidelines recommend that you boil your water before making up a bottle. Our filter has however been tested and proven to remove these same bacteria.


Also, there is a product called a "LifeStraw" which will allow you to drink filthy water, full of bacteria and dirt, and it come out safe, so filtering has been shown to be able to clean water.

[BBQsAreSooooOverrated]

I can't see why it would be unsafe. The water heats to over 70degrees killing bacteria in the powder. If the concern is with the cool shot then use previously boiled water in the machine. I'd use one.

[theborrower]

I don't know about the perfect prep machines, but here's the WHO guidance on making up formula, including making it in advance if required www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/PIF_Bottle_en.pdf the key thing is that the water must be at least 70 degrees to kill any bacteria that may be in the powder.

[PancakesAndMapleSyrup]

Not so long ago, i used to serilze bottles, fill with freshly boiled water and put the lid on. One cool i used to put powderin as and when i needed the bottle and warm it up so never carting made up milk around with me. I never realised that the powdered milk was what you had to kill off!

[Cannotbelieveit]

I had to mix feed DS1 and used the perfect prep. I checked the temp of the hot shot, it always remained around 72deg. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again if I had to though.

[tiktok]

Maybe someone who owns one of these could contact the tommee tippee people - there will be a consumer advice number or email on the pack. See what they say.

[littone]

I think the issue with perfect prep machine having read amazon reviews is that the hot water is at a lower temp than 70 degrees and therefore may not be hot enough to kill any bacteria in the formula.

[HeavenK76]

The problem with that would be that the water is boiled twice which again is not recommended.
Preboiled first then when making up feed when you get the hot shot.

[CultureSucksDownWords]

Forgive the potentially dim question, but couldn't you use cooled boiled water in the machine? Surely you could fill it up with that rather than just tap water?

[Pico2]

The flaw in the perfect prep machine seems to me to be the cooler water after the shot of hot water. The hot water should kill bacteria in the powder, but the cooler top up water hasn't been boiled, which doesn't fit with current guidelines of cooled boiled water, not tap water for under 6 months.

I'm undecided as to whether we should get a perfect prep machine. DD was fed entirely on ready made formula which was really expensive, but seemed easy and safe at the time.

[stargirl1701]

We preferred the even lower risk of Stage 1 milk with adjusted dosage of medication.

[fledermaus]

If a baby is not growing/thriving due to reflux, then the small risk from bacteria in the milk powder is less than the risk of the baby being ill or underweight from the reflux.

[stargirl1701]

We tried that anti-reflux milk with DD too. I was too worried about the contamination issue to continue with it. We went back to Stage 1 milk and upped her medication instead.

I don't trust the formula companies at all after reading about their practices.

[racmun]

See my dd is on the anti reflux milk which doesn't mix in hot 70 degree water. The instructions say use 'hand hot' which is apparently 45-50 degrees.

She's been fine but it does make me worry about it not bring sterile and you can't buy it ready mixed.

[MorphineDreams]

coachbuilt you do realise that whether something is boiled and in a container or not, bacteria can still grow?

Please research GCSE level Biology and infection control.

[tiktok]

Wowser, coachbuilt ....where on earth do you think you are posting? :)

You're under-informed, out of date and really rude!

It's up to individual parents how far they follow guidance, but there is no way a manufacturered product of this sort can be produced as sterile, not because the conditions are dirty (they're not) but simply because the bacteria we live with all the time are present everywhere. They are present in formula powder. For a newborn, these bugs can be harmful.

That's all.

[badfurday]

#stares

[badfurday]

Meh, I have one and have used it for my daughter ( now 16 weeks) and she is doing ok.
#states at snoozing daughter to confirm.

[stargirl1701]

Babies have died from incorrectly prepared powdered formula. That's why the guidelines changed.

mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-28/bacteria-tied-to-baby-s-death-has-been-linked-to-formula-since-1980s.html#

boycottnestle.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/ruling-in-belgium.html?m=1

[ShergarAndSpies]

coachbuiltprammama

I'm sorry but you're not correct.

Even the manufacturers of infant formula themselves admit that powdered formula is not sterile when it leaves the factory, as they cannot currently eliminate all the germs present.

And then once the sealed lid of the tin has been removed upon opening, all the usual bacteria and microorganisms present in a domestic setting can come into contact with the powder.

It is worth noting that these domestic germs are generally very harmless compared with the bacteria that the formula itself can include on manufacturing.

How you feed / fed your babies is of course entirely up to you and none of my business. But I think it is important when dealing with a sensitive issue such as this, that we ensure people have access to the evidenced scientific fact, not just anecdata.

[thatstoast]

I have one, I'm not particularly concerned. I think there's a big gap between 'NHS doesn't recommend' and 'OMG it will kill your baby'. Also remember that technically the NHS doesn't recommend formula feeding at all, they recommend breast feeding. So you have to find what works for you and do what you're comfortable with.

[Shallishanti]

not only is formula most definitely not sterile as so many have said

BUT on no account should made up formula be 'kept warm for several hours' as someone has said

NO NO

recipe for disaster

[PedlarsSpanner]

Coachbuilt I am sorry to disagree but infant formula powder is most certainly NOT sterile hence the need to use v hot water to mitigate against.