Storing formula milk in fridge...can I ???

[pookie81]

I have been using Cow and Gate premium from the little cartons everytime I need to do a feed but because of cost, I am switching to powder. It says on the tin that you can only store it for up to an hour...does that mean I can't make up a few bottles and put them in the fridge??? What happens if I need to go out? Please help!!

An hour? I think you msut have read that wrong. It is 24 hours to store freshly made up bottles in the fridge. Once warmed up, the milk must be consumed within an hour.

The new advice is to make up the bottles as you need them, then use within 1 hr.
But I still make up the bottles and put them in the fridge for upto 24hrs, then heat them up when needed, once out of the fridge use within 1 hr.

But they also say that you should use hot water to make them up, that would be impossible to do and make them us as you go.

If you use cooled boiled water that you put in a bottle and then get a formula dispenser which will hold the correct amount of formula powder- you can then mix and go quite easily - I never mixed formula in hot water - I always waited until it was cooled and DS was absolutely fine!

I used to make up dd1's bottles the night before - just pour out each one - using boiling water from the kettle and then when needed put formula in and ready to go. We had her onto room temp formula and almost cold milk by about 8 months - saved reheating etc.

I used to do the same as prev two psoters. Apparently it is now not recommended, as formula itself is not sterile. Therefore it needs to be made up with hot water in order to kill any bacteria. I was rather shocked to read this, but it soem european countries new guidelines have been written to this effect.

news to me - still think it's all a bit much though - they also recommend using sterilised tongs to handle sterilised bottles etc - life is way too short for al this IMO -I don't live in a sterile world and so took the approach that a little germ exposure would do DS the world of good - he is fine

i sterilised the bottles in one go, filled with boiling water, put the teats and lids on, and left them on the side until needed then mixed in the right amount of milk when my dc wanted feeding. thats how i got them used to taking room temperature feeds as well so no having to faff around trying to find somewhere to heat bottles up whilst out! failinf that then yes i agree that feeds need to be used within an hour of starting them, but that made up feed can be stored safely in the fridge (apparently i was told not in the door though as the temperature is lower there but don't know how much of that i true) for 24 hours. hope this helps.

There was a thread on this some time ago - someone pointed out that the guidelines for how long you can keep formula are written by the same companies that would prefer you to buy their (more expensive) cartons of ready made formula.

I don't know how old your dc is - I gave dd one formula feed a day from when she was about eight months. By that point she was crawling and picking stuff up from the floor and putting it in her mouth. I know it's different if you are ffing a newborn, but it seems ridiculous to be trying to create a sterile atmosphere for her one formula feed when she was spending the rest of the day trying to stuff cat hair and muddy shoes into her mouth.

With my kids i always steralised the bottles.

Filled to correct level with boiling water, and then put lids on a stood all bottles in bowl of cold water to cool them down.

When they were cool enough, i'd add milk powder and store in the fridge (not on fridge door).

You must use them within 24 hours.

When i used to take kids out, i'd take boiling water in the bottle, and by the time i needed it, it was cool enough to use.

Then i'd take a milk powder dispenser with me and mix just before i gave it to them.

Once you warm milk up to give to baby, that bottle must be used within 1 hour.