Warming up formula

[leopardprintcoat]

Probable dumb q but what do you do to warm up formula safely? I keep using the bottles and it's costing a fortune!
I want to swap to the powder and cooled boiled water. Can I do the cooled boiled water in advance? How long? And then can I warm it back up in the microwave? Otherwise I keep forgetting and then he's hungry when I think to boil a kettle.
And going out-is it safe to measure out the powder in a pot and empty in when I need it?
Am mostly b/f but starting to swap over and so be grateful for any advice on what others do.
He won't take a cold bottle. V fussy likes it warm.

I boil the kettle put it in bottle, put bottle in a bottle bag which keeps it warm.. I sometimes don't use it for four hours if I'm going out immediately after a feed. Then when baby is ready I tip powder in, shake and use. It's normally a nice temp. If necessary I cool down by putting bottle in cold water after adding formula. I don't think that's what you're supposed to do but absolutely everyone I've ever met or know that formula feeds does it that way. I've done it for 3 babies.

The water shouldn't be boiling when it hits the powder. It should be above 70 degrees though.

We used to do (for a 210ml bottle) 90 ml of water from the fridge and then the rest boiling water. Add powder and shake. DH tested it using kitchen thermometer the first few times. Then I would sit it in a jug of cold water so that it was drinking temp. By the time is changed dd's nappy it was perfect.

We 'relaxed' these rules as she got older. Now she's ten months and only has 2.5 bottles during the day, I make them up as above and cool them quickly. I then microwave (shake well and leave to stand for a minute before feeding).

But it's entirely up to you. The point to remember is that powder isn't sterile. The water needs to be above 70 to kill bacteri but boiling will kill everything, including the nutrients in it!

How old is your baby? Xx

If you don't mix the powder with water that is at least 70 degrees, you might as well use tap water. The water needs to be hot to kill bacteria in the powder, not bacteria in the water.

I second what guest says about no one following the rules around formula after a while. But that's a risk you have to weigh up, it's your baby at the end of the day.

Genuine question then, why are you supposed to use cooled boiled water to drink then as they get older if not to kill bacteria in water?

Sorry, yes the water probably does need boiling for that reason too, but I thought the main reason was to sterilise the powder. Dd only ever had tap water when we started weaning, I never boiled it first bad mother

Making formula is a funny subject on here though, the proper way isn't particularly practical, but you do what you've got to do!

What a minefield! Hmm so if you are out and about what do you do? Take boiled water in flask so still hot?

So could I add the powder when water above 70 and let cool and then reheat when I need?

God I have baby brain at best of times (and I have a toddler who I fed formula too so I should know!!)

Baby is 7 months old now.

Thanks for all the helpful info

Babies only need boiled water for drinking if they are under 6 months old and can have tap water as a drink after that. Ideally bottles should be made as they are needed but you can make them up with water over 70 degrees and store in the fridge for a maximum of 24 hours. Ready made cartons are good for out and about

We use the perfect prep machine

I do my own version of perfect prep if at home! So for a 4oz bottle I'll put 2oz of boiling water into a bottle with 4 scoops of powder, will shake as the boiling water will kill the bacteria and then I add 2oz of cool boiled water I keep in a sterilised bottle in the fridge. This makes the perfect temperature bottle!
I've got a perfect prep machine upstairs for night feeds and when I go out I'll make up a bottle as above and stick in a bottle warmer and if it needs warming up a bit I'll blast it in a microwave or stand it in some boiling water. Bottle will generally stay the right temp for 2-3 hours in a bottle bag tho X

Thank you all!

I'm always quite shocked that people don't know the rules on safe formula preparation. It needs to be added to water of 70c to kill bacteria as the powder is not sterile. Using cooled water, boiled or not, will not kill these bacteria.

OP I generally just use the ready made stuff at room temp, less faff and safer as it's sterile. When I have used powder I've made it up with the hot water and then flash cooled by popping in a jug of cold water for about 10 mins.

I always followed the rules exactly with formula - not "everyone" ignores them.

There is a most preferred method - every bottle made fresh by boiling one litre of water, leaving to cool for 30 minutes, mix, cool and serve. Discard any remainder after two hours max (though for a younger baby, I preferred to discard after less time than that to be extra safe).

Then there is a second option endorsed by the WHO and health authorities - it carries slightly increased risk but still advised and perfectly safe in real world circumstances. Make up as above and flash cool the bottle really quickly - I put the bottle deep in a bowl of ice cubes and run the cold tap over it all for a couple of minutes. Once cool, transfer immediately to the fridge and store at the back of a fridge shelf, not in the door. It can be stored there for up to 24 hours (but I prefer much shorter time personally of max 12 hours).

To heat, I put the refrigerated bottle into a deep cup of boiling water for a couple of minutes and test the temperature before serving. Again, advice says discard two hours after heating but I always erred on the safe side and discarded after less time if using this method.

If you are taking the bottle out with you, it needs to be stored in an insulated bag with an ice pack until ready to be heated.

It sounds like a whole lot more of a nuisance when written down than it actually is.

Can't recommend Tommy Tippee Perfect Prep machine enough!

You can make it in advance. It's better to make it fresh but it is OK to make it up to 24 hours in advance if you flash cool and keep it in the back of the fridge. The important thing is to always make up feeds with hot water.

I think what I would do is make up a bottle immediately after a feed. That way you've always got one ready to go but it isn't sitting around for ages.