Making formula

[Willow2702]

My 2 week old DD is on formula and we currently make up a batch of hot water to the specified amount in her bottles and let it cool (she prefers room temp bottles) then when she needs a feed we add the formula.
The health visitor has advised us not to do this because the powder is then not sterile? And to make up bottle as we go?
When baby is screaming because she is hungry you have to spend 10 minutes prepping a bottle 😫
We are going to borrow a prep machine but surely it shouldn't be this difficult?
How does everyone else do it?
I'm a very confused first time mum!! So many rules 😫

Please do not listen to your health visitor, I'm sorry but they say these things because they are told they have to follow the guidelines, if they don't and something goes wrong they can be sued. So now they just make mums life harder by giving what I think is bad advice, I lived with a midwife for a long time and when making bottles I did it exactly the same as you and do it now with my DD who is 4 months, never had a problem, we used to make bottles up with milk i morning and use them all day (kept them in fridge) 😃😃 god if you told a HV that now they would throw a fit😂😂😂 do as you see fit with your child they are only there to advise good luck 😉 xx

Make enough bottles to last a day/night with boiling hot water then rapidly cool them in cold water. Store in fridge until required. Then warm slightly with boiling water in a bowl. Some use microwave but this is not recommended as it can leave hot spots apparently?! Just shake very well and test well as usual.
I have a prep machine this time and it was worth every penny.
Also as the time goes on you may find you know your dc's hunger cues before screaming too much. But maybe not. My ds roots a lot and gets very fidgety (more than normal!!) He will also suck my finger or try and get it in his mouth if I stroke his cheek or put my hand near his mouth.
Good luck. I hope you sort it to minimise crying.

Cross posted with you there mummyj. I didn't realise you can't pre-make bottles nowadays. They advised me to do it that way with ds1. Why is that??

My mum always made bottles in advance and stored them in the fridge, as did I. Guess what? My mum had 3 healthy children, I have 1 healthy child.
It's so much easier, then just warm them up using a jug and boiling water. They can be stored for up to 24 hours in the fridge, after that they must be thrown away.
I will do the same when (hopefully) I have more children in the future. Personally I see no need for a machine to do it for you. As for hv, they have to advise you to make a you need, what they don't know won't hurt them. Tell them what they want to hear, I always did.

When dd was born 5 years ago the advice was make fresh each time. I did as you do and put boiling water into 6 bottles and let them cool. Added formula when needed. The reason formula is added to hot water is to kill off any bacteria.
I'm due next week and il be using the pre made formula for first few weeks then doing them the same as I did with dd.

I think the HV is right in this instance, as the milk powder isn't sterile so you need the water to be hot. You can either:

1. Make up a load in advance and then keep them in the fridge, so you then warm them up again when needed.

2. I've found the easiest way by far is to make up the next bottle once DS has just finished one. If you have one of those black neoprene bottle warmers (Tommee Tippee) they take longer to cool down so I make up a bottle with boiling water, leave it on the side in the warmer and when he's hungry again 3 hours later it's the perfect temp so there's no waiting around to cool down or warm up any bottles.

Someone will prob now tell me this is wrong but DS is now 5 months and we've never had any problems and from what I've read everything has been sterilised correctly using this method

There will be a lot of people here who jump on and echo the hv advice and talk a lot about sterile milk powder.

It just did not work for me. So I used to prep my days bottles at night. Sterilise the bottles. Then fill with freshly boiled water. Then add powder the next day when I needed a feed. 24 hours of bottles ready. I very quickly learned not to even bother warming those bottles up (which I did in a jug of hot water) because my baby hated her milk warm. Room temperature was bets for her. If I had suspected any tummy issues I would have changed my method but this way was best for us.

OP your thread is slightly confusing in that it can be read 2 ways - I think you mean you are boiling water then letting it cool before adding to the formula? Your HV is right that you mustn't do this - hot (70deg?) water must be added straight to the formula in order to kill any bacteria which may be in the powder.

I did the perfect prep machine at home and ready made cartons when on the go, including on holiday.

The thinking behind having to add hot water to the milk powder is because the powder itself isn’t sterile so needs the hot water to kill any bugs. However, I’ve moved from the UK to the US and the American advice is to make the bottles using room temperature water and that you can make them 24 hours in advance and warm before feeding. I don’t think formula powder is made any differently in the US (I asked the doctor and she said it’s not sterile) so it does make me the think UK advice is a little over zealous perhaps?!

The bottles last two hours, I anticipate when she'll be due a feed and make the bottle up before she gets to the crying really hungry stage. It doesn't always work but 9 times out of ten it does.

academic.oup.com/cid/article/46/2/268/457688

Although the risk of salmonella (and other things) is low is it worth it as the consequences will be major. The link about states using water 70 degrees or more to kill the bugs.

Perfect prep does make it very easy to make a fresh bottle every time, i'd definitely recommend. but if baby prefers room temp bottles perfect prep might not work for you.

I'd also be comfortable with making a days worth in advance, keeping in fridge and warming when required to take the chill off. To warm I would microwave for 30 seconds and shake very well.

Thanks all for your advice I really appreciate it
seems like a real mixed bag of what everyone is doing so tbh I'm still none the wiser of what to do for the best.
I've gone out and bought ready made formula because I'm so panicked by it all but il be broke if I continue doing this.
I was born in 1979 and my mum prepared milk for the whole day and put it in the fridge and then warmed it when needed she then did the same for my brother and sister and we are all still alive!
Thanks all 😘

What your mum did- make up a batch of bottles for the day (with boiling water) and put them in the fridge is probably the best way.

That way the bacteria in the milk powder is killed with the hot water from kettle. But with it been cooled in the fridge then you can quickly warm it up. Sure it isn't within the guidelines as they say bottles should be made up as you go- but it's better than making it with cool water that isn't going to kill bacteria :-)

I boil a kettle and fill like 4 bottles with 2ozs less than I need and cool quickly. When I need a bottle I’ll boil the kettle and put 2 ozs boiling water in a new bottle, add the formula and shake and then tip in the sterile cooled water. Means it’s ‘sterile’ and a good temperature.

OP, the most important thing is that the powder is added to water above 70 degrees in order to kill the bacteria in the formula.

I used the prep machine with no issues. LO only had one bottle a day and it was a massive faff to make a bottle without it

I just make up about 6 bottles with boiling water and formula and then add to fridge for rest of day. Have the next batch of clean bottles waiting in steriliser ready to be made up. System works perfect! DS is 5 months...I used to heat the bottles in water too, now it's 30 seconds in micro. You'll find what works best for you.

Your HV is right - formula needs to be added to water which is at least 70 degrees in order to kill any bacteria in the powder. These guidelines have been in place for many years now and came in after several babies became very ill from contaminated formula.
I'm always baffled at how much confusion there is over this. If you read the instructions on the box of formula, they'll tell you the same thing. Boil the kettle, leave to cool for "no longer than 30 minutes" (otherwise water would be too cold) and then add the formula.
The only conflicting advice comes from other parents. The NHS and formula manufacturers are both pretty clear on this.
You could make your own version of the perfect prep by adding half the required water straight from the kettle, adding the formula and then topping up with the remainder of the required water from a batch you've previously boiled and cooled.
But the formula must always be added to hot water.

You do need to make up the formula following the instructions on the box!
It even says 'if you don't do this your baby could become ill because of bacteria in the powder'.

Thanks all
.. so I have bought a flask the water now stays at the desired 70degrees for up to 6 hours ( then I'd replace water)
I add the water to my sterilised bottle then add the powder.
I then put the bottle in a cold bowl of water to cool it down as she likes it at room temp.
Is this a better method?

I always made them up the night before and kept them in the fridge. That's still the recommended way to do it on the NHS website if you need to make up formula in advance. As long as the water is hot that's the main thing.

How often is your dd feeding? Once made properly with 70+ water the bottle 'lasts' for 2 hours so if you can predict your dd will feed within the next hour or two then make the bottle then - for example I know mine will have a bottle between 10 and 11.30 so I make a bottle at 9.30.
Making the bottle properly, cooling immediately and storing in the fridge is next best to making fresh watch time. You could make one or two bottles ahead for example making a couple of night bottles before you go to bed.

Although the risk of salmonella (and other things) is low is it worth it as the consequences will be major. The link about states using water 70 degrees or more to kill the bugs.

This. I can't believe all the bad advice here on ignoring your HV and the instructions on the formula!

We have a Thermos too OP. Also get a thermometer.

What we also do to cool a hot bottle of formula rapidly, is to put the bottle in a vessel of cold water (plastic box, measuring jug, obviously the more water the better). Ice water is even better if you can make up some ice cubes in advance. We timed it and it cuts the cooling time from about 6 mins (in air) to 1-2 mins.

And also had to learn to anticipate when the next feed might be. The bottle last 2h, so we make bottles every 2h - there's some waste but it's cheaper than premade formula.

And keep some premade just in case! Sometimes I've been disorganised and nothing's ready, so I pop a small bottle open. We keep a couple of big bottles too when we are ill to give us a little break, and it's good to have them in emergencies, say if the water or electricity is not working.

@childmindingmumof3 she is feeding as and when at the moment as she's just 2 weeks old.. we don't really have a routine yet. She's very greedy though 🙄
So if I make up the bottles with the boiling water and formula I have to put them in the fridge when they are cooled down? Would you do this by standing out or putting in cold water?
You can tell I've never done this before 😬 just want to make sure I'm doing everything right
Thanks so much for the advice 😘