calling experienced formula feeders!

[passmethedigestives]

I'm intending to FF for many reasons (some health related...some...wait for it....related to personal choice [shock ]! )

I'm finding it hard to find decent FF advice (although I've had a fair amount of judgement from a variety of sources!), please can an experienced mum tell me what equipment I actually need, and the step by step of what you do in making up feeds (particularly a newborn feed)

I've read the guidelines, but it doesn't sink in the way it would if a proper person told me.

I am mamless, nanless, sisterless and generally female-less in life, so no-one to ask IRL. Just need a simple no-flimflam guide to feeding a baby that will be here very soon. Thanks in advance xx

My experience:

Steriliser, electric or microwave. Wash by hand or dishwasher first.

Bottles and separately buy the matching lids. We settled on dr browns and the corresponding lids.

Aptamil or Aldi mamia powder. Also get a few of the little ready made bottles for ease/emergency use

Tommee tippee machine. Ignore the hysterical lot about water temperature it's absolutely fine!

A 3/4 compartment powder dispenser. You pre-load with your powder and then tip into bottle of sterilised water.

Possibly get a little bottle warmer for changing bag? Not hugely necessary.

Well done and don't let the BF crazies affect you!

Oh and 6-8 bottles worked for us.

@MarvellousMonsters

Can you provide evidence for your claims about the Perfect Prep?

I have a perfect prep which makes the bottle at the perfect temperature. Otherwise the trick is to fill up your bottles for the day with 2/3's boiled water the night before. Then top up the cooled, boiled water with the final third of boiling water as and when you need it. This in my experience makes it the perfect temp for feeding and removes the need for a bottle warmer. E.g. for 6 ounce bottle, fill 4 ounces the night before and top up with 2 ounces freshly boiled water when time to feed baby. We use mam bottles as they are great for reducing wind, and they also self sterilise in the microwave which is good if you don't have access to a steriliser for any reason. Formula wise, the ready made bottles are useful to have in the beginning, and for some reason tend to be gentler on babies tummy. But you can get containers which help you store the quantity of formula you need for each feed... again useful when not at home. I would start with aptamil and see how your baby copes with digesting it. It can be a bit of trial and error if they contain cows milk. Finally when you bottle feed, make sure you wind the baby well... I can't stress how important winding is and they get so uncomfortable if they have trapped wind.

Definitely get a starter kit for hospital so you don't have to worry about sterilising etc. They are packaged sterilised tears that go directly on little bottles of ready made

I used a microwave sterilizer that we bought fir traveling with DD, it is cheap and great.
To make bottles (specially at night) I'd take a flask with boiled water, a bottle with cool water, formula powder and bottle and leave it next to cot. Mix the formula with the hot water and then cool it down with the cold, like the prep machine but by hand. My goal was not to get out of bed to feed and I succeeded

Hospitals often have free formula for new babies. Or at least our one did. Something to ask at antenatal clinic.

Marvellous is right about needing to add more water than the level you are working to.
So for e.g. 6 scoops, you would add 180ml/ 6 fluid ounces of water in total (e.g. a dash of boiling, and the rest cooled boiled water). However with the powder volume taken into account you would make it up to around the 200ml mark (you will need to check this yourself by making a bottle up fresh as I can’t remember exactly a it has been a while!).
However, it’s not that exact anyway. As it’s the same number of scoops whether your using water measured in fluid ounces or ml.
So although 30ml is approximately a fluid ounce (one scoop of powder), as you start making much larger bottles, you’ll see they can be quite different. So stick to one measurement, so your baby is used to that concentration of powder.

Thank you everyone!! You've honestly been so fab, it seems so complicated when you're trying to make sense of all of this on your own (through the misty fog of baby brain!)

I really appreciate all your advice :)

Mini newborn ready made bottles that come with teats for hospital/ at first for ease

Milton cold sterilisation method for bottles, teats etc (and dummies if using)- by far most convenient sterilisation method

Perfect prep machine is worth every penny

Ready made bottles of formula for when you're out and about

Done!

I ff 2 (and bf 1). I used lots of premade formula, easier than PP and still cheaper than actually feeding proper food. I had a various sterilisers my favourite was the avent countertop one as I just left the bottles in until I was ready to fill and with premade formula the formula is sterile until opened. I preferred avent bottles to Dr Browns which I personally found a complete faff to clean compared to avent. Made all the bottles up in one and fed as required. All very straight forward but I must admit I found BF way easier once I finally got into the swing of it and you can see I am very lazy