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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Does anyone make up bottles in advance?

94 replies

JenumGeranium · 15/08/2007 17:37

I did this for my other 2 kids, but its all changed now hasn't it? Are you meant to make them up as needed? How does that work when the baby is crying for a bottle and you have to boil the water, let it cool down, make the feed and then cool it down more so baby can drink it? How on earth do you manage with night feeds?

Please help!

OP posts:
Charlie999 · 15/08/2007 17:41

I make it up in advance - 24 hours worth. Keep them in the fridge. Warm them up as required. My LO is 10 weeks old and fine

HumphreysCorner · 15/08/2007 17:42

Oh, I took no notice and made up 4 in advance as opposed to the 6 I did with DD1. I did BF this time as well though so didn't need as many bottles but if I was going out for the day I took a couple with me. DD2 is fine

HC
x

TheQueenOfQuotes · 15/08/2007 17:46

I do this with DS3 (also did with DS2) keep them in fridge for maximum of 24hrs (they never last that long anyhow LOL) - DS2 was fine, so far DS3 has been fine too

NAB3 · 15/08/2007 17:49

I used to make all the bottles up with boiled water. Leave them on the side and add formula when needed. This meant the kids got used to room temp milk, I had water ready if a drink was needed and only water was wasted if a feed was missed. If you make them up to milk don't store them in the fridge door. It isn't cold enough.

Original poster
JenumGeranium · 15/08/2007 17:52

Thanks!

Didn't want to be the only naughty mother making them up in advance!

OP posts:
TheQueenOfQuotes · 15/08/2007 17:54

Nab - that works great I supposed if

a) your DC will actually drink water

b) your DC will be persauded to drink room temp milk.....neither of which I managed to do with mine LOL.

BROOKEQUIN · 15/08/2007 17:54

soz to change subject but i have 4 month old twins and one of then is totally going off his bottle just playing with the teat any ideas ?

NAB3 · 15/08/2007 17:54

That;s why it is good to do it from day one.

TheQueenOfQuotes · 15/08/2007 17:56

NAB - I did with both DS2 and DS3 - and all I got from both of them with the water was spitting it out and howling, and the milk the same reaction

clutteredup · 15/08/2007 18:01

same as nab3, i make them up with water, if you want to be really quick you can measure out amounts in one of those feeder containers too then all you need to do is add one to another, and have it all sat by your bed ready to go in the night. it helped me a lot in the first few weeks as couldn't count when half asleep

Original poster
JenumGeranium · 15/08/2007 18:04

....but the water will have cooled down by then won't it?

Could I sterilise bottles for the night and add ready made milk? How long will bottles stay sterile once out of the steriliser?

OP posts:
HomeintheSun · 15/08/2007 18:04

My LO is 8 months today, when I first started using formula I was making it up as I needed it, at night I would put boiling water into a flask and make the feed that way, now I make up 4 bottles to take him over a 24 hour period and he's fine I just warm them as I need them, normally 8 - 1 - 6 and then the last feed at 10 as a dream feed.

NAB3 · 15/08/2007 18:06

Doesn't matter if the water has cooled. Baby's don't know that they can have food and drink warm. They will take it at room temp.

NAB3 · 15/08/2007 18:06

babies

clutteredup · 15/08/2007 18:13

if you really need to have them warm, then you can do what i did , although i know you're not supposed to, i zapped the water for 10 secs in the microwave. obviously it didn't affect the milk as its before you added it and its for such a short time there was never any danger, i also made sure i shook it a lot. the reason for not doing it is that you can get uneven areas of heating, if you shake it then you won't get that. i did it , it was absloutely fine.

chocolateteapot · 15/08/2007 18:17

Agree with NAB3 and cluttered up, those Avent milk containers are really handy.

My friend is a nurse and breastfed her first two children. She looked at me very suspicously when I gave DS room temp bottles .

When she had her 3rd she got breast abcesses & septicemia and nearly died, so her DD had bottles. She admitted to me that when she used to watch DS having his bottle she felt really sorry for him but now she was doing bottles she could see that it's completely fine to do it that way.

Original poster
JenumGeranium · 15/08/2007 18:18

....ok I am a tad confused!

...the reasoning behind not making feeds up in advance is because the powder is not sterile? Is that right?

...so if you add powder to cooled water, the powder will still not be sterile?

Sorry to be so dizzy, but I can't get my head around this!

OP posts:
tasja · 15/08/2007 18:20

I used to make up bottles in the beginnig. Boiled the water and let it cool down and put it in a flask.
when she needed a bottle I just put it in the microwave for a bit.
from about 3 months she began to spat it out. She didn't like warm milk.
She is 15months now and I just give her milk straight from the fridge.
When she was smaller I gave her room temp food.

chocolateteapot · 15/08/2007 18:25

I could be wrong but I think when the powder is added to liquid it creates an environment where over time any bacteria in the powder can start to multiply.

clutteredup · 15/08/2007 18:28

yes once it becomes milk it is a perfect environment for bacteria, if there is no bacteria none will breed but you can't guarantee that no bacteria have appeaed in the whole putting the bottle together process. the less long the milk is around the safer it is, although a cold fridge will reduce the time taken for bacteria to breed.

DaisyMOO · 15/08/2007 18:29

Basically, by adding the milk powder to HOT water you are killing any bacteria in the powder so the milk you've made up is sterile (more or less). If you add powder to cool or warm water you are not killing the bacteria in the powder and these may grow sufficiently to cause illness in your baby.

It's not an issue in ready to drink formula because this is ultra heat treated to get rid of any bacteria - powder is not.

DaisyMOO · 15/08/2007 18:29

IMHO if you don't want to make up each feed fresh, the next best thing is to make them up with hot water to kill the bugs and them store them in the fridge.

mummymagic · 15/08/2007 18:37

DD has always had room temp. Now made with tap water and powder. Seems fine. I am fairly lax about discarding used milk or making bottles up in advance. Just use common sense - if you wouldn't drink it, don't use it.

Used to do bottles in fridge,zap in microwave for 10secs to take chill off.

Then did powder in avent dispenser, took water in bottles up then made up at night.

Now do a bottle made up on side to be drunk later (unless its really hot so back in fridge). Evil mummy .

gegs73 · 15/08/2007 18:41

I think its pretty unlikely for powder to have any nasty bugs in though isn't it? Formula companies could lose business they would never get back if it wasn't ultra clean when it was packed. And yes once bought, formula is opened and hands inside there etc until the packet is finished but I genuinely think there is little risk.

I think its more likely that not sterilising properly or having dirty hands when making bottles can cause problems. I used cooled boiled water and added powder from a shaker for DS1 with no problems and am doing the same with DS2 again with no problems (touch wood).

I can see why people want to be ultra careful obviously, but think if you have clean kitchen, hands, sterilise bottles etc there is IMO little risk.

MrsBadger · 15/08/2007 18:48

gegs, unfortunately there have been incidences of of the 'powder having nasty bugs in it', and the bugs concerned are actually more dangerous than dirty-hands type bugs.
It may be clean but it's not sterile.