Making up bottles.......

[Nath]

Sorry to sound dumb but I am weaning from breast to bottle and so far have been using cartons but now want to use powder as I am doing more feeds......

As I have never made up bottles before I am wondering about the boiled water - from what I read it says you must not reboil the water in the kettle and must not let the water cool for longer than half an hour. So does that mean if I left the boiled water in the kettle for an hour I cannot use it and have to pour it away and start again - if so what a waste??!!

I want to make up the bottles for the day in advance (just the water that is) so do I just pour the boiled water in the bottles and store them in the fridge until I need them, add the powder and then heat the milk?? Also do I have to store them in the fridge or can I leave them out??

Sorry to ask such stupid questions - just want to get it right !!

Thanks!

Tinkjon, I did the same as you - fill bottles with boiled water and stick them in the cupboard until they were needed. The powder dissolved fine at room temperature and ds drank them at room temperature so there was no need to ever heat the bottle - especially handy when out and about.

So it's better to add the powder to the hot water and store in the fridge, therefore killing off anything in the non-sterile powder than it is to add powder to previously boiled water and use immediately?

Are we talking about two separate issues here - non-sterile powder vs bugs growing in warm milk? Which is the more dangerous? And which is more likely?

Argh.

I make up several bottles in advance with once boiled water. I leave to cool and fill the sterilised bottles. I leave them on the kitchen counter and add powder when it is required. I never bother warming bottles, I have always given them at room temperature. I often boil the kettle just before I go to bed and fill bottles with that water in the morning. I've brought up 2 babies working this way and never had any problems.

I wouldn't worry too much about bugs. As long as you have sterilised bottles and boiled water it'll be fine. No need to store in the fridge if you don't add the powder. Much more convenient when going out or when feeding at night - baby doesn't have to wait for you to heat the bottle or even go downstairs for that matter. You can take the bottles upstairs with you and make one up within a few seconds of baby waking.

Sorry to add another question but am just starting topping up with formula at 15 weeks. I read on the tin that you shouldn't use softened water but we have a water softener. Does anyone know why and does it really matter? Is it to do with salt content?