How do you make bottles of formula in the dead of the night?

[passthemustard]

Just that really? How do you manage preparing formula feeds in the night?

I'm transitioning from breast to bottle and tonight it'll be the first night entirely on formula. Baby is 5 weeks 4 days and I've been combination feeding from birth due to only having one milk producing breast. I'm so sore and my working breast is absolutely ginormous, more that twice the size of the other one, and it hurts like hell ALL the time so I have reluctantly decided to stop. But it's so convenient in the night just to pop him on the breast to feed how do I manage preparing formula whilst half asleep with a screaming baby?

What do you do?

Perfect prep on the bedside table. Bring sterilised bottles with the right amount of formula powder in up when go to bed.

Both our boys are now teenagers, but we had this problem with the night feeds. Our solution was either to buy ready made formula in a carton or premake the formula and store in in the fridge. We only made enough for the night as the instructions didn't recommend to store it any longer . This way when they woke up we only had to drop in a jug of hot water to bring it up to temperature.

We used to have a tub with compartments you could measure powder into.

When I used to make it 12 years ago I used to sterilise bottles and full a few up with water, then leave the sterilised water to cool. I would add powder to cool boiled water. I think now you're supposed to add powder to hot water & leave to cool.

I think the milk should last a few hours before it goes off.

I never heated the milk up - used to give room temp. They would have dream feed 10pm and rarely woke in night.

Ready made is so much easier at night. Bring it upstairs to your bedroom with the bottles before you go to bed. I never bothered heating it but Dtwins didn’t seem to mind.

My DS would stir well before he got to screaming stage and that woke me normally. Wake, go downstairs, perfect prep a bottle and come back up. Normally back before he's crying but if not DH would have scooped him out and cuddled him until I got back.

We made before bed, chilled quickly and stored in the fridge until needed. If DS was being fussy, we'd warm it a little in a bowl of hot water but obviously quicker if they're happy to drink cold milk.

Make a bottle up (properly, to the instructions on the tub) then cool under the tap and keep in the fridge until needed. Then you can microwave for 30 seconds or give it cold.

Use cartons

I used to take up measured formula, thermos of boiling water, boiled cold water. Make with boiling water and dash of cold then add more cold to get the temp required. Such a faff. But that was the easiest way I found.

I used to make 8 bottles at a time, sterilised then filled with 9oz of boiling water, then leave to cool - tip out 3oz and top up with boiling, add milk powder, shake well and cool a bit under a running tap if necessary, but should be perfect temperature.
That was 11 years and 6 years ago.
Probably completely against the rules now.

Another vote for a perfect prep machine!

Nhs says you can store prepared bottles of formula in the back of the fridge for 24hours. Make sure you make it up properly with boiled water to sterilize then let it cool and fridge it. We also microwaved for 30seconds. Give it a little swish to ensure no hot spots. We used to do a full days worth.

Water in flask

@minniemango

Make a bottle up (properly, to the instructions on the tub) then cool under the tap and keep in the fridge until needed. Then you can microwave for 30 seconds or give it cold.

This!

There is a lot of don't microwave as it causes hotspots. This is easily overcome by shaking the bottle!

It's all difficult enough without adding extra hurdles.

What @PolarnOPirate said! Taking the perfect prep machine up and then right amount of formula already in a container was a lifesaver.

Half these comments are not what's recommended at all.
Your meant to make a feed fresh each time! Ready made is the best for nighttime but it's pricey.
Perfect prep is fab.
You can mimic the perfect prep with a flask of hot water and some cool sterile water. Add powder (measured out into little tubs) into the hot water (needs to be atleast 70degrees to kill any bacteria) give it a shake then top it up with the cooled water to the correct amount.

Use ready made for middle of night feeds.

You have to make formula up fresh using the full amount of hot water. The formula isn't sterile so enough very hot water has to sterilise the powder. Remaining at that temperature until it's all mixed. Although popular, it's debatable whether perfect prep provides enough hot water for the mixing.

This - great for daytime and night time feeds

direct.asda.com/george/baby/bottle-feeding/tommee-tippee-closer-to-nature-perfect-prep-machine-white/002691096,default,pd.html

@Reachersloveinterest

I used to make 8 bottles at a time, sterilised then filled with 9oz of boiling water, then leave to cool - tip out 3oz and top up with boiling, add milk powder, shake well and cool a bit under a running tap if necessary, but should be perfect temperature. That was 11 years and 6 years ago. Probably completely against the rules now.

It was definitely against the rules when my eldest was born 11 years ago!

Food poisoning risk. There were instructions on the tub about making with hot water (though I know at the time lots of people didn't bother).

@namechanging202020

Half these comments are not what's recommended at all. Your meant to make a feed fresh each time! Ready made is the best for nighttime but it's pricey. Perfect prep is fab. You can mimic the perfect prep with a flask of hot water and some cool sterile water. Add powder (measured out into little tubs) into the hot water (needs to be atleast 70degrees to kill any bacteria) give it a shake then top it up with the cooled water to the correct amount.

I don't think Perfect Prep machines are recommended though either, are they?

NHS definitely says making each feed fresh is best, but where that isn't possible you can make the feed safely and cool and store in the fridge - using it as soon as possible and definitely within 24 hours.

Flask of boiling water. Boiled water chilled in the fridge.

Put 50% of water in bottle from the flask. Add formula and shake til dissolved. Add the remaining 50% from the fridge. Perfect temperature.

Thanks everyone. I made some feeds and popped them in the fridge and microwaved them when needed. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting!

Soon to have 5th child here! Always made them up, fridge and then warmed when needed , 30 seconds in the microwave. Never had an issue.

I used ready made milk so I just bought some of the small cartons for night and took them upstairs. When baby woke I opened the carton and poured it in the bottle.

@passthemustard

Thanks everyone. I made some feeds and popped them in the fridge and microwaved them when needed. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting!

Microwave is not recommended due to hot spots. You can heat the bottle in a jug of boiling water. If you are making bottles in advance please make sure to cool them rapidly before refrigerating