New dad seeks advice on formula

[londondad2]

Hi folks

So my wife breast feeds exclusively, and I do regular bottles of expressed milk.

But we are hoping to transition to formula milk for daytime feeds, as I’m taking some time out from work to dad it for a bit.

Yeh I’m super excited. But does anyone have good advice for how to prep formula when out and about? I've never done it before and there is so much conflicting advice out there.

It’s my ambition to go and do things, see people, not be at home… but the whole making formula milk on the move sounds complicated.

What are your tips and tricks for sorting bottles? Two flasks and cool? Prep in advance and heat up? Please share your wisdom!

You can buy ready made cartons which I used to use, just decanted straight into a sterilised bottle. Little more expensive but alot more convenient as they didn't need to be refrigerated.

Ok thanks. I've been looking at all these gadgets like the Nuby Rapid Cool, but maybe this would be easier

Appreciate this question probably gets asked a lot but it all feels like a bit of a minefield!

If your baby will take them, the ready-made cartons or bottles can be helpful.

If you need to make up feeds on the go, what you could do is take a flask of water with you along with a couple of bottles and your formula powder. You could also get small tubs for the formula so you don't have to carry around the full size tubs. Also, don't be afraid to go into coffee shops and ask them for water to make up a bottle if you run out - 99% of the time they'll be happy to help in exchange for seeing the baby!

For shorter trips out, you could also take expressed milk in something to keep it cool and then warm it up as needed.

I did two flasks. Few Oz of boiling water, formula in, shake and top up with cooled boiled water.
Neither of my children would drink ready made cold so it wasn't worth the extra cost.

My baby really likes cold milk, so prep in advance and use a cool bag with an ice pack. If I’m out longer than four hours or so I’ll take a ready made carton in there too.

If we were nipping out and there was a chance a feed might be required, I used cartons
If just was going somewhere with acess to boiling water like someones house or a cafe, I'd take a drinking bottle filled with boiled cooled water and do the hot shot method (add fresh boiled water to the formula, shake to mix and top up to level with the cooled water).
If we were out all day and I wasn't too sure where we'd be at feed times I'd take a flask of boiling water along with the cooled and do the hot shot method on the go.

If I knew I was feeding within a couple of hours of heading out, I’d usually take a hot bottle out with some spare boiled and cooled water just in case it was still too hot by feeding time - tip out some of the hot bottle and mix in some cooled.

If it was more than a couple of hours later that I was due to feed, I just took out the ready made stuff. She didn’t usually drink quite as much of it but she’d have enough to tide us over until we got home

Hope you enjoy taking parental leave - I think it’s fab that dads are able to do this. My husband will be doing six months with our two from when DC2 is 7 months and he can’t wait!