How should I store cooled boiled water for making up bottles?

[KatyMac]

In the fridge?

Out of the fridge?

My (very old) O levels seem to say it doens't matter but I'm sure it does

I never did bottles so I really don't know - so can someone tell me?

Hi!

Leave them out of the fridge - I do.

I always put them in the cupboard so they were at room temperature and then they didnt need heating.

i keep my bottles with boiled water out of the fridge and then add the milk as i need them. if i am going out for the day, i do add the milk before i go out (although you could just put the right amount of powder per feed in a tupperware container and again add as bottles are needed - this is too much faff as far as i am concerned but is what other friends do)

Thanks I need to do the 'right' thing as it is for other peopl's babies (I am a childminder)

Sorry hope you don't mind me saying this but there are new guidelines for making up formula. You have to use water that has been cooled for no longer than 30 minutes. This is because powdered formula is not sterile and you need the water to be hot to kill the bugs.

Yep - they measure the water into bottles
I zap them in the microwave add milk powder then cool to temp

That's right isn't it?

government guidelines here

If out and about fisher price do a flask which you can use to store freshly boiled water.

lomond is right the water needs to be 70c to kill the bacteria in the formula and each bottle needs to be made up as it is needed the guidelines are here

x post lomond

SO I heat to at least 70 degrees (yes i have a food probe to check temp)in the M/W and add the formula

So where do I store the cooled water Before I prepare it?
I have already stopped pre-prepared bottles being brought in

I just need to know where to store the 4 bottles of water I get for each of the 3 babies we care for - they can go back in the fridge as the pre-prepared bottles did - but don't want to waste the space if I don't need to

not sure I understand the question katy as the water should be boiled in the kettle heated and then it takes about 30 mins for it to cool and then you add the powder what water are you wanting to store

do the parents bring water with them???
why don't you just get the emptr bottles and fillthem from the kettle??

The parents put boiled water into the bottles & bring them to me

I zap them (to the appropriate temp) then add milk powder, then cool

So where do I put the bottles with the water in?

according to the new guidelines the water has to be boiled fresh for each feed and then cooled for 30 minutes

if this is for hte nursery or CM work then surely you need to follow the new guidelines

agree with lulu the parents should be bringing empty bottles and you should be filling them with water as per the guidelines

being a childminder adds a new dimension as parents can be more lax (at least i am) about government guidelines!
For my first child i use to give my childminder the two made up bottles she would need that day and she put in her fridge. She use to heat up them in the microwave as she needed them. Worked fine for us, no probs at all.. perhaps if your are unsure, speak to the parents to see what they do and then just follow their advice.

I don't know why - but that was a compromise I reached with them (the parents) when OFSTED told us to stop accepting prepared bottles

The parents would rather go back to the old method of bringing prepared bottles but we aren't allowed (- maybe this way they control the amount of food their baby gets, I'm not sure)

What they're saying Katy is, don't have bottles with water already in at all. Make each feed from scratch as u need it (follow instructions on pack if in doubt)!

thats interesting , i didn't know giving made up bottles was against OFSTED rules?

katy I think you need to be very careful as a CM and follow the guidelines if one of the infants was to become ill and you had not been following the guidelines you could be liable even if that is not what the parents do themselves at home
you could always print out the leaflet and explain to them that you need to follow the guidlines as that is what ofsted expect

also the guidleines were changed for good reason the formula has bacteria in it which could potentially cause a life threatening infection if it is not killed off the new guidelines ensure as far as poss that the bacteria are killed

Oh I have been making bottles now for 4.5 yrs I know how .
I just don't understand the new rule - tho' I am doing as I am told to with this method I am using (hang not sure who advised new method - I'll go back & check & make them decide on the storage - it's just MN is usually quicker......lol OFSTED/NCMA/network here I come)

katy I meant you could give the parents a copy of the leaflet might make them think about how they make up the bottles
there have been some recent mn threads on this very subject if you search

U don't really sound like u know how if u don't mind me saying Katy!...

katy deciding on the storage isn't going to change the fact that the method is wrong

I make up a fresh jug of boiled water every day and I leave it to cool and then cover. I then pour the required amount into a bottle, add the formula, shake and serve!! (I do not heat the milk up. I serve it at room temp)