"Seventy degrees" - the Goldilocks temperature for Formula

[Citytocountry2022]

All.

Help! (Please). There seem to be two statements potentially in conflict and I am trying to fend off the MIL!

1. Water must be above 70 to kill bacteria
2. Water must not be boiling/too hot to avoid "clumping" and break down of nutrients.

Getting water to exactly 70 is a fool's errand.

So - how hot is too hot? 71? 72? 73? 90?!

I have a Thermapen so measuring the exact temp is not difficult.

Thanks so much in advance. New father of twins trying not to tear hair out.

Steve.

Where are the sources for both statements then I'd weigh up which was most important. If dealing with newborns, I'd be far more concerned with nasties so would merrily use boiling water to make sure they were all blasted.

Maybe with older babies the second statement comes more into play although I've not heard it before - but then my eldest is 9 so I'm out of date on this stuff now!

Thanks for the prompt reply.

The first statement is present on pretty much every formula packet. Always says "cool water to 70 degrees".

The second is completely anecdotal, a combination of comments here and also statements from my MIL.

Thanks, Steve.

Re the first. Also the NHS guidance;

"Make sure the water that comes out of the machine is at least 70C when it’s mixed with the formula powder. You can use a digital food thermometer to check this. Water at 70C or more will kill any harmful bacteria."

Boil at least a litre of water. Leave to cool for no longer than 30 minutes. Water should be somewhere between 70⁰C and boiling

Is this info for a perfect prep machine?

You can get kettles that boil it to the temperature you need

Thank you.

So anything over 70 is fine and will not "destroy the nutrients"?

Are you talking about prep machines?

I thought there was some push back against those?

TBH, my Quooker (website says formula making is fine) combined with time and a Thermapen seems to do the (same) job. And of course it's not just about getting the water to 70; it's about ensuring it's 70 or more when it hits the formula. That's why it's easier to pour it in at, say, 72 degrees.

My query is primarily whether there is a maximum (above 70) and why?

Boiling water is fine, it will not damage the formula! It's to stop people burning themselves that they say leave for 30 mins - I can imagine a sleep deprived new mum shaking a full bottle of boiling formula without the lid on...

I used to mix powder with freshly boiled water (just an inch or two) then top up from a jug of cooled boiled water

@Citytocountry2022 honestly the best thing I ever did was get a hot water dispenser that you can set the temperature on so always had a perfect 70°c bottle

The 70 degrees is what is recommended by the manufacturers and NHS (or was when I had my babies). Hot enough to kill bugs but not too hot to kill nutrients. It can be achieved by boiling kettle of fresh tap water and leaving for 20 mins. We made 3 bottles at a time that way then rapidly cooked them in a bowl of ice, fed one and put the others in bsck of fridge till later. They can be kept for 12 hours that way but don't carry them around, treat as fresh milk. Hth!

Cooled not cooked !

Not true I'm afraid. Full boil can affect the formula.

Thanks @WashingLine98

Interesting re boiling formula. Do you have any source for this info?

Forgive the question but it's so difficult these days to distinguish facts/advice from anecdotal experience.

Also. I understood "official" advice these days to be that made up formula has to be taken within two hours. Again, do you have a source for the "twelve hours back of fridge"? (Would be massively helpful if that's true!)

Thanks, Steve.

It's on the NHS website among others. Actually it's 24 hours but I did two batches a day, one in morning and one at night
www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/formula-milk-questions/#:~:text=If%20you%20do%20not%20have,pack%20%E2%80%93%20use%20within%204%20hours

2 hours out of fridge. That's to allow for a baby who might be a little and often feeder. But it's like fresh milk. You would treat a glass of milk differently in December than in a hot room in August.

Gotcha. Thanks. But the NHS website also says this:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/making-up-baby-formula/

"To reduce the risk of infection, it's best to make up feeds 1 at a time, as your baby needs them."

The page you quote appears to be more a "last resort" suggestion rather than recommended practice. No? Our midwife certainly pointed us to the "as needed" best practice.

It's not exactly black and white, which doesn't help.

Steve.

Also. Where did you see the info about boiling water affecting nutrients? I couldn't find this on the NHS site though that could be easily be the impact of lost sleep on brain cells!

Thanks.

Absolutely it's best to make as you go. Actually bf is best of all. But the 70 degree then rapid cool method, when done with care is safe. I'm not a doctor! But a mother with supply issues who researched 'next best' . And IMHO the rapid cool is better than adding powder to cold boiled water etc. Congratulations on your babies !

The 70 degree is quoted everywhere, but not the reason for it. My understanding is it's because boiling water is not optimal because of killing nutrients etc. Got that from my maternity hospital but feel free to draw your own conclusions! Again congratulations on your babies.

Thank you!! :-) Which does very much bring me back to my original question:

How much above 70 degrees is too hot? If water at 100 degrees destroys nutrients - does water at 90? Or 80? Unless you have a very big vessel, keeping water at exactly 70 degrees is not always easy. I'm amazed the formula makers aren't a little clearer in all this.

I don't think you'll find a post saying nothing over 81! Nothing under 70 and not recently boiled eitger. I never took the temp, just waited 20 mins. Your babies will be fine. I used ready made for out and about . It's easy to get stressed over, I nearly filed for divorce when he boiled the kettle twice but it's a short run in the scheme of things.

I wasn't leaving the water sitting at 70. I boiled the kettle, let it sit 20 mins, made the bottle.