Pre-making formula

[Sunflower654]

My formula fed 2-week-old is going through a cluster feeding phase. He can drink anything between 1-4oz and sometimes will want more milk within an hour after his last feed. I’m doing responsive feeding so can’t pre-empt when he will want his next bottle.
I use the perfect prep machine but this only makes a minimum of 4oz so there is often a lot of wastage. Theoretically, could I make a 9oz bottle in the morning, cool and refrigerate it and then pour into separate sterilised bottle when he wants a feed? This would mean less wastage as I would be able to offer smaller 1 or 2oz bottles if I knew his last feed hadn’t been that long ago rather than making 4oz each time he wants a bottle.

You have described exactly my baby when she was two weeks old! It was insane the amount she was feeding, she’d feed every hour and a half and take nearly 45 mins to finish so was literally feeding round the clock! We had to get a perfect prep machine as well otherwise the bottles would have been all consuming, so yes I would go with what you’ve suggested. When my toddler was a baby we used to make up his bottles in the morning, refrigerate them and use them within 24 hours. If I were you (and I have been!) I would do the 9oz bottle, refrigerate it and pour small amounts into sterilised bottles as and when you need it. If it’s any consolation my daughter is 7 weeks old now and finishes 5-6oz bottles and only feeds every 3-4 hours so hang in there, it will get easier!

So glad to know I’m not the only one whose baby doesn’t seem to follow a formula feeding schedule! He wants what he wants when he wants it and he’s not shy about letting us know!

Okay - new plan is 9oz in the fridge, then he can graze as much as he wants! We’re doing paced feeding but he can still down a bottle so quickly, his pace is simply super speed!

Oh I definitely understand where you’re coming from! My little girl was such a shock to the system because my boy followed three hour feeds from day one, in fact half the time we had to instigate feeds with him because he was the least demanding baby ever so I thought this was normal… until my little girl came along 😂 like your little one she is not shy about letting us know she’s ready and from the second she realises that she’s hungry she is not prepared to give us a moments grace before she was screaming the house down!

Like I say though, she’s now seven weeks old and the last week or so it’s become so much better, I think as her tummy has grown she can store it much better and she never goes less than two hours now, more often it’s three and overnight she has four-five hour stretches between feeds so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you that this doesn’t last too long!