Why can't I make up several bottles at a time and keep them in the fridge until needed?

[Pinkmarshmallow]

....if they are made with boiling water in sterile bottles and placed in the fridge and used within 12hrs? (or even 24hrs...but maybe that's pushing it a bit!?)

That used to be the advice only a few years ago and I carried on doing it this way. How old is your dc?

unfortunately thats what the dept of health suggest at present. I certainly never done this with my kids and they are fine.

Not up to date with the scientic reasoning but im sure there is some!

5 weeks old

Because there are bugs/bacteria in the dried formula which can be activated when water is added. If the formula is drunk straight away then the bacteria doesn't have time to mulitiply and won't be a problem but the lognger its made up then the more risk of stomach upsets tehre is.

I kept the sterile water & bottles in the fridge, added some more boiling water when I wanted to make up a feed so 4oz fridge 2oz boiling and then added the powder and it was ready to serve! I had the powder predispensed into one of those avent type 3 compartment things so it took seconds.

Are you talking about keeping the water in the fridge or when it's made up into milk? Guidelines now say that you should make each feed as needed because the powder isn't sterile, so needs to be added to water of 70 degrees in temp to kill off any bacteria.
I keep the water in the bottles in my fridge and add powder and warm when I need them.
It is unlikely that your baby will get ill and die from bottles being prepared incorrectly, but if s/he did, there is (I think) only a 20% survival rate.

You can actually do whatever you like and whatever you are comfortable with. It is your baby.

here;

www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/pif_guidelines.pdf

They found bacteria in the dried milk, so even though the bottles and water are sterile, the prepared milk can't be. The greatest risk is to prem and ill babies, so if you have a normal healthy baby it's up to you to decide whether you make up each bottle fresh or stick to the old guidelines.

Cargirl - I think the water needs to be 70 degrees C when added to the formula so by your method are you sure the water will be hot enough?

Well presumably you could adjust it so it's 75% boiling and 25% chilled - that should work? Will be at least a bit quicker to cool it that way.

I suppose Cargirl's method would work to kill the bacteria if you added the boiling water to the powder first.

So really the most important factor is the temp of the water - should be ok to keep in the fridge for a while if you make up bottles with near boiling water?

I have sterile bottles ready and a jug of cooled boiled water.

For a 9oz feed, for example, I put 3oz of just-boiled water from the kettle into the bottle, put in the powder and shake - and then add 6oz of the cooled boiled water to get it to the right temperature for DS2.

Doing it this way means it only takes the length of time it takes to boil the kettle before the feed is ready.

I make up 3 at a time as instucted, cool them down quickly and then keep in fridge.

Mind you, my 7mth DS is eating my slipper as we speak, so the sterility of his bottles is probably of little importance.

I dont understand this adding a few ounces of boiling water to cooled water in the fridge to me that means the waters not at least 70 degr.
ees which will kill any bacteria??

No you need to do it like Ceebee74 suggests or have 1oz chilled water in the fridge and add 6oz of boiling so that the overall temp is 70 degrees.

ceebee74 as i understand it you must use the correct amount of hot water or the milk powder won't dissolve properly and the bacteria will survive.

"So really the most important factor is the temp of the water - should be ok to keep in the fridge for a while if you make up bottles with near boiling water?
"

As I understand it - no. Yes you would kill most of the bacteria off if you added water at 70degrees or above, but not all of it. So the longer you store it the more the bacteria multiplies. Thats why current advice is to make a bottle up as you need it. You can run bottle under the cold tap to cool it down.

I made up feeds in advance with both my DC. It doesn't appear to have harmed either of them. I knew you couldn't keep formula for very long, but no-one ever told me not to do it at all.

My understanding is that storing it ready made up is the more risky of the two factors. I knew there was a reason that I bf my younget 3 for as long as possible!!!

Sorry I hated making up bottles with a passion - too much hassle!

Why can't you put the ready made bottle in a jug of cold water to cool it down? I'm very close to just buying ready made cartons - is that what they are trying to make us do?

No-one is trying to make you do anything.

Simple.

You read the advice and decide whether to follow it.

The advice is not to make your life hard - it's to protect ypour dc from the small possibility that the milk powder contains salmonella.

I keep sterile bottles made up with the appropriate amount of boiled water in the fridge. Add powder when needed. Already measured out. Takes about 10 minutes to get ready the night before. No hassle. Add boiling water to bottle to take chill off, or warm up water in jug of hot water before adding powder, or serve straight from fridge, or just take the bottle out of the fridge to take chill off a few mins before I need it. Been doing this for several months, no problems. Also easy for taking out and about. Surely sterile water, sterile bottle - what can possibly go wrong in a few hours?

And this is where the advice is....

www.dwrcymru.com/English/library/publications/milk%20guidance/english.pdf