Making up formula feeds - new advice?

[jasperc163]

DD2 (22 weeks) is currently ebf but is going onto formula when I am at work and she will be at childminder (will still be bf 2-3 times a day and when not at work if supply holds up).

I had planned to leave childminder with formula powder and she would make up feeds on demand with cooled boiled water. However I gather the advice now is that you have to add the powder when the water is still hot at 70 degrees to kill any bacteria, and I dont really think this is going to be easy for her with other children etc and also it means it is harder to demand feed?

How many people actually do this or do you still go with the old way ? Is it more of an issue with very small babies?

thanks
jasper

It is more important with younger babies, and I think common sense would suggest that a baby who is otherwise bf is still getting immune boosting from the continued bf.

Other parents have developed work-rounds for the new guidance, and they will prob post here with ideas to consider.

The other option would be to leave ready-to-feed with the minder - more expensive but easier all round, perhaps?

thanks tiktok- yes i could take preprepared bottles but then there is the issue of taking them in and out of fridge etc (and they now seem to be saying you shouldnt store ready made up bottles?).

All very complicated :-), but i suppose I hadnt realised before how much contamination is possible in formula (partic the grub in the Hipp Organic!). Wish I could send ebm but sadly can't produce enough.

No - ready-to-feed means the packs, which are UHT treated and need no refrig'ing, and which are opened and decanted into a bottle at the time of need. Not the same as 'pre-prepared bottles'.

oh yes sorry. Wanting to use Hipp Organic who dont make them unfortunately.

You can make them using a combination of boiling and cold water.

If for example you are making up a 7 ounce bottle then you can do it like this.

Prepare sterilized bottles and make them up empty. Boil some water and put it in the fridge.

When you want to make up a bottle, boil the kettle and pour 2 or 3 ounces into one of your empty bottles. Add the powder to this (so fulfilling the requirement to add to hot water). Add the remaining 4 or 5 ounces of water fromyour cold water, thereby cooling it down instantly.

The only thing to be aware of is that you need to add the correct total amount of water. So if you used 2 of hot you need to add a full 5 of cold. This is not the same as making it up to 7 on the bottle because the powder takes up some room and you need to account for that.

I keep bottles of 5 ounces of cool boiled water in the fridge and use them to top up the 3 ounces of boiling water that way you know that its the right amount of water

I use the ready made up cartons if im out

If you really want to give him ebm then it might be worth perservering with expressing. I started expressing about 8 weeks ago as my ds has a medical condition which means he must be fed at least every 4 hours. (DH does 2-3am with ebm). For the first few weeks I was struggling to get more than 10-20ml with an electric breast pump but I can get 100+mls in 5mins with a manual pump now. I appriciate this will be harder for you as you are working though.

thanks all. Jimbobsmummy - that sounds like a good way to do it. Does that mix get it fairly near the right temp to feed?

Noodlesoup- thanks but would if I could. Have been expressing for months but can get nowhere near enough to leave with childminder and can't express when working. So sadly not an option.

It is a pain that Hipp don't do the ready made cartons - i wonder why not...

jasper, HIPP do readymade cartons suitable from 26 weeks? They call it Follow-on, and then slightly cheaper from 10 months onwards is the Growing-up version. They just don't do infant pre-made (under 6 months - which is when it's vital, afaik. Helpful). So your dd will be pretty much old enough for their readymade, no? Sainsburys and Waitrose sell it - comes in bottles rather than cartons.

Thanks Qally - yes it doesnt make sense does it! I am planning to start with the from birth version as I assume this is more digestible, so will just have to manage.