AIBU or is this a really stupid gadget?

[MrsBadger]

Beaba Expresso thus, as sold in latest JoJo catalogue (here, with wrong pic)

Surely by now everyone knows you are meant to mix the powder with water that is 70C or hotter to kill any bugs in the powder?

And yes I know it's French but it was French and Belgian babies who died as a result of recent E.sakazakii outbreaks.

Have emailed Jojo but am still fuming .

I didn't know that. I know you have to boil the water, and that once you have added the formula it has to be drunk straight away and not left to breed bacteria, but I frequently boiled the water and let it cool a bit prior to adding the formula, or took a bottle of pre-boiled water out with me, added the formula when needed, then heated it up in a bottle warmer. So I'd have thought that so long as the machine was sterile, and you were using pre-boiled water, that should be fine?

No, because the powder is not sterile.

So yes, although don't think I'd be bothered with the hassle of the gadget, YAB a bit U.

So what did you both do if going out for the day, how did you make up bottles, or did you just never go out for more than 2 hrs at a time?

I've just googled and can't find anywhere that states cooled boiled water isn't fine, in fact most instructions state to let the water cool prior to pouring it into the bottle.

Apart from anything else it looks expensive.

hmmSleep I know a few people who will take an empty sterilised bottle, powder in one of those split tubs and boiling water in a thermal flask.

I always used room temp water and warmed up, but am aware of the current advice

hmmmsleep - as the powder is not sterile, it can cause gastro bugs (sometimes) when added to water under 70C.

This is why I chose to make up bottles in advance (very carefully sterilising everything, cooling quickly, and making sure they were in the back of the fridge). I think this is safer than adding a non-sterile substance to a baby bottle.

Of course, to be completely sure, you should just use sterilised bottles, and use cartons of ready made milk when you are out and about. Bonus is that they don't need to go in the fridge.

I have posted on this before as it drives me mad, but adding BOILED water to formula denatures (kills) some of the proteins,

if you make a bottle correctly with cooled boiled water use it when it is made and don't let it sit about your aby will not get sick from bacteria (not bugs they are creepy crawlies)

I exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of my 2 dc's lives, so maybe I didn't look into it closely enough as by the time they were on formula they were crawling around licking the floor anyway, but still don't think I'd worry too much about it.

sorry that should be boiling hot water denatures some of the proteins etc afterall milk is designed to be drank at ody temp

plumbummum, my ds was probably far more likely to get ill from eating actual bugs, he was rather apt at catching and eating woodlouse!

The thing is though Plumbummum, is that formula powder has already been heated to high temperatures in order to dry it etc, so I don't think (and certainly have not seen any evidence) that adding near boiling water will denature any proteins in it. And you can't kill a protein, just alter it structurally, and that doesn't change how your body uses it - it is digested to amino acids

And the advice was produced exactly because babies had got ill, and in a few cases died when bottles were made up with cooled boiled water. They didn't change it for no good reason

www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/formulaguidance.pdf

It does agree with you all here though, guess it's changed since my two were little.

mrsbadger, i got a jojo catalogue this morning and thought exactly the same thing!

so thank you for reminding me to e-mail them about it

denature does not mean kill or render useless. A boiled egg is still an excellent source of protein after it's turned white (denatured)

Milk is a much more efficient breeding ground for bacteria than your toddlers teething toys or the door frame.

fact is that formula isn't sterile and should be made up with water over 70C. (not 100C for risk of scalding)

simples. sorry.

It's a bit stupid, but I suppose anything to make bottle feeding more convenient will be popular.

I was in Mothercare earlier, and the woman in front was saying she'd been told that the guidelines had changed. She did a "Well, look at generic name, I did it the old way and he's fine. What are you supposed to do, let them cry the whole time you're waiting for the bottle to cool?" I used my best MN knowledge to explain why, but she didn't seem very fussed.

Also, question on behalf of my friend who is FF her DS. If you make up the formula with boiled water, can you top it up with cooled boiled water to cut down the cooling time?

It does seem a rather irresponsible thing to sell. I know lots of people don't follow the guidelines but this seems almost 'officially' sanctioned. A shame they didn't make one that dispenses water at 70 degrees and then has a cooling mechanism (though goodness knows how that would work).

They could make a brilliant machine though that mixed a smaller amount of 70 degree water with the powder, and then the rest of the required water at 20 degrees, thus the bacteria being killed and the bottle being the correct temperature straight away.

CrosswordGeek yes, but you have to be very careful about adding the correct amount of water because once the formula powder is added it displaces it from the line and isn't as easy to measure.

sorry I do know what denature means, I am just going by something I was taught at university and formula milk was used as an example, it always stuck with me,
but anyway, the bit that makes me mad is some people think the water needs to be boiling as in just out of the kettle, and you are supposed to let it cool first!The water will still be hot(70) just not boiling hot

i can'#t get teh beaba site to work for me, but if anyone can then complain to them too!

[email protected]

to complain direct

another dumb product from beaba here

i can't imagine how that wouldn't tip over at its highest setting

Hmmmsleep , I am with you on this one. Have just had third DD and am BF with one bottle of formula at end of day. When had DD1 in 2000 was given advice same as you and have always used cooled boiled water to make feeds and taken sterilised bottle of boiling water out with me and added formula when needed. Thankyou for the helpful link which I have now read and consider myself educated!

MrsBadger I think it is rather presumptious to assume that everyone knows these new rules as I certainly did not, but thankyou for raising it. I now feel somewhat miffed that no health professional has explained it to me, but then again that's typical with anything to do with FF your child .

This unit does not sterilise water. You need previously boiled water or buy bottled (which isnt guaranteed to the same standard as boiled water). It isnt practical at all.