Storing bottles of formula - confused

[ohnelly]

Hi im 37 weeks with DS2 & am planning to bottle feed. I thought it was ok to make up a batch of up to 6 bottles at a time and store them in the fridge, as long as they were used within 24 hours. Obviously the bottles will be sterilized before making them up & I will used boiled cooled water.
On the box of formula it says 'make up each feed as required. For hygiene reasons, do not store made up feeds. What am I supposed to do with a newborn baby that needs feeding every 2-3 hours, also once the steriliser has been opened to take a bottle out they only stay sterile for 3 hours? Am I expected to sterilize every bottle & make it up fresh before every feed? Im sure I didnt do that with DS1, but why does it say that on the box? help

Hi, it is rather confusing. No, you can't make up a batch of milk ready made and store in fridge unfortunately because once the milk is made up bacteria can start to develop with changes in temp. What we did was sterilise the bottles on a night and add cooled boiled water to them and leave them on the top. Then as we needed them the next day we heated them up in a jug of boiling water and when the water was warm added the milk, shake and feed. My DD insisted on having her milk with a constant temp so we kept putting the bottle in the water to keep it warm (re-heating it from cold is bad as again bacteria will flourish)

It only took a few minutes which can seem like it lasts a lifetime when you've got a screaming baby but better than one with a poorly tummy.

Check out boots for flasks which you can put boiling water into the lid and heat up water when out and about or you can heat water in microwave before you go out and keep bottles in thermo bag (tesco or boots) then add milk just before you feed. You can get little carriers for milk from boots, tommee tippee do them.

Does that help? It is really confusing. I know. I tried to breastfeed and managed for about 3 weeks but really struggled and was just so shocked at the lack of help and advice for bottle feeding - don't get me started on that!! The breastfeeding councillors dropped me like a hot potato when they found I was going on formula and you kind of have to work it out for yourself. Hope this has helped you a little bit!

Things have changed havent they, with ds1 (5) you could make up 6 bottles for the day.

The guidance is to make up each feed as you need it, and take out a flask with you and sterilised bottles when you go out.

IMHO this is impossible and ridiculous. I make up my days bottles with just the water and store them in the fridge, i then add the powder as needed. Its the safest way I can find to do it that is still doo-able IYKWIM

You will have to make your own decison as to what is right for you

The guidelines have changed in the past few years, nelly, because of concerns that the powder contains life-threatening bugs - no one is advised to make up feeds and store them in advance now. You don't have to sterilise the bottles immediately before making up - the risk is in the powder not the bottles or the water. Sterilised bottles will be fine kept in a safe, clean place until you need them.

One alternative is to use ready-to-feed, esp when your baby is young, or to breastfeed, at least at first, and then move to powdered formula when your baby is a bit older and you feel more confident in 'breaking the rules' .

Your midwife or HV can tell you more and there are leaflets for parents, or you can see the current guidance issued to HCPs with explanation here: 163.164.17.6/English/library/publications/milk%20guidance/english.pdf

Mimi - adding the powder to warm water is not the guidance. The water has to have boiled and then cooled to no less than 70 deg C, which is still very hot (though obv not boiling).

Most mothers seem to use the flask method as a work-round - water should be still hot for a couple of hours or so in the flask.

By the way, breastfeeding counsellors can't help you with the mechanics of bottle feeding - they're not 'dropping you like a hot potato' We are not trained in bottles, teats and technicalities of bottle feeding, so it would not be right to pretend we are. Any competent HV should be able to inform mothers of the details they need.

Thanks tiktok, it wasn't the formula I wanted help with, obviously a breastfeeding councillor wouldn't be the best person to help me with that. My baby was dropping weight and was refusing both breasts so after a week I turned to expressing and formula to suppliment it in the hope of dropping the formula and then trying the breast when my crater nipples had healed. My councillor didn't return my calls when I left her this message (feeding plan was the advice of of my HV) nor direct me to someone who could have helped me. After calling me daily I found it rude and unhelpful and throughout my time with her had blasted bottle feeding so I had little option but to belief she had indeed dropped me like a hot potato because I had turned to the bottle so to speak.

This is just my experience and I do know many friends who had much more positive experiences of BFC's who have helped them overcome problems. Unfortunately I didn't and it just made the guilt worse.

Sorry to hear that, mimi....the situation you describe is well within a bfc's remit, but she should not have 'blasted formula feeding' (that's way outside acceptable) and she should have returned calls (unless gone away on hol or something, obv).

Hi mosschops - that sounds like a good idea to me, otherwise I would never be able to leave the house! I find it a bit stupid having a sterilizer I can fit 6 bottles in if I have to make them up individually
Mimi - I will look out for the flasks too, thanks for the tips, I feel a bit less confused now!
It wasnt this much hard work last time!

When I went to ff I made up each bottle of milk when it was needed. I sterilised the bottles every day and kept them in the fridge then either boiled the kettle or used the ready made stuff when it was needed, as per the instructions.

It was a complete and utter PITA doing it like that (but I just wouldn't risk making up in advance).We used ready made when we went out or for the odd night feed. But by the time we started on ff the dc's were in a routine so I just knew to put the kettle on 45 mins before feed time, but with a young baby it must be a right faff as they want feeding more often. BF a new baby was so much easier than bottles IME.

Hope you find a solution .