Bottle feeding - cool down naturally

[carolcc]

Sorry if this is a stupid question but first time mum and I find you are given lots of information about breast feeding and nothing about bottle feeding.

Is it ok to make up a fresh bottle and let it cool down naturally instead of running it under cold water and then putting it in fridge? If it wasn't refrigerated and used by 2 hours I would bin it.

not sure what the guidelines are but thats what i do for a night feed that i know little one will wake for within the hour.i make it fresh and leave it to cool on the worktop.i dont refrigerate as then you've got to heat it up again. as long as its used within 2 hours i dont think it matters to be honest.

conratulaitons on your baby

The main thing is that it shouldn't be sitting around at room temperature for hours, so I'd say cooling naturally is fine if you're going to be using it soon.

Thanks for taking time to reply!

Hi I make mine & stand it in cold water in sink for few mins rather than stand holding it under tap then it is ready to use or refrigerate & use within 24hrs

It's sooo not a stupid question, I had the same worries when starting out.

I do the same as ohnelly i think

I make up a couple of feeds with freshly boiled water (after letting the kettle stand for about 10mins so its not scalding!) and then stand the bottles in cold water so they cool down before either using, or putting in the fridge. I'd use a refridgerated bottle within 24hrs and chuck out any room temp ones after about an hour.

The guidelines seem v strict on formula, but it's because formula powder isn't sterile so the boiled water sterilises it. This is why you should use boiled water from your kettle within 30mins of it being boiled, so it is still hot enough to sterilise the formula.

If formula milk is left at room temp then bacteria can grow again. Cool it quickly to use, or put in back of fridge, not the door as thats warmer.

Hope that helps. It seems complicated at first, but it'll get easier!!

tallulabell thats exactly how I do it - I know some people add the powder to previously boiled cooled water immediately before feeding, but as you say this does not kill bacteria in milk as water is not hot enough when mixed. The guidelines state the water should be over 70 degrees