Making Up Formula

[dontneedsleep]

We havent been using formula for very long, but I find the manufacturers instructions of boiling the kettle and leaving it for 30 mins before making a bottle hard to keep to for night feeds. Is there anyone who is making up bottles, storing in the fridge and then heating as needed??

I do, except I don't heat them as DS will happily drink them from the fridge. Obviously the best practice is to make them fresh each time, but I weighed that up against the risks of making them in advance and the recommendation that if you do have to make them in advance to keep them in the back of the fridge and not store them longer than 12 hours. It works for us.

I used cartons and heated it up in the microwave. so much easier at 3am than faffing with kettles.

if we had no cartons then I also used to fill bottles to, say, 20ml cooled boiled water and keep it in the fridge. when a bottle was needed I boiled the kettle and topped it up to 60ml and added the powder and used instantly. in other words 1/3 cold to 2/3 boiling, ish.

iirc you only need to worry about bacteria if you are storing formula after it has been mixed up, not if it has been mixed and used immediately. check this first though as it has been a few years since I did bottles and advice may have changed, again.

I think this thread comes up almost weekly, so you are not alone!

The important thing is to make the bottles up with 70 degree + water to sterilise the milk (nb this is very important - milk powder is not sterile!).

Some people make each bottle up fresh using half hot water and half cooled boiled water to get them to the right temperature. Others make day feeds up first thing, night feeds up last thing, and flash cool them before putting at the back of the fridge.

Again, the key thing is to add very hot water to the powder, after that I believe they're ok in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

no. I wash bottles at night in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water, fill with fresh water boiled in kettle. When I need a bottle the next day I mix the powder in and give at room temp. DS is 4 months and never been ill.

Maybe they're only good for 12 hours in the fridge. I can't remember!

I think the formula has to go into water that's at least 70 degrees to kill off the bacteria in it, but if you make up, say, half the feed with the formula and boiling water first you can then top up with pre-cooled boiled water. Or yeah, the cartons are much easier if you aren't on any special milk, we're on the comfort stuff

Oops, x-post!

Thank you ladies :) that makes me feel much better that im not the only one doing the fridge thing :)

we are on comfort stuff, DS has a sensitive tummy

What I used to do and will do again when new twins arrive, is boil the water, pour the correct amount into sterilised bottles put on teet/lid etc. let them cool down. Keep in fridge until needed. When they are needed then add formula and heat up in bottle warmer (or microwave ). My HV said that this was fine and also works when you are out and about as you can always ask for a cup of hot water to heat them up in.

Hope this helps.

We have a mini fridge in our bedroom which has a heat option as well as cool. I take 3 bottles of freshly boiled water and put them in the fridge and 3 powder containers when ds is ready the boiled water has cooled slightly but is still over 70 degrees add the powder and if it needs to be cooled further just run it under the tap in the bathroom. I didnt want to be running up and downstairs 3 times of a night as my oh works night shifts.
I would imagine a flask would work just as well at keeping water hot.

Please please use very hot water to add milk to.

I honestly cannot believe how many people will take this risk. The powder is NOT STERILE. It can contain some seriously nasty bugs that can hospitalise your baby and leave them with permanent disability or worse. Yes this is rare, but really, why would you take this risk?

Make up as per guidance on the packet or use a thermometer to find a way that works for you. I use a cup, and I know that if I fill the cup immediately to 150ml and leave for 5 mins it will be 75 degrees, I checked. I have also used a flask and timed how long I could leave it full of boiling water before it cooled too much. Or if you really cant wait them make up safely and put in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or use cartons.

Please don't use luke warm or cold water to make up bottles, it's not safe. Just because someone's done it and got away with it doesn't mean you're not taking a risk each and every time. There are lots of risks we have to take with our babies, this isn't one of them.

nhs guidance here

I understand the need for killing the bacteria (im a chef by trade) but I was wondering about destroying all the nutrients with the hot water? Just a thought, does anyone else wonder about these things or am I just wierd?

Even boiling water doesn't kill the nutrients. It's fine.

crafty and franch, the way you are making up bottles is dangerous. there is no point boiling the water if up are then going to put it in the fridge and add the formula to cold water. the water isn't the issue it is the formula! if you don't want to make up bottles fresh and formula to the ( slightly cooled) boiled water, flash cool and then put in the fridge.

dontneedsleep I was under the impression over 70 kills the bacteria over 100 kills the nutrients so the ideal is anywhere between the 2

Mrs - water over 100 degrees isn't water, it's steam

I don't get any of this so much has changed in 6 years. When I had dd in 2007 I made her bottles in a morning and put them in the fridge and gave them to her as and when she needed feeding. I also did this with ds in 2005. They were both fine with it and are still living now.

Now I am expecting dd2 in four weeks and I'm really worried about all this. What a faff around, so I will have to wait for a bottle to fully cool down whilst iv got a screaming baby and if she is anything like her brother and sister she will like the bottles cold not at room temperature.

Is this just a guideline or can you still do the traditional way most people who have dc know?

Something - you can do whatever you choose, guidelines are there to minimise the risk of some horrible and fatal illnesses.

What you do day to day is up to you - there's no law about making up formula!

I have a flask of boiled water and a bottle of cooled boiled water, add boiled water to formula to sterilise, then top up to a drinkable temp with the cooled boiled water.

If I was to have another baby and formula feed from early on then I think I would invest in a Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine - it does it all for you!

yes...the tommee tippee perfect prep machine is brilliant. I found sticking to the current guidelines difficult. this machine does it all for you, follows the current guidelines and gives you a fresh bottle in less time than warming one up. best baby gadget I've bought