Ok own up, who pre-makes their bottles??

[blondebaby111]

I've been a real stickler and make all my dd who's nearly 7 months bottles up from scratch. However I have friends who are on there 2nd and 3rd babies who pre make and store in fridge. I must admit after a 20 minute screaming match this morning because we got up Late and was then late getting bottle ready im really considering doing the same. I look back to the early days where I was bottle making from scratch at 3am and I really don't know how I did it and if we have another I may pre make, what's your views and what do u do??

Can it really be that harmful???

I started bottle feeding at 6 weeks and have always made up 24 hours worth of bottles in advance. Boil kettle, cool for 30 mins, make up bottles with formula. Cool quickly (metal pan, cold water, ice pack) then store in back of the fridge.

Just to be a real rebel I also microwave them when I need them !! It's fine as long as you shake really well to make sure it's mixed properly.

DS is now 9 months and has never shown any ill effects. He used to get very screamy when due a feed (before I established a routine) and I had no chance of doing the whole thing from scratch, he'd have given himself a hernia and deafened everyone within a three mile radius.

I confessed all to HV when she asked and she said a lot of people do the same, making up from scratch just isn't practical. Especially at 3am.

I'm another one who did the 'hot shot' - put a couple of oz very hot water in with the powder, shake thoroughly, then made up with cold water. Voila, bottle ready to go.

I wish there was a proper explanation of formula in hospital, it's just absurd given the number of FF babies that there isn't. So many people I know who boil and cool the water, as if that is the risk, when it's the formula powder.

Ref the powder on scoops question - they are only such sticklers for that because some people have put extra powder into the water to make up a 'more filling' feed before bedtime so the baby would sleep through and have subsequently caused the baby to become dehydrated

Using less powder than stated isn't really a problem, it means the baby won't get the benefit of a full feed but it isn't dangerous and can, in fact, be useful if the baby is constipated.

But the small amount you lose on the scoop when using hot water is neither here nor there

I premade mine from about err, 0 weeks. I used to sterilise the bottles and boil water, assemble the bottles, fill with boiling water and allow to cool before putting into the fridge. Then I'd add the powder before heating them up. After 6 months I started putting the powder in in advance too. I remember there being all this hoo-ha about putting the powder in when the water is hot in order to kill any bacteria in the milk, then Hipp (which we used) came up with a formula with probiotic stuff that denatures if you heat it too hard and the advice from them was to not put it in water above 50 deg C. So apparently not that important to sterilise the powder after all! I came on here and someone said "oh you don't believe the milk companies though do you" and I was like, well yes, when they're giving instructions about making up a sterile bottle for newborn babies whose parents are likely to come over all litigious if they get food poisoning, I rather do believe them.

I did with both dc's ... Dd is 11 & she was pre the make up as you go guideline & with ds it was more convienient & it never hurt dd

I boiled water, poured it into bottles and left on the side then added powder as needed. I even did it after the rules changed. Currently have an 8&11 year old playing football in the back garden. They seem to have survived unscathed.

I have two dc, eldest is 11 and I did the making up with boiling hot water, cooling quickly and then sticking in the fridge method. I used the microwave to warm the bottles too (awful mother) .. but to be fair I only ever made them lukewarm - about 20 or 30 second blast and swirled really, really well. Never had any issues at all.

Six + years ago I used to boil the kettle and leave it to cool. Make up a, say, 2oz feed with enough boiling water to scald the powder. Then top to the correct level with cooled, boiled water. They then went in the fridge. I microwaved them to warm slightly.

The best advice I got with regards to bottles was to teach DS to have them cold. Boil the water and leave it in the kettle, mix when you need it. Takes 30 seconds.

But then you're not stetilising the formula powder...,
That's why you need 70 degree water.

MeMyself that's not safe according to current guidelines - the formula powder needs to be heated to 70C to kill any bacterial contamination. Formula is NOT sterile and must be mixed with hot water.

toomuch Hipp has since withdrawn that guidance and instructions for making up its formula are in line with the rest - mix with water at 70C or more.

I made up the bottles in advance i.e boiling the kettle, waiting half an hour, adding the hot water and then formula and rapidly cooling them and putting them in the fridge. I made up feeds like this and used them within 12 hours, so made up one lot first thing in the morning and another lot before bed. It's just not practical to wait for a kettle to cool down for 30 minutes and then cool down a hot bottle of milk for a screaming baby!

Des now grown up. I used to make all bottles for next 24 hrs first thing in the morning, with boiling water. Leave to cool while I had breakfast then put all in fridge.
Nextorning if there was an extra I would discard and start again.
I didn't know it was wrong!
If travelling I had a thermos of boiling water and one of cool boiled water.
Zapped formula with 1/3 boiled water them topped up with cool water. Perfect temp on the spot!

Des now grown up. I used to make all bottles for next 24 hrs first thing in the morning, with boiling water. Leave to cool while I had breakfast then put all in fridge.
Nextorning if there was an extra I would discard and start again.
I didn't know it was wrong!
If travelling I had a thermos of boiling water and one of cool boiled water.
Zapped formula with 1/3 boiled water them topped up with cool water. Perfect temp on the spot!

somuch well, technically wrong, but it is a low risk way to do it, and plenty still do - it is streets ahead of the people who still make up milk with boiled cooled water, which entirely misses the point.

Well it could not have been too bad, both dds have beenfine. But certainly would not advise other nnew mums now that I have learnt how wrong it is supposed to be! ( I lived abroad and everyone breastfed, so didn't know any better)

Dancestomyowntune - it is fine to put the powder in first if you measure the water before adding it - otherwise you end up not putting in enough water (because the powder takes up some do the space in the bottle) and you don't get the right water:powder ratio, and the feed is too rich and the baby could dehydrate.

I had a four bottle steriliser so Id make four, with +70° water, chil and refridgerate. Feed as needed. if popping out id chuck a bottle ready made into the bag and go.

Except according to our hv 11 yrs ago. You would not have the right amount of water: powder, as you've added the water AFTER the powder, this risking constipation.

This is a great article about cronobacter sakazakii which is the bacteria which caused the guidelines to change. Doesn't occur that commonly but frighteningly high mortality (40-80% though declining) and morbidity rate especially in preterm babies, although it seems borderline preterm are more likely to contract meningitis than very preterm infants.
www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-recall/what-the-hell-is-cronobacter-sakazakii-formerly-enterobacter-sakazakii/#.U9Vix2NnBNQ

X posted, sorry. Just seems to me that the more containers you it the water in prior to getting I the bottle the more risk.

If you measure the water, you would have the right amount - ie. you put in 4 scoops of powder, measure 4 fl oz of water (in a jug or another bottle - sterilised) and pour the water onto the powder. That will give a correct ratio of 1 scoop of powder to 1 fluid ounce of water.

If you try to measure the water by pouring it into the bottle that has the powder in, you won't put enough water in, which would cause the problems your HV mentioned.

Cross posted with you, dances!

Containers / water pose little risk dances. Think about what an average baby puts into their mouth. This is about food poisoning, not sterility.