Formula feeding help!

[Misscocopops]

Hiya. dd is 2 weeks old today. I couldn't get the hang if breast feeding so have been expressing but I'm struggling to find the time and now my supply is drying up so switching to formula.
My question is about the not using water that has been boiled and cooled past 30 minutes?
How true is this? How can I ever leave the house without a kettle?
Can I not boil the water and store in the fridge? Or on the counter in the sterilised bottles then add the power when I need the feed?
If I can what's the max time I can let the water sit before using it?
DD is not in any kind of routine so nights will be a nightmare when she wakes up screaming and I'm hovering round the kettle.
She's happy to have expressed milk straight from the fridge now so it being cold isn't the issue.
Any help and advice will be massively appreciated! X

the water needs to be hot when meeting the powder so that bacteria in the formula powder is killed. You could make up feeds with hot water and then store in the fridge for a maximum of 24 hours although that is not the optimum method to use.

You can also use pre-made cartons when out and about and/or at night time.

I think the water has to be a certain temperature to make sure any bacteria in the powder is killed as the powder is not sterile. I used the ready done cartons when my DC were small to make things easier but it was very expensive. I know other people who prepared bottles in advance, stored them in the fridge and heated up before using them - but I think the latest official guidance is not to make bottles up in advance.

For night feeds I used to make the bottles at night then pop in the microwave, going out I use ready made formula and for during the day I tend to put the powder in straight after the water has boiled.

I've got 4 DC's and the guidelines have been different with every single one!

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/infant-formula-questions.aspx#close

gives info on storing made up formula

All the guidance says to make up a bottle each time you need it and to use freshly boiled water that's cooled for no longer than half an hour. Clearly the people that wrote the guidance have never had a screaming baby wanting a bottle NOW!!!! We make up 3 at a time. Cool them quickly and store in the fridge at the back. Then just warm slightly when needed. When going out I either take one of these, stored in an insulated bottle bag (if I'll be feeding within the hour) or I use the ready made bottles. I use water greater than 70 degrees to make, keep them cold after making them and use them within 12 hours - think that was the guidelines a few years ago and were much more practical.

I too tried too breastfed, ds wad reluctant so we switched to only formula a couple of weeks ago. We initially used the starter packs through the night (heaven as I didn't have to get out of bed) but they were only 70mls and also really expensive so we switched to cartons. This also was quite expensive so we started to premake the bottles in batches of 6 and store them in the back of the fridge.

Lazyness made me research even better ways of feeding ds, which is how we discovered the tommee tippee perfect prep machine, it is the best machine ever! Bottles are made up within 2 mins and ar3 body temperature which is perfect for ds!

When we go out and about I either take a freshly prepared bottle (as they last 2hrs) or I take a premade carton!

I do what pp have said - use cooled boiled water and store at the back if the fridge (do 4 bottles at a time).

I use the ready made ones for night feeds and when out an about. They are expensive but saves heating up bottles when DD is screaming in the middle of the night! If I'm going out and know she'll need a feed within two hours I take one of the made up bottles from the fridge with me - much easier now she's in a fairly regular routine.

I know some people take out a flask of boiled water and powder out with them/for night feeds but that's too much of a faff for me!

I'd love the perfect prep machine cookielove! Is it a faff to clean?

I always try to stick to guidelines, so was very pleased to get my perfect prep. It means you can make bottles up in around 2 minutes, but still be happy that it's fresh and bug free. You don't need to clean the perfect prep (apart from doing a cleaning cycle at the beginning and when you change the filter, approx every 3-4 months).

Lots of people seem to add half the water from a freshly boiled kettle and top up with the right amount of cooled boiled water from the fridge, which seems a great solution. Hot water hits powder, cooled boiled water brings temperature down.

The water in the fridge should be change every 24hours at least I think.

Totally agree with cookie perfect prep are amazing there is no cleaning just keep topping the water up and change the filter every few months it is by far the best money we have ever spent! I still follow guidelines when out though I take a tommee tippee flask of boiling water and a bottle of cool boiled and make feeds up fresh so for 5oz bottle I put 2oz of boiling add the powder then top up with 3oz of cool we cant use cartons because of the milk dd is on so this is the only way its no hassle really

I've just started ff too. Have cold water in the fridge, boiled, changed daily. Use about 2oz of kettle water, add powder, then top up with fridge water.

Don't know about out and about- LO is old enough for water and food, but this is certainly the quickest way when we're at home.

We've also started making a hot bottle before bed, putting it in insulated bottle bag thing. So on a good night, if LO sleeps till 4, I have a warm bottle right next to me.

We have perfect prep for home and use ready made for out and about.

needs as amummy said you don't need to clean the perfect prep apart from the initial cleaning cycle (where all you do is fill it with water and push a button ) and again when you change filters. John Lewis sells them for £70 :)

I done 6 at a time with boiling water then stored in the fridge and when our from the fridge to an insulated bag. My HV knew and told me the biggest concerns about making more than one at a time is improper storage and miscounting scoops. DS is very healthy and has hardly ever been ill and never been seriously ill.

Google WHO bottle feeding preparation they give you realistic guildlines

Better to make up properly and store than do the powder/thermos thing I see mums doing.

Ready made for out and about is the best solution I think.

I used a fridge to go for nights and out and about. They keep bootles properly cold for 8 hours.

I've got the perfect prep! It was £75 in Mamas & Papas and I had a voucher so only had to put a little bit towards it. I love it already! And I've worked out that it's going to save us a fortune on using the ready made bottles for night feeds.

We've also started making a hot bottle before bed, putting it in insulated bottle bag thing. So on a good night, if LO sleeps till 4, I have a warm bottle right next to me.

This isn't safe. If the bottle is being made up in advance it needs to be cooled as quickly as possible and stored in the fridge.

Right..., in the very beginning if we were out and about I used the ready made cartons so much easier but tbh in the early days I didn't get out much. During the day ( and night) at home I made the bottle up completely from scratch and it was first baby and those were the guidelines. I finally woke up and smelt the coffee when dd was 7 months and I now make up for the day and store in the fridge. I look back at those early a days, her screaming for a bottle, me frantically trying to cool it down and I just think.... No thankyou!!! Second baby I would do it very very differently, if I could talk to myself those early weeks I would just scream ' relax , your doing fine' . But definately use ready made for going out, there's no worry then about keeping milk fresh x

I bf DD so when I couldn't with DS I was terrified of making formula incorrectly! We use the perfect prep machine when at home and the ready made cartons when out and about.

"Can I not boil the water and store in the fridge? Or on the counter in the sterilised bottles then add the power when I need the feed? "

No, as others have said the water must be 70 degrees when the powder hits it as the powder is not sterile and it is most important that any nasties in it are destroyed by the hot water.

I second cool water in fridge - dd has 7oz bottles now and i have some small bottles with 4oz of water in the fridge. As pp have said , hot water needs to hit the powder first to kill the nasties. I put 3oz of hot in, then powder and give a good shake. Then add the 4oz I have already measured out of cold and bottle is ready to give. You need to have the cold water measured out first thou otherwise you end u making the formula wrong