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Parenting

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Original poster

Does anyone make formula with cooled boiled water?

91 replies

Shootingstar2289 · 13/09/2015 19:57

I am now bottle feeding my 8 week old. I have been making bottles in advance, cooling them and storing in fridge until needed and I warm up. I keep them for no longer than 24 hours.

However, I have a 4 year old who is a very light sleeper and sometimes wakes when I get up and go downstairs to warm a bottle... And he has just started school so cannot lose any sleep.

Trying to think of a way I can make bottles at night without going down stairs. She wakes for 1 feed around 4/5. Has anyone made formula with coiled boiled water. Was thinking of using the milk powder dispensers..

Any tips?

OP posts:

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ffffffedup · 29/09/2015 16:14

OMG I also have an 8 and 5 yr old and I was told the same both my dc were fine. I was told to sterilise bottles then fill up with boiled water then cool and add formula when bottle was needed water to be used within 24hrs. When I left hospital with dc3 7 months ago midwife told me exactly the same it's only because I was bought a perfect prep machine that I do it differently now, if we're going out or on holiday I revert back to how I did it previously. I use aptamil it does not say anywhere on the tub to add to a small amount of boiling water then top up with cooled, in fact it says to leave boiled water to cool them add the amount of scoops required (although it does say don't leave the water to cool for longer than 30 mins). Maybe different milks have different guidelines.

CultureSucksDownWords · 29/09/2015 17:00

All the ordinary first milks (not necessarily the specialist milks like the anti reflux ones) will have the same instructions on them. I.e. to use fresh water, boil, leave for no more than 30 mins, measure water into bottle, add leveled scoops and then shake well.

The reason it says to leave the boiled water to cool for no more than 30 mins is that the water should still be over 70 degrees within this amount of time, and so will kill any bugs in the formula powder. You don't have to leave it for 30 mins, just no longer than 30 mins.

The risks of getting a bug from preparing formula with cold water are small, but the kinds of bugs you might get are pretty horrible and unpleasant. It's fairly easy to almost completely minimise the risk by using hot water, so it would seem reasonable to do so.

ffffffedup · 29/09/2015 17:02

Surely 70c is too hot to give to baby

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ShowOfHands · 29/09/2015 17:03

You cool the bottle down before you give it to the baby.

ffffffedup · 29/09/2015 17:06

And all this time baby is screaming for a bottle waiting for it boil then cool down not very practical especially in the middle of the night

CultureSucksDownWords · 29/09/2015 17:08

Yep, you cool it down.

I guess you prepare a bottle a short while before you expect to need it? Or that's where the perfect prep machine is marketed. Also I've heard people use the ready made formula cartons for night feeds.

ffffffedup · 29/09/2015 17:12

So basically shooting the answer is
A- wake up at least half an hour before your baby does go down boil the kettle etc then hope your baby wakes up once it's cooled down
B- spend a fortune on ready made milk every night
C- use a perfect prep
D- use cooled boiled water at the risk of giving your baby a bug

ShowOfHands · 29/09/2015 17:17

fff, there are other options too as people on here have explained. You can measure out some boiling water and some cooled water, used the boiled water to sterilise the powder and then add the measured out cooled water to make a bottle the perfect temperature.

As others have said, if you need to make in advance, you can do so using the method described on the tin, flash cool the bottles and store them in the back of the fridge (I think for up to 24hrs).

You also have the option of ready made, perfect prep etc but there are ways of doing it which minimise risk, take very little time and are of no additional expense.

ShowOfHands · 29/09/2015 17:19

Oh and a decent thermos in the bedroom so you don't even have to go downstairs.

Plenty of recommendations on this thread and I hope shooting found a system which worked for her when she asked a couple of weeks ago.

SurlyCue · 29/09/2015 17:45

So basically shooting the answer is
A- wake up at least half an hour before your baby does go down boil the kettle etc then hope your baby wakes up once it's cooled down
B- spend a fortune on ready made milk every night
C- use a perfect prep
D- use cooled boiled water at the risk of giving your baby a bug

Have you read the thread?

There is also the (i thought quite logical) option of making a bottle at (say) 10pm as per manufacturer instructions and just bringing it up to the room to cool before being used at 1/2/3/4 am.

Goldmandra · 29/09/2015 17:49

It is perfectly possible to make up bottles safely and have the bottle ready reasonably quickly, i.e. by mixing with a small amount of water over 70 degrees then adding the correct amount of cooler boiled water.

Alternatively, you can decide that you have always done it another way and you wish to continue doing so. Just don't kid yourself that there is no risk because your child hasn't become ill up until now.

Trying to make the safer method sound like an unreasonable demand is disingenuous.

My children have never been involved in RTAs and I didn't wear a seatbelt as a small child. That doesn't mean I don't understand the need for children to be in appropriate car restraints. It's a faff but I've always done it.

The advice is to make the formula powder safer by mixing it with hot enough water to kill any bacteria. It makes sense to do it but, if you can't be bothered, that's up to you.

FanOfSpam · 29/09/2015 18:20

Ffffffff, just go for your option D because, you know what? Thousands upon thousands of women do.

ffffffedup · 29/09/2015 18:28

surlycue
Have you read the OP? She asks for ways to make it easier to make a bottle up during the night?
Also I'm not sure making a bottle up at 10 pm then giving it at 1/2/3/4am is technically "safe" under "guidelines" isn't a made up bottle meant to be discarded after 2 hours????
And fan i don't need to do anything to make a bottle up during the night he's 7 mo well past the night feed stage thank god but if I did I'd go down and use my perfect prep machine

SurlyCue · 29/09/2015 18:39

Have you read the OP? She asks for ways to make it easier to make a bottle up during the night?

And lifting a prepared, room temp bottle off the bedside table isnt easier?

Also I'm not sure making a bottle up at 10 pm then giving it at 1/2/3/4am is technically "safe" under "guidelines" isn't a made up bottle meant to be discarded after 2 hours????

Well if thats the case then she could always keep a flask of hot water and a bottle of cooled boiled in the room.!!!!!!!!!!

FanOfSpam · 29/09/2015 19:47

Sorry, fffffff, I meant the OP.

ffffffedup · 29/09/2015 19:57

surly I'm 100% with you it's easier totally agree but I'm sure it's not within "guidelines" like making it with cooled boiled water probably isn't either. Like fan said thousands of other women have probably done it anyway though I know I've done both in the past. Some people on here can get a bit fanatical about things for example I could never imagine myself getting the thermometer out to measure water temperature sometimes common sense goes right out the window.

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