How do you make your formula milk?

[Dudleygirl85]

Hiya, just wondering how everyone makes their babies formula milk. 15 years ago when I had my first DS you made your babies bottles all together and put them in the fridge (6 feeds) and they lasted 24hrs. What ever was left the same time next day had to be poured away. When I had my DD 6 years later, the rule was you had to make the feed as and when you needed it (like now) but because it was totally fine for my DS I did the same as I did with him and made them up and put them in the fridge the same way and it was never a problem with my DD. 9 years later I'm 38 weeks pregnant and I'm wondering if anyone still makes the bottles up and stores them in the fridge for 24hrs like I used to?

I used a perfect prep at home and either ready made formula or a flask of boiling water plus a bottle of cooled boiled water when out. Adding hot water to the powder is the key. Plenty of people make all the bottles up for the day with boiling water and flash cool them in the fridge to use when needed. Not what's recommended but unlikely to cause issues. The problem comes when people add cooled water to the powder then warm it.

I make them fresh in the day if I'm in the house. For night time i make them up using the guidelines and then flash cool them in a sink of ice cold water. Then store them in the back of the fridge. I think back of th fridge is key. Due to being thecoldrt part and consistent temperature. The NHS says use within 24 hours but they are always used within 12 hours. My dd is 10 weeks old. I did the same for my 4 year old ds.

Oh god sorry about errors

I work in a children's hospital making up special feeds. Making fresh as needed is ideal but if you can't, making in advance is fine as long as it's done properly.

Make with water over 70 degrees to kill bacteria
Flash cool as quickly as possible
Store in main body of fridge
Discard any unused feed after 24 hours

Perfect prep 😀

Years ago it was the norm to make up bottles, place on the fridge and warm as needed like you did with your first born. It didn't hurt all those millions of babies who's mothers made their milk up in advance when it was allowed...

I was told the information was changed because, a baby got very sick drinking a bottle that had been made up in advance. But I also read that the bottle wasn't placed in the fridge, but left on the side all day. I'm not sure if this is true or not.

Anyway, it didn't hurt your first two children so I would say do it again. As newborns I made up bottles in fridge, cooked in water and placed in fridge then re heated as needed. As time went on and feeds were less demanding, I made fresh bottles as I went along in the day and made up some for the night feeds to put in fridge.

It didn't hurt all those millions of babies who's mothers made their milk up in advance when it was allowed...

But it did. The guidelines are there because some babies did get ill, and a few died, from bacteria that was present in formula powder that could have been killed by 70 deg water.

From the WHO http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/PIFCaree_en.pdf
"Powdered infant formula is not a sterile product. It may contain bacteria that can cause serious illness in infants, such as Enterobacter sakazakii. Although infections caused by E. sakazakii in formula are rare, they can be serious and sometimes fatal."