Formula advice!

[jadericho]

So all you formula feeding mums I need your help! I'm have a miserable time with breastfeeding at the minute and considering switching to formula. But I have so many questions.. my main one being how on earth do you manage making a feed and cooling it all whilst having a screaming hungry baby?!? Maybe I'm just so used to the convenience of just whipping my boob out and him being instantly soothed. The reason I say this is because I know guidelines have recently changed in that they don't recommend you prepare formula in advance and it always must be made fresh. It just seems like such a faf, the only way I can see round it is buying the ready made formula which for me isn't financially sustainable. Or is it not as complicated as what I think because surely it can't be..

I have been combination feeding my little boy from a few weeks old (hormone problem affected my milk supply). Not sure if it is the right advice but I have always mixed boiling hot water and cooled boiled water straight into his bottle to a comfortable temperature and then added the formula powder in to mix.
I do the same when we are out- a flask of boiling and a bottle of cold. It has seemed the easiest/ quickest way I have discovered so far and no need to buy clever gimmicky gadgets.

Good luck OP.

Get a perfect prep machine. Honest to god the difference it has made this time is unreal. I remember the hell trying to prep for DD...with DS it takes less than two minutes. I bought mine second hand for a tenner (checked all the tubes, replaced the filter etc). Best money i've spent

Made up formula can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

So in the morning, make 6-8 bottles in one go and stick in back of fridge. When baby is hungry whip one out, warm* and feed

Easy peasy!

• I used to warm with 50 seconds in microwave and a vigorous shake. But microwaves are recommended in case you forget to shake and get hot spots in the milk.

I can honestly say, having breastfed 3 children and formula fed one (DC3), that formula feeding is a million times easier. So don't worry.

Add the powder to boiling water (most important bit, boiling water over the powder) and then top up with pre-measured cold water, making sure you have the right formula/water ratio. It is recommended that you make up feeds fresh but you can flash cool a small batch and store them in the back of the fridge too as a "second best" option.

Microwaves are not recommended (that should say)

Put boiled water in the fridge the night before to cool. Then the next day when a bottle is needed add say 30mls of boiled water to formula in a bottle (to kill any bacteria) and top up to the total mls with the cooled boiled water. Shake or microwave if your baby prefers it warm. Just shake after you microwave and test.
(I then just used whatever water id just boiled to top up my supply in the fridge so I didn’t run out)

I use the Perfect Prep Machine for night time feeds. It's amazing. Bottle is ready in no time at all. Perfect for when LO is screaming and also because I'm half asleep! Makes things really easy.

In the morning I then make up the days worth of feeds, 6-8 bottles normally, with the kettle and store them at the back of the fridge for the day. Then when LO is hungry I just chuck one in a jug of warm water for 2 minutes just to take the chill off.

I use the perfect prep machine and I'd honestly be lost without it. It makes the bottle to the right temp in a few minutes. I use ready made bottles when out and about because it saves me faffing about.

Nhs recommends making bottle fresh. Hospital midwives told me guidance had changed and you now should not make them in batch and style then in fridge due to risk of infection.
Prefect prep is good.

Also use the ready made bottles when out and about

We make ours fresh with boiling water stored in a thermos, and then cool the bottle rapidly in a large jug of cold or iced water, changing the water halfway. It takes 2 mins or so to get to a comfortable temperature.

Early on when baby was less patient we'd make formula like clockwork in between feeds and throw it away if it was unused.

DS is now 5 but I used to fill 6 sterilised bottles with boiling water & use them over the course of the next day.

I had a little pot from avent that I also sterilised & put up to 3 lots of formula into it in separated sections.

Either I would use the bottle warm if the water was still warm enough or I would heat it up in a microwave and give it a good shake to avoid hot spots in the milk. (Obv not recommended by most books, hv's etc).

I never used boiling water to make the formula unless I did a bottle to take out with me to a group and I gauged after a while that it would be warm enough to give him a feed without warming it up again. I had a bag with insulated pockets.

I did it this way (boiled cooled water) simply because a good friend had her ds 2 weeks after me & he was in special care for a while & they made the formula up this way. If they didn't see the need for boiling water with tiny poorly babies I couldn't honestly see it was an issue.

Obviously you have to make your own mind up but I couldn't imagine having to start boiling the kettle when ds was already hungry/started crying.

It's a minefield though - bad to leave dc to cry if you want to put them in a routine but ok to do the same thing if it takes ages to make a bottle.

Whatever you do, honestly, someone will pull a face. Ds loves his milk, slept well, v chilled as was I (mostly!). Not too different now tbh.

Congratulations on your new baby xx

Either make it in advance (keep in fridge) or use Perfect Prep machine.

Ignore any hysteria around infection if kept in the fridge for a day. This literally never happens.

Make a batch and rapid cool them, th wet can be in the fridge for 24 hours.

The reason pre making them isnt advised because people dont rapidly cool them.
I would then have cartons for days out.

You might be advised to make up the water then add powder when needed. Do not do this! My health visitor advised this and she was bloody wrong. The powder needs hot water to be sterilised.
Its a common mistake that people think its just the water that needs sterilising.
Honestly Op as long as you cool them fast its fine.

This is why we need proper education about formula feeding. Even nurses and hv think its ok to add powder to cold water.
Its not. Its important for the powder to be sterilised.

Another vote for perfect prep! But if I'm anywhere without it ( at my mums etc) intake a bottle of cooled boiled water with me. Then do powder and about an oz of boiling water, topped up with the cooled water

I used the perfect prep machine! It was an absolute lifesaver.

Just make them in advance. I'm convinced the NHS like to make it as tricky as possible to formula feed, hence their time consuming method...

As long as you cool bottles promptly, then they are fine for 24 hours at the back of the fridge. We used the microwave to heat them (give a v good shake and always test!), used a cool bag to take one to bed and used a cheap microwave in the bedroom, so didn't even have to leave the room

I really wonder what people did before this Prep machine or those who can't afford one. Every thread on MN that's the answer to a question on how to make botles. Even though there's all sorts of controversy over that product's safety as well.

Oh eeanne it just needs to be cleaned regularly and be used with the correct filter. There are no safety issues.
Also why should we struggle with making bottles when the perfect prep is available?!? 😂 people used to hand wash clothes but I'm sure no one does that anymore! I could carry on...

Just make them in advance. I'm convinced the NHS like to make it as tricky as possible to formula feed, hence their time consuming method...

Yes! Indeed i the US, the advice is that it's OK to make it using cold milk.* The WHO agree. I often make it up with cold water from the tap shock*

For Home the perfect prep is amazing. When out and about - we make a bottle or two up before we leave and put it in an insulated bottle wrap - they keep fine for a few hours (I know they say use within two hours but this is a load of tosh in my view and they keep fine if in the insulated bottle bag). If you're out for longer then you can use ready made or make it up "fresh" with a thermos.

There's so much scare mongering about formula. It's fine as long as you are sensible.

I made the bottles up the way stayed on the box, quick cooled and stored in the fridge, I would do one lot in the morning and make one bottle at night for free morning feed so they were only stored for 12 hours or so( although 24 hours is fine).

When they were very small and having overnight feeds I used the bottles of ready made formula for night time.

If baby has 6 bottles in a day, boil water and fill 6 bottles with the required oz of water. Leave to cool and store in the fridge.

When baby is hungry, add the required number of scoops to one of the fridge bottles, heat and serve. (Different advice about whether to heat in a big of boiling water or in microwave. I used both methods but you may want to read up on heat spots when microwaving).

Not as quick as breastfeeding, obviously, but relatively quick when you get into the swing. Good luck.