Formula

[bellabecx]

How do you all store formula milk when out and about? Does the milk need to be kept warm or cold?

Milk needs to be kept cold. Just water needs to be kept warm. Or take ready made cartons

I've always used ready made cartons unless I know she'll need a feed within an hour and a half or so off leaving home, in which case I make a fresh bottle, just before leaving, cool it down and take it. They last up to 2 hours at room temperature.

I did a variety of things depending on circs...either taking a pre-made bottle of milk with a sterile bottle and just decant when needed, or taking a bottle made up with powder the night before that had been kept in the fridge and taking this and keeping it in a cool bag with ice packs, you can keep it in there for up to four hours. Or if she was due a bottle within an hour I would take one of the ones I'd made the night before from the fridge and just take that out as is and then warm it up when she was about to have it, if we were in cafe or something. if going to someone else's house I would take the bottle from the fridge and then just put it straight in their fridge if it was a short journey. On holiday I took sterile bottles out with cooled boiled water in, and then the powder formula in a little tub, and when it was time for her feed mix the powder into the bottle.

Hi Op,

It can be done, and once you have a routine it isn’t tricky.

Since Formula milk powder isn’t sterile you either need to:
-make up formula with water over 70 degrees & then keep bottle warm (for a maximum of 2 hours ) then feed (bottle bags are good for this)

Or

• make up formula as usual, store in fridge (5 degrees ) , keep cool when out & then warm up before feeding (ice packs & bottle bags)

Or

• take milk powder, hot water in thermos flask (over 70 degrees) and mix together when needed

(You can add cooled boiled water after mixing to cool quicker as long as the ratios are right - Eg 7 scoops of powder mixed with 5 oz of hot water, shake, then add 2 oz of cooled boiled water so it can be consumed quickly)

Or

• take ready made formula and just heat as needed as it’s pre-sterilized (But is more expensive)

Good luck!