Making up bottles of formula...

[BeckyLouise92]

Hi all, I've been reading up but finding so much conflicting advice and differing opinions I thought I'd start a new thread. We're trying to perfect our routine for making up bottles - currently I boil the kettle then make immediately in sterilise bottles and cool in a tub of cold water. The problem is that this takes so long and DS goes from asleep to screaming like he's starving to death in about 3 seconds. He also has a habit of deciding he's hungry an hour before we expect him to be.

Would it be ok to make up his bottle with half freshly boiled water, mix in the formula, then add cooled boiled water to get it down to the right temperature?

I think what you are suggesting is exactly the recommendation?? You can buy a perfect prep machine, fairly sure this is what it does - shot of hot to sterilise the formula, then cooled boiled to make it drinking temperature.

I always made up bottles fresh but we kept 2 jugs of water in the fridge to use on rotation as it cools the milk quicker

Get a perfect prep machine!

The perfect and prep machine does exactly what you have suggested - a hot shot at mixes with the formula and gets rid of bacteria, and then filtered cool water to get the bottle up to body temperature.

First time I’ve ever heard someone doing that manually and although it doesn’t seem to go with the advice I can’t see why it wouldn’t work as long as the cool water has also been boiled recently.

This does mean that you may need two kettles though!

On a separate note I think the nhs says you shouldn’t really pre make bottles for the fridge.

Others will disagree (especially those with pfb) but it's perfectly fine to pre make bottles and store them in the fridge then heat them up in the microwave, make sure you shake it very well to get rid of any hot spots and check the temp.

The perfect prep machine is not recommended at all as it doesn't heat the water sufficiently to sterilise the formula.

I do exactly what you do (although now over 6 months I top up with tap water).

Would it be ok to make up his bottle with half freshly boiled water, mix in the formula, then add cooled boiled water to get it down to the right temperature?

I did this once DS was older, about 7 or 8 months I think, but for the very little ones I would stick to the recommendations - looking back I always think we should have just got a perfect prep. I was combination feeding up until about 13 or 14 weeks, no way could I be bothered with all that faff if we had just been using formula.

Yes this is what I did. But I didn't do half. For 6oz would do 2oz hot and 4oz cold. Anything more it would still be too hot to drink.

For night time I had a kettle in the room with a bottled of cooled boiled water and premeasured formula. For trips out I had a flask of hot water and same as above.

The guidance talks about needing to use hot water that is at least 70oC because formula isn’t sterile. It however is safe to prepare bottles in advance as long as you make them up as you would normally with hot water at least at 70oC, however you need to cool the bottle down immediately and put it in the fridge and then use them within 24 hours. You can also leave the bottles out at room temperature once cooled down but you’ll need to use them within 2 hours.

You can store prepared bottles at the back of the fridge for 24 hours. Make the bottled up and cool down straight away and put in them in fridge. Or use within 2 hours if left not stored in the fridge

To warm the cold bottles
When you are ready to use the feed, place the bottle in a container of warm water to heat it up. Always test the feed on the inside of your wrist to make sure if it isn’t too hot before you give it to your baby.

never use a microwave to heat up the feed, as it can get hot spots and burn baby’s mouth

See pages 16-17 (transporting and warming a feed).

www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2008/02/start4life_guide_to_bottle_-feeding.pdf

On a separate note I think the nhs says you shouldn’t really pre make bottles for the fridge

There’s lots of confusion around this. The guidance states it’s safe to pre make bottles for future use or transportation (if you’re going out for the day etc) as long as the bottles are made up correctly then cooled down immediately and stored in the fridge and used within 24 hours, or used within 2 hours if once they’ve been cooled down they’ve been left out at room temperature.

If you’re going out for the day and use the pre made bottles the guidance advises to store the bottles in a cool bag with an ice pack and use within 4 hours, or if you don’t have a cool bag you’ll need to use the bottle within 2 hours, however it’s much easier just to buy the small cartons/bottles of ready made formula if you go out for the day as it can be stored at room temperature.

I used yo make all bottless up night befote with boiling water and stored in the fridge till needed.

As i understood it, the formula needs to hit boiling water to make it sterile

It's fine to it the way you are suggesting.

I made up 6 bottles at night and stored at the back of the fridge as per UNICEF advice.

Make up with boiled water (left to cool for 5 minutes in a jug as freshly boiled kills off nutrients), flash cool in a basin of cold water and put in the back of main fridge compartment.

You can do what you’ve suggested but you need to make sure you have pre measured both sets of water - ie. for a 4oz bottle your 2oz of boiling water and 2oz of cooled boiled so you end up with the correct concentration/thickness of the milk.
Not hot water, powder and then top up to 4oz with your cold as the powder displaces the volume.

Formula making is such an utter faff and ok don't understand how you're supposed to follow guidelines and not have a screaming baby waiting for it to be cooled down enough.

Honestly - I often think it's worth the cost of the premixed bottles/cartons just to not have to deal with this.

Hello Ladies,
I'm desperate to increase my breast milk supply.
I am having to top up with formula as babies still always hungry after feed.

I've already got a pump which I use after each feed to try and increase supply.

My boobs never feel full or heavy, my twins are five weeks now and I don't want to loose my breast milk.

I would love to hear what supplements you used and if they worked?

I have heard of fenugreek and brewers yeast? Would you buy them from Holland and Barrett?

Any advice welcome

@PostiveThinkingRainbow offer breast at the start of every feed, using both sides. Then pump in between. Try not to offer formula unless necessary as it's a supply and demand situation, the more they demand the more your body will make. Breasts do not necessarily feel full to have milk, feeling full normally means you are overdue a feed not that you have enough.

Try to find a breastfeeding group local to you.

I have breast and formula fed and am not anti formula at all but breast is so much easier once you have got it mastered!

I

I did what you do for the first month and it was hard, I couldn't cool it in time and he was getting more distressed. Then started making bottles in advance with boiling water and putting in fridge. Then when need warming them up. So much easier and less stressful for all. Two healthy boys here!

Oh and always used the bottles within 24 hrs.

I used to make fresh during the day but pre make over night bottles and store them in the fridge ..always cooling them down immediately and not keeping for more than 12 hours. It worked for us.

Why don't you just pre make formula and store in the fridge when cooled. I've done this for my 6 month old since 2 months old she's healthy happy baby. My hv asked when I first had her how I done her bottles I told her she was more concerned about how I got them hot. When I told her kettle and testing heat on the back of my hand she was fine. Only advised me not to heat in the microwave.