Perfect prep, yay or nay?!

[Fivebyfive2]

Hi! My ds is almost 10 weeks and we combi feed at the moment. Recently we're giving more bottles because it's becoming more and more difficult to breastfeed him. I want to carry on for as long as possible if I can, but am also looking into options in case we end up swapping over to just bottle /formula feeds. One big thing I'm worried about is bottle prep, especially at night as ds can go from 0 to 60 in a blink if he's hungry and at the moment preparing bottles fresh with the kettle can be a tad stressful! But I know current guidelines say to do this and not make up in advance.

Have thought about a perfect prep but heard mixed things. Some say it's a godsend, but am a bit worried; at our NCT course we were advised they're not safe because the hot shot can create hot pockets in the bottles?? Someone also mentioned hygiene, but I'd assumed if we cleaned it regularly, it would be OK??

Sorry I probably sound clueless and a bit neurotic/pfb about it all!!

We use one for DS and in 10 months he's never had an upset tummy! We also use anti reflux milk which is made with cooler than 70 degree water so I'm not sure why people are so militant about making the entire bottle with hot water, because surely the anti reflux powder is just the same as regular milk but with added thickener?

Absolutely love the perfect prep! Midwives and my health visitor have never passed comment on it even though they must have seen it.

I couldn't imagine life without one. DS is like yours, goes from content to absolutely starving in no time at all and I couldn't imagine waiting for the kettle to boil, then waiting half an hour etc.

My health visitor advised that as long as you clean the machine following the instructions to the letter and keep up sterilising bottles and general hygiene there is no reason to be concerned. At the end of the day they wouldn't be allowed to sell them if they were dangerous to babies. It's just common sense really, if you're buying secondhand thoroughly clean before use, and then follow the instructions to clean it regularly and change the filters etc.

Just buy the small cartons of pre mixed formula for emergencies.

Ready at room temperature. No worry about killing bacteria in the powder.

Just pour in the bottle and go.

I've never had one. I did a lot of research at the time and decided against it. All it does is use a smaller quantity of hot water than you should and a shot of cold water to make it the right temperature. People have been doing this for years calling it things like "the two flask method" and it is not advised for the same reason as the perfect prep isn't, it doesn't reliably get the milk powder hot enough to sterilise it effectively.

I used the ready to feed milk in a fix

‘They wouldn’t be allowed to sell them if they were dangerous to babies’ - cot bumpers are still on sale despite being (potentially) dangerous.

Not saying perfect prep IS dangerous - and if I had to use powdered formula I’m 99% sure I’d have bought one - but the above argument doesn’t hold true IMO.

I combi fed and the PP worked really well.

Other option is ready made but it’s warming that up! also not relevant to this thread but if baby gets a bit constipated I found ready made formula really helped with a ‘clear out’!

Yay. The reports about them being dangerous a few years ago were all based on machines were people had not followed the instructions for using tommy tippee filters and had not clean the machines.

We were mix feeding, mainly in the evening and overnight. I did my own version of 'Perfect Prep'. I kept a sterile bottle of cooled boiled water in the fridge. When I needed a bottle I would just pour boiling water into a bottle and add formula to mix. I would then add the rest from the cooled boiled water in the fridge. So let's say I needed a 500ml bottle, I'd put 150ml of boiling water, add powder and mix, then top up with 350ml water from fridge. It took a bit of being organised and I'm not sure what the 'rules' are now about tap water so you may just be able to top up directly from the tap.

I'm not sure it's practical if you're doing all bottle feeding but for a few bottles a day it worked fine. Less stuff taking up space in the kitchen, less things to clean and break.

They weren't around when mine were small so didn't have the choice however I've seen some pretty gruesome pictures in the press relating to black mould not envy. This could be down to a rogue machine though.
I used ready made formula for night feeds. Spent a little bit of our newly claimed child benefit on it so didn't really feel the additional cost.

Just to add, I got my boiling water straight from the kettle, not a flask, so I knew it was hot enough to do the job.

1000% yes. It's the one thing I would recommend above all others to mothers who are bottle feeding.

There's nothing wrong with it if you keep it clean, according to instructions, and use the Tommee Tippee filters.

We actually had 2.. one at home and one at the caravan. I bought both second hand and paid £20 each for them.

I used to add formula to cool boiled water and give my children room temperature feeds 11+ years ago, making up fresh, but cold . They were never unwell fortunately. I think the perfect prep will be safer than that!

Absolute god send! Only took a couple of minutes, it was always the right temperature. I gave it a clean regularly and used the proper filters. DS only ever went 1.5 - 2hrs between feeds when he was little so the convenience was fantastic. He was never sick or had a dodgy bum.

We got one when DD was tiny and I had some lingering doubts because of stuff I'd read on the hot shot not being hot enough. That was until we went on anti-reflux milk for a few weeks, which you can't use hot water in the preparation of. Is anti-reflux milk made or packaged under different conditions to standard formula? I suspect not. There are no special directions about storage either.

I mentioned this to our GP who rolled his eyes and launched into a diatribe on the obsession of sterilising everything babies come into contact with. The only negatives we've heard about the PP from the HCPs we've been in contact with is that there's wastage with a new baby due to the smallest bottle size being 4oz. And with regards to hot pockets, surely there's still a risk of this with a bottle prepared with water at 70 degrees and then cooled under a tap?

I was recently reading a thread on a US forum about formula prep, and not only is batch prep normal (they even sell pitchers for this purpose to mix it and keep in the fridge door), some posters were saying their paediatricians told them they can make up feeds with water straight from the tap- and this is a topic for babies born in Sept '19, so not ancient advice. Again, I find it hard to believe that their formula is made under stricter conditions than the stuff we purchase in the UK, that it's exposed to less bacteria once the pack is opened, or that their tap water has bacteria killing properties.

It really depends on the degree of risk you're willing to accept. Personally I would not make up a feed entirely from the tap, but I will use a clean and well maintained Perfect Prep.

Thanks for all the replies, I wasn't expecting so many! Lots to think about.

I think we'll do some research and decide.

I'm still breastfeeding mostly, but baby has started getting very fussy and randomly refusing the boob! I've spoken to hv and a breastfeeding group, but it's been gradually getting worse for about 2 weeks and it's so stressful when it happens, especially at night or when I'm alone because he's already hungry and then has to wait while I do a bottle fresh. We have the ready made cartons but he seems to only like it warmed up!

Yes just make sure you shake the hot shot before pressing the cold button
.

Also it's YEA or NAY not yay...

They seem no more convenient to me and actually far more of a faff to make a bottle to be honest. You still have to scoop the powder out etc.

In the middle of the night grabbing a bottle from the fridge, zapping for 30 seconds and shaking seems a LOT easier and quicker than getting a bottle out of the steraliser, scooping the powder (try counting at 3 am with a screaming baby) and then waiting for the water.

Batch making last thing before bed (4-5) bottles is what my mum, sister in laws and every older mum I know has done. Midwife and health visitor said no issues.

You can guarantee all powder has come into contact with hot water and as long as you've used within 24 hours you are fine. It's far quicker than PP with a very hungry baby.

I find it quicker to make a bottle with the perfect prep than to wait for one from the fridge to heat up (but then again, I don't use the microwave to heat them because that is not advised).

@Wale90 I thought they didn’t recommend microwaving bottles anymore because of the potential heat pockets it can cause?

We did batch making with my first with no issues at all but with the PP machine you don’t need to count it beeps and tells you when the next step is ready

Make up feeds in advance,put in fridge and zap in microwave for a few seconds,shake well and feed baby!! It worked for all my children.Remember all advice from the agency’s etc are aimed at the really stupid people in this world.

@Blitzen2

To be fair we just take the chill of it so non of the bottle is particularly hot, a 9 oz bottle only gets 40 secondsand in our microwave this is littlemore than room temp. I believe the same 'hot pocket' risk is there with the PP which is why all bottles need a good shake after heating/making which should deal with any hot pocket risk.

I'm in Aus, but have never been told anything about killing bacteria in the formula with hot water. I sterilise bottles, fill with boiled water and put them in the fridge. Then I make them up with formula when I need them. Baby drinks them cold. One of the main parenting gov info websites here gives that advice with no mention of hot shotting the formula

raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/breastfeeding-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/formula-making-storing-transporting

It does seem to only be the UK that advises to use hot water. We are in Germany and our formula boxes state cold/warm water is fine, too. But I always did it with hot water because of the contamination risk and because the WHO advise it, even in countries where the water is safe to drink unboiled.