Hotel weekend away with 5 month old

[Rockinghorse2019]

Hi Hubbie has booked a spa hotel for the 3 of us (5 month old) this upcoming weekend. I have just started to panic about the practicalities. We are bottle feeding using sma and using tommee tippee electric steriliser and perfect prep.
We will leave at 11 am and probably won’t get back until 5 the next day so out of the 24 hours sterilising time. Any ideas what would be best to do?
Also when going out for the day I have been taking warmed water from the perfect prep and then the powder separate and mixing a few hours later. I’m sure I have now read this isn’t safe ?
Any advice appreciated xx

Can you just take pre madeup bottles for the weekend and save yourself any stress

Sorry posted too soon. They are about 80p each I think - but would make your life a lot easier!

Do they still do the little cartons the same size as juice cartons? Already made up and no hassle

Using the water from the steriliser is no use as it is the hot water (the first shot from the machine) that kills the bacteria in the powder.

Most hotel rooms have a kettle? Use this to make the bottles up and leave them to cool? Pop them in cold water to cool quicker.

If you leave the lids on the bottles after sterilising then I would have thought they'd be fine for the the additional few hours, but if I'm wrong then could you not take the sterilisers with you?

Yes or buy the pre made stuff!

I’d personally sterilise before you go then use ready made formula in the bottles (since that’s sterile) and not worry about the extra few hours. I’ve done this when travelling long haul a few times because there isn’t really another option and it’s always been fine. If you don’t want to do that then wash up bottles in the hotel sink, then do cold water sterilising with Milton. Again I’d do ready made formula but if your baby won’t take it then I’d mimic the perfect prep by adding your own hot water shot then topping the bottle up with Evian water (don’t use any old water, some brands aren’t safe for babies due to the mineral content).

Also, have you checked that you can actually use the spa facilities with the baby? Lots of places can understandably be a bit restrictive about when children are allowed in the pool.

Definitely buy the cartons if it's just for a day and night, saves all the faff and worth the extra cost in my opinion. As someone else has said have you checked though you can use the spa facilities with a baby?

I think most fancy hotels have designated time you can swim with a baby usually mid morning.

I agree I usually buy the readymade instant sma bottles which are £7 in a box for a few bottles.

When we did 2 days at Legoland with our 5 month old, I took the washing up bowl/liquid and bottle brush. Washed them up in hotel room, then boiled kettle and used that to sterilise the clean bottles.
Took several the ready mixed formula which we heated in restaurants/baby stations around the park. Or just standing in hot water if in the room.

I took enough bottles so they were only cleaned once this way, then we were home and they went through the proper steriliser..
He survived!

I would reccomend a cold water steriliser. Milton have one on amazon for ten pound. Then use milton tabs to sterilise. We do this at home. If you're uncertain about using a hotel kettle to make up a feed which I would be, take your own kettle or use the ready made formula if your DC will take it.
We have a 5mth old DD also and she hates the ready made stuff!

Enjoy the spa!

Thanks everyone,
When we booked they said babies are fine at the spa at certain times. Hope he is a good boy!
I have seen pre sterilised bottles has anyone used them?
Also does everyone think I am doing right when I go out during the day. I take a bottle with water from tommee tippee perfect prep and the formula in a separate container and just mix during the day when DS needs feeding
Thanks xx

@Rockinghorse2019 no - the way you're doing the bottles when out is not right. You need the boiling water shot (like the perfect prep does) to kill the bacteria in the formula.

We used to make up a bottle at home and re heat when out as long as it was in the two hour time frame. If not then we took the tommee tippee water but asked friends/restaurant/etc for boiling water to put in the powder first.

Agree with pp - the whole point is that the powder itself is not sterile and needs boiling water to kill any bugs. No formula powder is sterile.

We used to take two sterilised bottles, one empty and one with the second part of the tommy Tippee water in it (ie what comes out after the hot shot) and a flask of boiling water. And a tub with the right amount of powder in. Then just mimicked the perfect prep. You need the hot water element to kill the bacteria in the milk powder.
Or alternatively just take a flask, make the bottle up and cool it.

No you’re not doing it correctly according to the NHS guidelines - you need the hot shot to kill the bugs in the the powder which isn’t sterile. Personally I found it a massive faff to do it that way and used the perfect prep at home but stuck to the ready made cartons when out. They’re great, you really should try them. That said, lots of people do it the way you do, your baby is obviously fine, he’s soon to be at the crawling and everything goes in the mouth stage anyway and the NHS advice errs on the side of caution compared to other countries- I moved to the US when mine was a small baby and it appears to be the norm here to use cool boiled water, or even purified water straight from the bottle.

Regardless, of how you decide to do the bottles I hope he’s a good boy and you enjoy your break!