Formula feeding - flask method - help

[LaceyLou42]

Hi, DS1 is on comfort milk and we are planning on going for a full day out. Obviously as he’s on comfort milk I can’t give him the ready made cartons. I’ve read about people taking out flasks of boiled water and then bottles of cooled boiled water which sounds like a bit of a faff. I think I’d be spilling water everywhere (I’m rather clumsy) so would prefer to get by just with flask only. What I would like to know is how long does it take for the bottle to cool down to a suitable drinking temperature once the bottle has been made up with boiled water from a flask? I currently use a prep machine so I’m not very clued up. I know that once a bottle is made it has to be consumed within 2 hours, so say baby is due a bottle at 2pm (he goes every 3 hours) could I put the boiled water from the flask into a bottle at say 12:30, then add the formula then let it cool down on its own, then would it be drinkable by 2pm? Baby is used to room temp as that’s what the prep machine does it to. Thanks!

After a few tests you will know how long it takes to cool down by itself. It will just take a bit of practice. I would imagine 45 mins to an hour once it's not in a lined pocket or anything

@SqidgeBum thank you!

@Lockdownseperation I'm fully aware the WHO say to use water at 70° where it's available, however the US, Australia and New Zealand to name a few all recommend using cooled boiled water.

For me, the risks of faffing about with multiple flasks of hot water greatly outweighed the risk of any sort of food poisoning in a healthy baby. Obviously this is a personal choice, we all to some extent take risks where are children are concerned. For me, I minimised risk by using a Perfect Prep at home and when out and about, added formula powder to cooled, boiled water.

@hauntedvagina what risks do you talk about? Burning ones self? Obviously will keep away from baby

@RedRumTheHorse

We always used boiling water when my kids were small, they hadn't invented machines. Bottles can withstand being boiled in a pan too. You make up with boiling water and stand in a jug of cold water to cool or make up and refrigerate the bottles to 4 degrees then put in a cool bag with an ice pack - then ask for a jug of warm water to heat the bottle. It was normal to make up a days worth of bottles at a time when mine were small and keep cool, I'm sure all the advice not to was to sell fancy machines!

If I was going out and I knew the baby would need feeding in the next two hours, I would make up a bottle with boiling water and it would be just right by the time she needed it. If I was out for any longer, I would make up the bottles as normal at home, chill them very quickly in a sink of iced water then keep them in a cool bag with an ice pack. I took a flask of hot water and a small jug to briefly warm them before feeding.

My DS was on comfort formula too, and i did it both ways - both worked and i didnt find either too faffy. As an example when he was on 6oz feeds, I would take a flask of boiling water (I poured straight from the kettle, the flask kept it above 70 degrees for a good 8 hours or so) and a sterilised bottle of boiled cooled water, think i used to put 9oz in. Then when time for bottle I'd put in 3oz from the flask, add powder, then 3oz from sterile bottle of cooled water. So i knew was 6oz and was a reasonable temp although sometimes needed to sit in a jug of cold water for a few minutes before it was drinkable. And i had enough for 3 bottles that day. I have also just used the hot water from the flask to make up the whole feed, then put in a jug of cold water to cool so drinkable. Both were fine.

@LaceyLou42 burns, misjudging water amounts, more containers than necessary to ensure sterile.

I'd always recommend following guidelines as closely as possible, which was one of the reasons I used a Perfect Prep. Two years ago my son devolved some health issues and had to start using prescription formula, the tin stated that water should be cooled to at least 40° when preparing a feed. Obviously this set alarm bells ringing and I became terrified that my son was about to contract some horrible illness from contaminated formula so I started looking at formula preparation guidelines from other countries (on the recommendation of friends from overseas). This was when I found that most countries don't recommend using water at 70° and that some actually just said to use tap water after the first three months (the horror!!).

Obviously you need to do what you feel most comfortable with, for me that was following the guidelines as closely as possible at home (which with a baby is 99% of the time) and making an informed choice when out and about.

I boil the kettle and fill the Thermos straight away. Once out and DS wants a feed I make up the bottle as normal with the hot water and powder, shake it then run under a cold tap or stand in a jug of cold water for 5 minutes (easier to do this than warming a cold bottle up as most places won't give boiling water anymore) and voila, cooled down enough to drink. If your baby likes it cooler or warmer just keep checking the temp as you go. This is how we make bottles at home too so no extra faff at all. I think you're over thinking it.

@minnieok you must have confused me with another poster as I never used any machine to prepare formula. I used a kettle and flasks with different temperature water in it.

Also both myself and my partner poured boiling water into some of our baby bottles and a few deformed. My partner did it first and I didn't believe him until I later did it.

The current advice is to make up formula as you need it and not to bulk make it up then store it in the fridge. This limits the amount of bacteria growing in the formula so minimises the chance of your child getting sick if they are inclined to.

As I was a sickly baby then child and it was discovered I have an immune disorder we did this with DD until we confirmed that she didn't have any problems. When we went out depending who was taking her out she was either breast fed, 2 flasks of water and measures of formula were taken out, or shop brought ready made formula was used.

@LaceyLou42 sorry, have only just seen you responded. It depends on the temperature the baby likes it really. I think we usually made it up to an hour before DC needed it, they both liked it still warm the majority of the time.

Forgot to add, if we were in a café or somewhere with access to cold water we'd cool it in a jug for a while too.

I would do a test run at home and see how long it would take

Or could you take boiling water in one flask To add the powder to and then cold water which has been boiled and then cooled in a different flask. Add powder to boiler water like the machine does as a Shot and then once shaken add the cold water?

@hauntedvagina I did the exact same. DD went on anti-reflux milk for a while and if you use boiling/70 degree water the gelling agent will clump, hence why you need cooled boiled water. If there was a significant risk of food poisoning I'd be shocked that stuff was on the market. The storage instructions are no different to standard formula, and I doubt there's any difference in hygiene policies in each part of the factories they're manufactured in.

I actually asked the GP about the risk using cooled boiled water with the anti reflux stuff and he said the worrying about water being exactly 70 degrees at all feeds is a bit ott. And taking into account the guidelines in places like NZ I can't help but agree.

@TheCraicDealer I'm glad to see I wasn't alone in my initial fears, and you're completely right, if formula that had to be prepared at below 40° was such a risk it wouldn't be on the market.