Formula help please!

[mhn1]

Hi all,

My daughter is 3 weeks old and is on c&g anti-reflux formula. Anyone that uses anti-reflux knows how slow it is to cool which is becoming a nightmare!

People have suggested that I make the bottles using cooled boiled water with some fresh. Can anyone advise me on the right ratios for this? (It is advised for anti-reflux to be made at a temp of 40 degrees and not the usual 70). Does anyone also have any tips as to how I can prevent the milk from becoming too frothy? We use MAM bottles and cool with the lid off to let the air escape but still having problems with froth!

ALSO (sorry!!!), I know it's not fully advised but does anyone make formula up in advance and store in the fridge for night feeds?

Thankyou

I know it's not fully advised but does anyone make formula up in advance and store in the fridge for night feeds?

I don't know about your particular formula - but yes I always made up my formula in 24 hour batches and kept them in the fridge until needed. Never had a problem with it. To me it's no different from storing any other milk in the fridge. Go for it - don't make life any harder than it already is . Good luck !

I can't advise on anti-reflux specifically as we used Comfort milk.

The WHO advise that it's safe to make up feeds and store for up to 24 hours in the back of a fridge. Use within 60 minutes of being removed from the fridge or keep cool in a bag/box.

We did this from birth and never had any issues.

If making fresh I would use 1/3 hot water and top up with cooled boiled water. Add powder - add hot water - stir to mix instead of shaking - add cooled water - stir again.

We did this as #1 was very windy, stirring doesn't build as much air so should reduce froth.

I second what starry said OP. We had an 'off the record' chat with a midwife and she said its what she does too but she isnt paid to say that

We make it with water that's been in a thermos for a few hours so it's cooler than boiling water, then dunk it in a bowl of cold water for ten mins and it's cool by then (7oz bottle). At night we make one in advance two hours before we need it then leave it to cool naturally. Although my baby is 6 months so we have a good idea of when she wants feeding. Do you have a water thermometer? I'm not sure c&g reflux would refrigerate well, I've found it turns to lumps if it cools too much and might be too thick to drink.

You can make up formula in advance, but I wouldn’t advise it with anti-reflux milk. I tried it and it went all clumpy in the fridge

To be honest, we didn't even realise we had to mix the formula with boiling hot water. We just poured out the water boiling hot into the bottles she'd need for the next day. Added the formula to water the next day as she needed it and she was fine. I can understand people worrying about it because it's meant to kill any bacteria bit from our experience, no issues.

I’ve fed anti reflux formula. You can’t make it up in advance as it will over thicken/go clumpy so the fridge option is out and as you say, unlike with regular formula the water needs to be cooled to tepid before you add the powder. So it’s a bit different to the usual stuff.

We used the perfect prep machine to cut out on waiting 45 minutes for the boiled water to cool- you just add all the water to the bottle before any of the powder- both the hot shot and then the long cooler one. You still have to wait for the milk to sit once made, ours was 7 minutes I think, but I found that by the time you changed baby’s nappy it wasn’t an unbearably long wait even overnight. When we went out we’d add hot water to the bottle before we left and then add the powder when ready to feed so I guess you could do that too.

I haven’t used comfort milk but use cow and gate regular formula. We make all the bottles for the next 24hrs and store in the fridge. When needed we stand them in a bowl of hot water to warm them