Perfect prep machine

[Jayjayes]

Hiya, am a first time mum with a 6 week old and after breastfeeding didn't work out for us we started on formula. I was bought a perfect prep machine and after talking to the HV today she told me they don't recommend them. Am now in a mess over what to do, am suffering from PNA and this has sent me over the edge. The machine has helped me so much am not sure I can manage without it. Am I putting my son at risk by using it? Any advice would be fantastic

Make sure you clean it as per the instructions. My baby was absolutely fine with it.

Oh and don't leave in sunlight especially in the summer. Follow the manual and it will be fine.

It's fine. Just keep it clean and use proper branded filters. Everyone I know who has FF uses one (we did).

As other PPs have said just clean as per instructions, use proper filters etc & it will be fine, our LO is almost 6 months & we have used one since birth with no issues

Apparently the hot shot might not be hot enough according to nhs

www.nnuh.nhs.uk/publication/download/formula-feeding-top-tips-for-parents-v3/

Tommie tippee insist it is safe though.

I use one for my baby. I find it very useful.

Other countries do not necessarily advise using boiled water for powdered formula anyway. This hospital recommends using tap water at desired temperature.

www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/bottle-feeding-formula-questions/

I wouldn’t recommend that btw, just giving examples of how advice differs.

You could try some ready made formula? That’s sterile but much more expensive.

HV don’t recommend baby wipes either only cotton wool and water meanwhile back in the real world.

We used one from 8 weeks and it saved my sanity, clean it and only ever use the actual tommee tippee filters and it will be fine. The mould issue came from people using cheap filters and not cleaning as they should. I'm sure I saw on here tommee tippee changed their cleaning process to use Milton to help too so don't worry about that side of it. And as for the hot shot not being hot enough, that's a concern but they will have tested over and over and over again to make sure it's fine. We didn't use it until 8 weeks because I wanted baby to start building a bit of an immune system first but whether that actually is a thing or not I have no idea.

I know was pna can be like and if you are really worried you could always do a homemade version of the perfect prep by filling a sterile bottle with cooled boiled water and then adding formula to just boiled water and topping up with the cool water in the same ratio the tommee tippee does until you're more comfortable using it

I would ignore your HV. Make sure you follow the cleaning instructions and use the recommended filters. We’ve used a Prep machine with both children - saved my sanity after breastfeeding failed both times.

Thank you for the reassurance. I've been looking at videos on how to clean it and feel confused over how best to do this. Think am over complicating things. I have Milton sterilising fluid, do I make up 5l and then add 1l once I've ran a cycle to drain what is in there? The machine just tells me to add boiling water. I feel like such a failure, it looks like the seal on the hopper wasn't in place and the water maybe hasn't filtered

As others - if you use correct filters and clean it and regularly it’s fine. I couldn’t have lived without mine. HVs are extremely extremely risk adverse - as they should be, but real life involves being a grown up and weighing up this stuff.

We used one and it was a lifesaver, especially for the night feeds. As long as you follow the manual and keep cleaning it, use proper filters etc, you'll be fine. My HV actually said that although they can't promote or recommend them, she had heard how brilliant they were and wasn't going to tell us to stop using it.

You know that when you get something first and it’s a novelty, and the you get used to it after a while and take it for granted?
Well, the perfect prep machine was the one item I have ever owned that this DID NOT happen with.

I thanked God for it every single time I used it. It was absolutely brilliant and I appreciated every single bottle it made.
I used to thank it out loud every time.

Also, after having it good few weeks, I changed the filter in it. But I poured boiling water in through it. Thinking this might be dangerous, I rang the company and they said ‘maybe it’s better to get a new one just to be safe’ so I did and put the filter in really carefully this time.
Then I went to make a bottle, and it took AGES compared to normal. I thought I had broken the machine, but checked the filter, and actually I had not had the filter in correctly EVER, so the baby had been drinking plain unfiltered tap water from birth.
I nearly fainted I could not believe my stupidity.

I think the shot of hot water kills bacteria, so once you do that it should be safe. Would you be manually making bottles the same way anyway?

@Jayjayes

Thank you for the reassurance. I've been looking at videos on how to clean it and feel confused over how best to do this. Think am over complicating things. I have Milton sterilising fluid, do I make up 5l and then add 1l once I've ran a cycle to drain what is in there? The machine just tells me to add boiling water. I feel like such a failure, it looks like the seal on the hopper wasn't in place and the water maybe hasn't filtered

Drain what's in it and then add 1.8ltr of Milton/water solution and run a cleaning cycle, I used to then add just boiled water to the max fill line with the hopper in but no filter and run another cleaning cycle to clean any left over Milton. Then when you add the filter (after submerging in cold water per instructions) make sure it clicks in place and it will be absolutely fine.

I've just remembered what we used to do before 6 months too. Boil the kettle and let it cool completely then add that to the machine rather than topping up from the tap. After 6 months I started using filtered tap water to top the machine up instead because that was when he could have tap water as a drink. That helped my anxiety massively so hopefully could put your mind at rest about the filter possibly not working 100%.

Also my daughter was on a special formula and it was advised to make it up exactly this way, hot shot of water then plain water. I know all formulas are different but this was a medical formula so it must be safe for that particular one at least.

If you follow all the advice from PP then you will be ok.

However, once I saw some of the pics of the mouldy/black machines I was irrationally convinced it would happen to me and just couldn't bring myself to get one 🙈

I did get a formula kettle though which would thoroughly recommend. Holds water at 70 degrees then just a few mins to cool
the bottle by standing in cold water

uneeqbaby.com/collections/multi-functional-formula-kettle

I don’t think HVs are allowed to say much on formula feeding anyway, certainly not anything helpful anyway since they usually say feed on demand but make from scratch with hot water which takes nearly an hour and makes demand feeding impossible. So you’re probably on your own with figuring out what works best for you and baby anyway. I use a perfect prep, so does everyone else I know that bottle feeds. I always follow the all instructions, clean regularly, don’t use knock off filters etc and have never had an issue. To put it in perspective slightly most other western countries including the US and Australia don’t even use hot water to make bottles. If you’re struggling and it makes things easier for you I’d continue using it, no question.

Ah it's fine OP as others have said just clean it once a month and use the proper filters x both of mine used it and all my friends no problem x can u imagine making every bottle up the way they recommend by the time it was ready it would be time for the next one 😂

And I clean ours with vinegar. I can’t stand the smell of Milton as it’s just too chemically.

@LakeShoreD

And I clean ours with vinegar. I can’t stand the smell of Milton as it’s just too chemically.

Same. I used vinegar.

We've used a PP from DD was about two weeks old. My DSis did the same with her two- all fine.

The criticisms of the PP come from the hot shot allegedly not being hot enough to kill any bacteria that may be in the formula powder. DD was on anti reflux milk for a while, and the instructions specifically tell you not to use hot water (makes the thickener go all lumpy and stick together). Do the instructions also tell you to store it differently to reduce the risk of bacteria? No. Do you think they make that formula in seperate factories with higher levels of cleanliness? No.

Same with the formula for sale in Germany or the US or New Zealand where using near-boiling water isn't standard practice.

As long as you keep doing what you're doing, cleaning and maintaining the machine properly, I wouldn't give what the HV said a second thought.

I also had PNA and I know how dark a place it is sometimes. Please, please speak to your GP if you haven't already or if you feel you're not seeing an improvement in your mood if you have- my surgery is like Fort Knox to get into normally, but as soon as I said to the receptionist "I'm really struggling with my postnatal mental health", I got a same day appointment.

Thanks all, I've actually had bits come out the machine on the cleaning cycle so now am torn over what Is best plus I added boiling water and the machine is saying temperature too hot so I might have broken it not doing a great job here.

@TheCraicDealer

We've used a PP from DD was about two weeks old. My DSis did the same with her two- all fine.

The criticisms of the PP come from the hot shot allegedly not being hot enough to kill any bacteria that may be in the formula powder. DD was on anti reflux milk for a while, and the instructions specifically tell you not to use hot water (makes the thickener go all lumpy and stick together). Do the instructions also tell you to store it differently to reduce the risk of bacteria? No. Do you think they make that formula in seperate factories with higher levels of cleanliness? No.

Same with the formula for sale in Germany or the US or New Zealand where using near-boiling water isn't standard practice.

As long as you keep doing what you're doing, cleaning and maintaining the machine properly, I wouldn't give what the HV said a second thought.

I also had PNA and I know how dark a place it is sometimes. Please, please speak to your GP if you haven't already or if you feel you're not seeing an improvement in your mood if you have- my surgery is like Fort Knox to get into normally, but as soon as I said to the receptionist "I'm really struggling with my postnatal mental health", I got a same day appointment.

PNA is kicking my ass I second guess everything and feel like am not cut out to be a mum which then makes me feel guilty. I've got a telephone appointment with a mental health nurse next week, so will see what happens

I've used it for two babies and it's hands down the best thing we brought. Regular cleaning, TT brand filters and it's great. My first midwife told me she couldn't tell me anything about formula feeding at all, only breast feeding.

I've done the too hot thing before now, just tipped the hot water out and started again.

@Jayjayes the bits that come out in the cleaning are carbon from the filter lovely. Absolutely normal and no indication there's something wrong with it. And once the hot water cools the warning will go off and it'll work as normal