Bottle feeding in the night

[AliveAndSleeping]

Currently, 5 month old is combination fed. If he wakes up in the night I usually breastfeed him first and then prepare a bottle of formula. I'm planning to stop breastfeeding soon but am a bit confused about how to prepare a bottle in the night without letting him cry for very long.

During the day I use hot water from a thermos, mix half the required amount of water with formula and then add the second half of required amount of boiled cooled down water. This results in the formula being at exactly the temperature that ds likes and takes only about 5 minutes. However, the water in the thernos only stays above 70 C for about 4h so even if I fill it up just before going to bed it might not last long enough for ds' next feed. Boiling water in the kettle takes ages especially if it needs to cool down a bit first (according to NHS websites and manufacturer's instructions you should wait for 30min bit I only wait for ten minutes or so). So in the night I mostly use ready made formula but that also takes quite long to warm up, ie about 5-10 minutes. I use mam bottles. Other bottles might be quicker but he rejects everything else.

I think now breastfeeding him first takes the edge off his hunger a little bit but once I stop breastfeeding I'm not sure what to do. Any ideas?

@ClearButtons

https://nuby-uk.com/rapidcool-i53

Nuby do a rapid cool flask which follows NHS guidelines & it cools the milk in 2-5 minutes. Heard good things about it!

Yes we have the nuby flask but I think ours is faulty. It doesn't cool down the milk. We should have returned it but were too busy and sleep deprived to do so when we still could when Ds was s newborn. I use the nuby hot flask to store my hot water and it only keeps it above 70 degrees for a bit longer then 4h.

Than 4h...

@AliveAndSleeping

Ah ok. Thanks I guess...

The truth is I'm not comfortable with the idea of not following the rules. I know the risk is small but I was hoping there is a way that I could minimise that risk by following the instructions while still retaining a sense of sanity and convenience (and not making him cry for ages for his bottle) though maybe now that he's not a newborn anymore it's not that important anymore. I think I'll try to trust the NHS website and store formula in the fridge even if it's longer than 2h.

Does anyone else use mam bottles? How long do you heat the milk in the microwave to get it quite warm (warmer than room temperature. He rejects it otherwise).

OP, I get what you mean. I’m a rule follower too. But check out some other country’s rules and you’ll find that they’re all different which kind of shows they’re arbitrary… as a PP said the nhs don’t want formula feeding to be easy and the formula cos are terrified of being sued.

When I was a baby my mum put me to sleep on my tummy under a pile of loose blankets wearing a nightgown thing tied on with long bits of string definitely long enough to strangle. In the US sterilising bottles is not a necessary recommendation. As far as I can work out, we (globally) are pretty terrible at baby science because it’s considered unethical to randomly experiment with things that might be dangerous to newborns and a lot of risks are theoretical. Theoretically, the powder isn’t sterile. Theoretically, microwaving can create hot spots. Practically, I’d probably boil water and add it to cold in the right proportions for 70’degrees in a jug then use that. That’s basically what a perfect prep does. (My babies took room/fridge temperature bottles and didn’t know warm milk existed.)

Basically, noone follows the rules for using formula. People come up with lots of reasons why they think it's ok. And 99.9999% of babies are fine. It's a risk assessment, just like everything else you do with baby (like driving them in a car, or seeing a sick relative, or letting them cry for 5 mins while you shower). Your decision about the risks won't be the same as someone else's decision, and that's just life

By the way…here in Switzerland they make up formula with tap water…I think UK advice is super complicated and anxiety-provoking

Get a second hand perfect prep machine. Worth every penny.

Sorry I’ve not read all of this, but I used to pre sterilise the bottles then put ready made formula in and not heat it. Baby was fine with it cold.

Baby brezza. Takes 5 seconds to make a bottle. Amazing.

@LapinR0se

By the way…here in Switzerland they make up formula with tap water…I think UK advice is super complicated and anxiety-provoking

While in parts of Africa Nestle push it on mothers who then have no choice but to use dirty, faeces-ridden water to make it, putting babies’ lives at risk.

@hoomama

Or as someone else said, I used to pre-make all of the bottles, let them cool and then put them in the fridge ready for the night feeds. I would then just microwave them when needed.

This is exactly what we did for DS when he was combi fed. He's now 4 and whilst I'm ebf'ing his sister if she ever needs bottle feeding in the night I'd do this again, so much less hassle and although it's not the recommended way I saw no ill effects in DS for what it's worth.

Ready made formula doesn't need warming and can be drank at room temperature. Have you tried not warming it?

We premake the bottles up, store in fridge then when baby wakes pop in bottle warmer and change his nappy, have a cuddle, pop to the toilet myself then its normally ready to be drunk.

@AliveAndSleeping

And I guess letting the baby cry while the kettle is heating water can't be avoided?.

Will he take a dummy and cuddles?

@AliveAndSleeping

Ah ok. Thanks I guess...

The truth is I'm not comfortable with the idea of not following the rules. I know the risk is small but I was hoping there is a way that I could minimise that risk by following the instructions while still retaining a sense of sanity and convenience (and not making him cry for ages for his bottle) though maybe now that he's not a newborn anymore it's not that important anymore. I think I'll try to trust the NHS website and store formula in the fridge even if it's longer than 2h.

Does anyone else use mam bottles? How long do you heat the milk in the microwave to get it quite warm (warmer than room temperature. He rejects it otherwise).

We use mam bottles. In the day we get bottles weve made up that morning/night before out of the fridge and pop for 1 minute in the microwave then check the temp and feed.

At night we used a bottle warmer upstairs that takes 6 minutes

While in parts of Africa Nestle push it on mothers who then have no choice but to use dirty, faeces-ridden water to make it, putting babies’ lives at risk. sad

Things have moved on in the last 40-50 years thankfully...

@Moonbabysmum

While in parts of Africa Nestle push it on mothers who then have no choice but to use dirty, faeces-ridden water to make it, putting babies’ lives at risk. sad

Things have moved on in the last 40-50 years thankfully...

Sadly not. They’re still breaching the code.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestlé_boycott

@WouldIBeATwat

The complaints now are about them using logos which have arms in them, and quibbles over language (ie using the word gentle on the tin).

This is nothing thing like what they were doing in the 70s thankfully.

I really don’t think Nestlé has anything to do with this thread.

I wouldn't be using a wikepedia page as evidence tbh and no it's not relevant