Best formula feeding tips needed!

[Eyelashwishes]

I'm currently pregnant with our 2nd child who will be due in November. It's probably early to think about this, but I had a really hard time postpartum with my son, who is now 2. I desperately wanted to breastfeed, but for many reasons it didn't work out. I became quite mentally ill from this struggle that I think I've already decided to formula feed this time (please no judgement).

My son had terrible colic, which only died down when we switched his formula to a comfort formula. The problem with this is that you can't get any of the ready made bottles in the comfort formula which is really annoying for going out and about, which I will be doing more of as we won't be in lockdowns this time! I'd love to know if any of you had babies with colic and what formula you used and found worked. Also your best tips for being out and about and how you managed formula feeding on the go. Recommendation on the best bottles and things too would be great!

I'm very anxious about having another baby with colic and also having a toddler to care for. I know this next baby may not have the same feeding issues (or might have different ones!) But I want to do a bit more research and preparing this time, because I was very naive last time and thought that if I just persevered breastfeeding would work for us, so when we needed to switch to formula I just sent my husband out to buy everything we needed and hoped for the best! But want to go into it having considered my options this time so really would like to hear what things have worked for others!

Hi OP! I bought a Nuby Rapid Cool (link here) for feeding out and about and carried a small formula dispenser (link here). If I knew I was going to a cafe I’d just ask them for boiling water or if I was going to the park for example I’d bring a small flask of boiling water.

Sounds like a bit of a faff now I am writing it but it’s really easy once you are in the swing of things. It’s much cheaper than ready made bottles and you can use the brand of formula you want to!

Thank you I will have to look into getting the rapid cool, didn't know that existed 🤣 definitely better than having to wait an age for it to cool down so better than what I was doing before!!

I've FF x3 babies now. When we're out (which is almost every day for several hours!), we take bottles already made up, in a cool bag with ice pack. We then have flasks of boiled water to warm them up - they're tommee tippee flasks where the bottle sits in the lid to warm. Works perfectly. I just have the bottle warming in the buggy basket as we're wondering around, so we're never restricted to being near a cafe etc.

As for formula brand, we started with aptamil in hospital as ready made mini bottles with teats are brilliant, then switched to Aldi Mamia after a few weeks. Never had colic or sicky babies.

No judgement here at all - I formula fed because I wanted to and felt that a happy me would result in a happy baby and it did, both times!

For powdered formula out and about I used to bring a sterilised bottle, a bottle full of cold pre-boiled water, a flask full of hot boiled water and measured out powder.

When they needed a bottle I would put half the quantity of hot boiled water in the empty bottle, add the powder and give it a shake then add the rest of the water from the cold pre-boiled water (measured from the cold bottle) and it was ready to go straight away. The powder was going into hot water so I was happy it was safe and, though it sounds like a faff, it was actually really easy as long as you kept on top of your supply of cold ‘boiled’ water in the fridge ready to go.

I’m sure someone will be along to tell me I’m a shocking mum and they did it properly every time but my boys were never sick and are strapping lads now.

Good luck with your pregnancy x

The nuby rapid cool looks really good but I heard it was outof stock at a few places. Tommee tippee have just released a very similar product called the go prep which might be worth a look

Thank you I will definitely check out the tommee tippee flasks, we do tend to go on a lot of days out just walking with our dog so sounds like this might be handy for that! 👍🏻

It’s a game changer! I used to bring it to bed with me so I didn’t have to get up for night feeds.

I haven’t had experience with colic so can’t say for sure but I used a combo of mam bottles and Kendamil and never had any issues, LO very rarely spits up.

Thank you, I totally agree! If only everyone thought that way hey 🤣🙃 but I definitely felt way happier and more bonded with my son when we switched to formula so really feel it's the right decision for us from the get go this time.

Definitely not a shocking mum, thank you for the recommendation ❤️

Ooh that's handy to know thank you I will look into that too!

Genius idea 🤣 yeah we used tommee tippee bottles last time and after he'd got over the colic someone told me they're one of the worst bottles for colic 🙈 but I think we're looking at the MAM ones for this time.

MAM bottles all the way best bottles I’ve ever used . Can be sterilised in the microwave too so handy when you visit family .

Perfect Prep machine
Flask for out and about - did the same as Chelsea for all of my children (4 ) never had an issue
Formula pots .

Baby carrier / sling - lifesaver for DS who has awful reflux
Try not to stress we all make our mistakes with our first child !

Brilliant, that's great to hear about the bottles, think we will definitely go with those this time and will have a look at all your other suggestions too!
Any recommendations for a baby carrier? We used a sling last time but my son trippled in weight by 8 weeks 🤣😳 so got very heavy very quick and didn't end up using it for long, but want to try a more sturdy carrier this time.

We ended up with a Graco one sorry cannot remember the exact name of it ! Was very comfortable we still use it now (11 months ) and he’s 24lb x

Agree with Mam bottles
We always used the pre made bottles from the shop for out and about, lucky as dd took to them well and didn't care about warm or cold bottles

Another vote for Mam bottles. Means we don’t even need a separate steriliser (useful as our kitchen is tiny).

I usually use readymade when out and about but when I was on holiday we used the 2 flask method - eg for a 6 oz bottle we added 2 oz of hot water from a thermos and 4 oz of cold water (used tap water as baby was over 6 months by that time but can use cooled boiled water for a newborn). Also if feeding within 2 hr of leaving home I just make a bottle before leaving using my perfect prep.

The formula dispensing boxes are useful too, as well as for out and about they are easy to use for night feeds to avoid counting scoops while half asleep and making a mistake.

@Angeldelight50 jumping on this post. I've seen you've got a Nuby Rapid Cool.

I'm currently taking formula out in prematurely containers along with a thermos flask of water. I'm fine if I can preempt a feed or if I'm somewhere I can ask for a jug of cold water to put the bottle in. If these two can't happen I get quite anxious with a crying baby.

I've tried the two flask method (hot and cold) to replicate the perfect prep machine.

How do you use your Nuby Raoid Cool? Do you put formula in and then have to sterilise or do you just use for the water so not needing to sterilise as often. I feel this will help when on full days out/not near a cafe/when with a crying baby.

I mentioned to my Mum who told me I didn't need gadgets, she never did and just made formula up for the day. I said now have to sterilise formula (that's what I've read). FTM and wanting it to be easy and I'm getting less confident with feeding when out and about and the wait for a bittle to Cool takes forever!

@JB2021 get the rapid cool! It's so quick to make a feed out and about and I find it much less stressful than multiple flasks. I make formula in it but I have seen videos online of people using it just for the hot water so that it shan't need washing and sterilising between uses. I'm using it as baby is on prescription formula. With my first baby I just used small ready to feed aptamil - not the cheapest but that's the easiest of all as you just pour it out!

I have the Tommee tippee go prep and as much as it does cool the water fast the indicator light after a few uses shows the water is cool enough when I know it’s not so I stick to old fashion mum and still test on wrist and never rely on the indicator, baby has mild colic I use infacol
hope this helps x

Hi, is they any difference in Tommee Tippee GoPrep Portable Formula Feed Maker Set and the nuby rapid cool? I’m looking at buying one but don’t know which one to go for. Thanks

@JB2021 Hi! I didn’t see your post and presumably you have it all figured out by now 😃.

For anyone else curious and reading, the purpose of using boiling water when preparing formula is because formula is not sterile. You need to use water above 70 degrees to kill any bacteria that may be present in the formula. There’s no point using the rapid cool just to cool hot water and mix with formula afterward as the water is no longer hot enough to sterilise the formula. You’d be as well just taking out a flask with pre-boiled/cooled water (which is not recommended).

Your mum is right that you don’t need any gadgets however the guidelines on preparing formula have changed a lot over the years. Previously parents could mix up bottles for the day and store them in the fridge, now it is recommend to prepare and use bottles within an hour. So the gadgets do make your life easier when it comes to following the new guidelines, but definitely not a requirement 😃.

@Mamx I don’t have any experience using the Tommee Tippee GoPrep but I’ve had a quick Google and it looks literally the exact same as the Nuby Rapid Cool. Go with the cheapest one!

I am sure many people know this, but I am surprised very often how many don't. The boiling water is to sterilise the milk powder, not the water itself in the UK. You can use quite a small amount of just off the boil water on the powder, enough to dissolve, and top up with cold water (from the tap is acceptable) so it is instantly ready to drink.

MAM bottles were the absolute worst for my daughter and gave her horrendous wind. Tried different flows, and again a few months later when she was older. We went from tommee tippee to medela to lansinoh to dr Brown and now, finally, back on tommee tippee because that’s what her nursery use and I wanted consistency. Dr Brown are big, awkward to clean and generally faffy but made such a big difference to her wind and discomfort. I think we used them for about 4 months in the end.

I had PND which was strongly linked to feeding and weight gain, and was terrified of all the gadgets to prep formula and make life easier. At home, we had a Tupperware pot the right size for one bottle, a small freezer block and some ice cubes. Swirled in that, the bottle cooled enough in a few minutes. Going out and about, I had a thermos flask of boiling water, and a travel insulated bowl thing (Designed for taking soup as a packed lunch, I think?). We would fill it with ice before leaving home, then add tap water and the bottle would chill fairly quickly. If we wanted to use it again, I just asked for ice in a pub.