How do you bottle feed while away from home?

[BooBooMamaJuJu]

This might be an easy question to answer and I'm just being daft, but how do you prep and keep formula if you go away for a weekend or out for the day?

My LG is 11 weeks old, I was breast feeding but decided to stop and move to formula a few weeks ago. Since then I have developed terrible anxiety about taking her out as I don't know how to do bottles while I'm out.

We also have a wedding to go to in a few months where we will be staying in a hotel for 2 nights, how can I sterilise and make bottles while we're there? How do people cope?!

Help please, I want to start going out again.

Presumably there'll be a kettle in the hotel room, so making the bottles shouldn't be an issue. Although the ready made bottles might be an option for a short period. You could use an electric steriliser, or those cold water sterilisation bags.

Use premade cartons/bottles and just open and decant into a sterilised bottle.

It so daunting, but absolutely fine! My top tips from going to a wedding when LO was 9 weeks are:

1. Pre made is your friend if you can!
2. Milton cold water steriliser, little sponge and fairy liquid to wash bottles in the bathroom sink, into the cold water steriliser!
3. Pre-measure your powder into those little tubs (MASSIVELY over estimate what you need but then if you drop one, spills, hungry baby your covered.
4. Kettle is fine if you have access, but we used a Chillys type bottle to keep the boiling water at the right temp for AGES and then could make up and cool in advance, but for emergencies I had a Chillys bottle with cool boiled water in so I could mimic the perfect prep, 2oz boiling 3/4oz cool boiled!

Hope this gives you some options!

P.s. heard good things about the nuby rapid cool - but never used it as my LO loved pre-made thankfully!

Pre-made bottles and use Milton tablets for sterilising

For sterilising - I took milton tablets and a fold up washing up bowl. Wash in the bathroom sink and sterilise overnight. If you use MAM bottles, they can be sterilised in the microwave so the hotel kitchen might do it for you!

For formula, there should be a kettle in the room. But stock up on the pre-made stuff as well as it's so easy. You can buy portable bottle warmers if your baby likes it warm!

As above, but just so you know and don't panic, I always found that DD poo'd more when having the pre-made bottles and others have said the same thing.

To sterilise buy a clip lock box slightly bigger than the bottles and use milton tablets. The clip locks boxes ensure you can keep the liquid in the box and be on the move without any worries.

I used the following in order of preference.
1-Premade formula and pre sterilised bottles.
2-Formula measured to say 6oz and then also the Nuby Rapid cool which is a game changer.
3-Or before I had the rapid cool I got boiling water in a cafe and the formula mix together and pop bottle with lid on in a cup of ice cubes to cook down.

I also had a microwave bag from Nuby that you can throw a cleaner bottle in it seal with some water and microwave to sterilise the bottle.

When going out for the day I'll take a freshly boiled bottle of water in an insulated bottle bag and formula pre-poportioned. I use the Tommee Tippee formula containers. By the time I need to use it the water is usually at the correct temp, if not I'll run it under a tap or leave it out to cool.

If I'm out for an extended period I'll take multiple bottles and the tommee Tippee travel warmer which is essentially a big thermos and you stand the bottle in the lid to warm it.

When travelling I'd take a collapsible bucket to clean the bottles and put them in a microwave steriliser bag (if a microwave is available). Or use the Milton tablets/liquid.

I'm in Australia and we don't have the pre-made formula here so this seems to be what most people do. You can also get portable electric bottle warmers but the above method works fine for us.

Pre-made formula (given room temp with ours) or if we needed to use powder we had a little tub with three sections of powder we bought, mix it up with boiled water from a flask, wait a moment, then add cold water to cool. Done this way because sometimes they say the water needs to be hot to kill germs that might be in the milk powder. Not sure if that's true.

After washing bottles for sterilising in a hotel take any bowl, washing up bowl etc and milton tablets.

I used premade cartons, took a few bottles and sterilised with Milton in the sink.

This is definitely the easiest way!

Making up powder formula with the kettle is fine too. I only ever did this after 6 months so just used a few oz hot water to kill any bacteria and the rest tap water to make it the right temperature.

It's hard. I used to carry about 10 sterilised bottles with me!
Depending which formula you use, you most likely can by pre made ones.
You can also buy bottle steriliser- spray or tablet.

Deal of the day for Prime Members: Dr. Brown’s Steri-Bottle Biodegradable pre-sterilised Baby Bottle - 5 pack amzn.eu/d/8MVIYTE

Here is a really low key option for you if you are worrying and won't enjoy yourself!

Ahhh thank you all so much for your suggestions, and sorry it's taken so long to log back in and reply.

My girl is a thief of spare time and is very good at keeping me very busy!