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Original poster

Making bottles wrong?

30 replies

Shannon9955 · 15/08/2024 10:10

I'm a second time mum, but this time I'm not using a prep machine.

My daughter is 8 weeks old and formula fed. I give her 5oz bottles because she's been clearing 4oz. But last few days she's only been taking 3oz at a time. I had my 8 week health visitor check and she said I was making the bottles wrong.

So I have a flask of boiling water and a flask of cool boiled water. I add 2oz boiling water and then 5 scoops, then add 3oz cool boiled water so it's not scolding hot and can be given there and then.

My health visitor has said this is wrong and I'm making the bottle to concentrated. My baby is also mildly reflux, she's still putting on weight and not bringing up all her feed, just sometimes sick. Sometimes also a watery/milky bits sick. Health visitor has also said this is normal and won't prescribe anything. But I'm just concerned now in case she isn't reflux and I'm just making her sick. I feel so much more out of my depth second time round. I'm not enjoying it at all

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LettuceLiz · 15/08/2024 16:58

Babyboomtastic · 15/08/2024 16:49

Your HV is right that the proportions aren't quite right, but actually it's a bit more dilute, rather than too concentrated.

The milk powder 'should' be already in when your at the water, and then your add to the 4oz/6oz/whatever line. It means there's less than 4oz of water in a 6oz milk bottle.

So for your 5oz bottle, add 2oz of boiling water, and then add up to the line with the cooled boiled water. If its too hot, then add a bit less of the boiling next time.

Realistically, slightly dilute formula isn't likely to cause problems, it just means slightly less calories and your baby is growing fine. For a baby struggling with growth it could be harmful.

It's the other way round. Water first then powder. 1oz of water equates to one scoop of powder. If you add water to powder it would be too concentrated.

Op they way you're doing it is fine.

LettuceLiz · 15/08/2024 16:59

@Babyboomtastic

Always put the water in the bottle first,

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/making-up-baby-formula/

Babyboomtastic · 15/08/2024 19:26

LettuceLiz · 15/08/2024 16:59

Ah yes, I remember now. We did it powder first but calculated the amount we'd need to add so it was the same concentration.

Adding water first means the powder sticks to the scoop because of steam, which you then dip back in the pot, which is a big contamination risk for bacterial growth.

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LaVitesse2022 · 15/08/2024 21:22

We have one of those flasks that cools boiling water in 1-2 min. Have been using since birth (baby's now 10.5 mo) and honestly was the best piece of baby gear we got. It means we can pour boiling water into bottle, powder, and cool it in the flask. It's cool in a couple of min and ready to feed.

MammaTo · 15/08/2024 21:26

It sounds like you’re doing it fine to me, but it might be worth investing in a Nuby rapid cool flask, we used it for literally every bottle we made. Was such a good buy.

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