powder feed - all instructions say not to store in fridge?

[corpjones]

Hi everyone

Was hoping for some advice, my newborn is a month old, until now been using the ready made feed but the amounts have increased so want to switch to powder.

The NHS site advised once formula is made it can be stored in the back of the fridge for up to 24 hours however I've contacted hipp organic and they've advised against this as well as others like cow and gate.

Our little one seems to wake up and want food asap so our plan was to batch pre make the feed to make it easier and prevent any extra crying, was just after some advice on what everyone else does.

Our midwives advised against the baby prep machine otherwise that sounded ideal, the next convenient/safest method I thought would be the fridge method but now am getting confused..

Advice appreciated 😀

i think it’s because it’s organic so they leave out certain ingredients

I can’t comment more because I don’t know the current ingredients

All I know is that when my DS was younger we were told organic formula was allowed to not include vital nutrients found in normal formula because being organic’ it didn’t have to comply with formula regulations etc

Ideally you'd use immediately after preparing.
You can make and store for up to 24 hours in the back of the fridge but it's not the ideal method which is why the instructions say not to do it. Or you could make a couple at a time and make new ones at a shorter interval and then they arent being stored for as long e.g. make 2 at a time and when you use one make a new one up to store

No that’s incorrect, organic formula has to comply with the same regulations as all other infant formula, it’s a legal requirement and being organic doesn’t mean that can be bypassed.

The NHS guidance is to make up formula as needed, and not in advance. Even stored in the fridge it can increase the chance of bacteria breeding.

Get a hot water dispenser that you can set to 70°. You can make a bottle in seconds and baby can drink straight away. Was a lifesaver for me

You can do your own version of the perfect prep to make a bottle safely and quickly. For a 6 oz bottle, for example - keep a large bottle or jug of cooled boiled water in the fridge, boil the kettle and measure out 2 oz of just boiled water, add 6 scoops of formula powder, cap and shake well, then measure out 4 oz of the cold water and add to the hot water and formula and shake well. Test the temperature, but it should be ok to feed straight away.

Thank you, Doesnt it take a while to cool though?

A perfect prep machine is completely fine. Used it all through having my second after the nightmare of the first and he is alive and kicking.

First I made up and stored up to 12 hours of bottles and I also fed cold. He is also alive and kicking 12 years later.

Honestly op, no need to make things hard for yourself.

You fed your kid milk at 70 degrees centigrade?

Thank you, I feel like someone said not to store cooled water in the fridge too so that also threw me off, if that's an option that would definitely work for us 😀

More like 65.

We used the Nuby rapid cool flash. Doesn’t have the bubbles/gas used in prep machines but it cools the milk in a few minutes

Mine was drinking it at 65° which isn't that hot at all

I’ve used a perfect prep with three children. Use them with the guidelines and change the filters using the correct ones. Maybe do your own research on it. As I couldn’t be without it for night feeds.

I'm sure your right, first time parent so trying to do everything I can to minimise risk, if little one got ill because of me I'd feel terrible!

Everything has a risk of course so will just have to think about all the options and make a call

Thank you, am I right in thinking you'd have to wash and sterilize after every use?

The nhs explicitly have advice that perfect prep machines can now be used. That’s changed in the last couple of years but I think their wide use has lead to change? Also that nearly no one was following the guidelines probably helped to have it reexamined. Or there was more data.

This so the hot water kills the bacteria and the cool water gets it to drinking temp

I know you're not strictly meant to, but I did exactly this. Just made up 2 or 3 bottles at a time and put them in the fridge and replaced one when we used one. Did this with 3 babies and all were fine!

I also did the version of mixing powder with hot water and then adding cooled water when out and about.

We washed after every use but we only sterilised at night after the last feed. Our little one had stomach problems when we used the prep machine and was absolutely fine with the rapid cool

get a Nuby rapid cool, we use it as a hot shot method which means you don’t need to sterilise in between. So boil the kettle, pour in amount of water needed for bottle to measure, then pour into rapid cool but leave 30mls in the bottle. Add formula to the 30mls in bottle for hot shot. Then once rapid cool turned green add that to bottle, perfect bottle made in 3 mins 😊

As some pp have said making formula in advance is low risk in the scheme of things. But I remember HVs advised against it.

65 fahrenheit maybe…

This might help if you fancy a deep dive on the topic! Explains in detail about the risks associated with various methods of preparing formula including the issues with the perfect prep machine.

static1.squarespace.com/static/59f75004f09ca48694070f3b/t/624edeb6873c47686bd34825/1649335991943/Bacterial+contamination_April+22.pdf

Thanks I thought this was a good idea too, I contacted Hipp however and they said the water has to be boiled fully first (i.e. 100 degrees) and then cooled down to maximum 70 before its used, I guess boiling fully kills any bacteria.

Bit the water is boiled first and then cools to 70° and stays there. I did it this way with my little one and it was a lifesaver.