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Original poster

Making up bottles - Advice needed!

21 replies

piglet06 · 02/01/2007 16:19

Looking through various websites, I have discovered that guidelines have changed regarding making up formula saying you should ideally make up each feed as you go along which is impossible. I have tried it and it is a nightmare as you can imagine with a hungry baby.
Following the guidelines on the SMA tin I:

Boil the water in a saucepan
Pour boiling water into sterilised bottles
Add formula
Cool quickly in cold water
Put in fridge
When needed, heat up in bowl of hot water
I do not keep them for more than 24 hours and throw away the rest of the milk once baby has finished

Is this ok? Surely it must be if its what it says to do on the tin of milk? Otherwise I would have thought that they would have recalled all the tins and revised the instructions?

Please help!!

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annobal · 02/01/2007 16:26

This is probably totally wrong but I used to make up 12 hours of bottles of water and added the formula as I needed each feed. I also didn't heat up - the bottles were kept on the kitchen bench at room temp.

FurryFox · 02/01/2007 16:28

I used to boil the kettle, leave the water to cool down, pour into the bottles, add the powder, shake and put in the fridge, when needed just warmed up with a bottle warmer although using a bowl of hot water is just as quick if not quicker than the bottle warmer I sometimes found.

I'm sure what you are doing is fine.

I hope using the kettle rather than a saucepan to boil the water was ok? [hmmm]

TisTheSeasonForSnow · 02/01/2007 16:30

I used SMA.... made the bottles as you have said then put them in a bowl of cold water for 5 mins until chilled then in the fridge, we would make up 24 hours worth.
And if you get a bottle out to feed, it can stay out for 3 hours then it must go in the bin.(Aparently they only changed the rules on making more than one at a time recently - so i doubt its a huge problem)
These are the rules we have stuck with.

mumatuks · 02/01/2007 16:31

Wow! I've never made a formula milk up using that method.
I've always done as Annobol said.

FurryFox · 02/01/2007 16:31

annobal - I did that a few times too - I'm sure it was fine, although I still had to warm the bottle up as dd liked the milk quite warm. Not hot I would like to point out, just quite warm.

nearlythree · 02/01/2007 16:33

I think a kettle is better than using a saucepan as the minerals can get too concentrated in a saucepan, unless it is switched off the moment it boils.

I take out a second mortgage and use cartons!

Original poster

piglet06 · 02/01/2007 16:34

So i can put the boiling water straight from the saucepan into the bottles, I don't have to wait for the water to cool down first? That's what I don't get!! I keep reading different things!!
Thanks for everyones advice!!

OP posts:

daisy1999 · 02/01/2007 16:35

Same as annobal . I used to boil kettle and let it cool (we bought an extra kettle just for this so we could still have a cup of tea whilst the other one was cooling).

lulumama · 02/01/2007 16:35

don;t add the formula powder to boiling or immediately boiled water as destroys some of the nutrients!

NAB3 · 02/01/2007 16:35

I would make all the bottles up with water and leave them out. Add the formula when needed. Kids got used to room temperature milk so no hassels about heating up, only water was wasted if too many bottles made (though water went on the plants) and it was so much easier. Admittedly the kids were 9 months as I BF til then but it would help with a newborn too. Don't keep made up bottles in the fridge door as it isn't cold enough.

hippmummy · 02/01/2007 16:35

I sometimes wonder if there is a special evil commitee who think up new guidelines for everything just to keep parents on their toes when they think they've got it sussed...

Personally I wouldn't worry, if only says 'ideally'. If it was ok to make up bottles in advance a week ago it'll be alright now.

NAB3 · 02/01/2007 16:36

1 hour from when the baby first drinks from the bottle.

NAB3 · 02/01/2007 16:37

I read you should let the water cool for 45 minutes after boiling. Apart from anything else, just boiled water hurts if you splash it on you.

You can now buy a kettle that boils the water to the exact temp for a baby's bottle.

Original poster

piglet06 · 02/01/2007 17:17

Just wanted to ask about what lulamama said about not adding the formula to the boiling water. I have read that you should add the formula to water no cooler than 70 degrees as this sterilises the formula.
I have read so many different things it is hard to know what to do. DS has been breastfed for 3 months but it is not working out anymore so that is why he is on the bottle but I am really worried I could be making him ill with the way I make up the bottles!

OP posts:

TheBlonde · 02/01/2007 17:23

Current gov advice is here
this

lulumama · 02/01/2007 17:25

the current guidelines limit you to making each bottle with freshly boiled and cooled water

for stress free feeding..but the cartons!

that way no worry re sterilising the formula or when to make it !

Harry2007 · 03/01/2007 00:45

Out of interest, what do you do if you plan to go out for the day. Do you boil the water, pour it into bottles, leave it vool, add the formula and heat the bottles back up to put into one of those heat retaining bags/pouches?

eidsvold · 03/01/2007 00:59

I would make it up a day's worth of bottles:

boil water - put it in bottles, close bottles and leave them on the bench - no need for refrigeration. Put formula in as needed then, quick shake and ready to go. Dd1 was used to room temp milk early on.

for going out - cartons of ready made formula or take the bottles along with ready measured formula and add and feed.

AitchTwoOhOhSeven · 03/01/2007 01:35

i don't do anything in advance... just pour in cold water from the tap (safe unboiled in UK from six months) then microwave it for between 30-40 secs and then add the powder. much quicker and it brings it to 70 degrees so is sterile (i measured the temp once). i just don't believe that the fabled microwave 'hotspots' can withstand being shaken vigourously enough to mix the powder... unless a scientist can prove otherwise?

if i'm going out i put near-boiling water into a bottle and use the tommee tippee powder holders that fit inside the bottles but stay dry. if the water's gone too cold by the time i need it i just ask for a cup of hot water and add some to the bottle at the table... then pour out the excess lukewarm water back into the cup. easy-peasy, i think. and it means you don't have to struggle to open those bloody cartons...

TisTheSeasonForSnow · 03/01/2007 08:27

I have always boiled the water with a kettle, allowed it to cool, then made up the bottle...cooled it and then put in the fridge.
If we go out we put the cooled boiled water in the bottle and put the formula in a pot, so that when you are ready to feed you can tip the powder in....shake and feed.

Tortington · 03/01/2007 08:29

ahhhh those were the bad old days. making up 16 bottles

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