Making up bottles when out

[Babyboymama]

I was wondering how to make up bottles when out for the day? I’ve been using the ready made bottles of aptamil when out and about as it’s easy to just pour into a sterilised bottle but with the price of these I want to start using the powder that I use at home. The problem is I’ve got a perfect prep machine so I’ve never actually had to make a bottle by boiling the kettle so I’m a bit confused at what to do.

Do I just pour the boiling water straight from the kettle into the bottle and then leave to cool in the bottle or do I have to leave the water to cool in the kettle first? And once the waters in the bottle how long can I leave it there before it has to be used?

Also, I’ve bought the tommee tippee powder dispensers so do these need sterilising too? And if so how long do they stay sterilised for once out of the machine? Can I just leave them in the cupboard once they’re done and use them as I need them or do they need to be freshly sterilised?

Oh and with the prep machine it lets out a hot shot to kill the bacteria in the milk, if I’m just adding the powder to the cooled boiled water once I’m out how does the bacteria get killed?

I know I’ve definitely thought about this way too much and made it much more complicated than it needs to be so if anyone takes the time to read all this and reply thanks in advance!!😂🙈

Really good info here my midwife gave me a leaflet of and I found handy.....

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/making-up-infant-formula/

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/infant-formula-questions/

Either take hot water (in an insulated bottle bag) plus the measured out powder or take a made up bottle of formula that has been chilled in the fridge - keep in a cool bag with an ice pack. Or take a flask of hot water plus some cool boiled water plus an empty bottle. Add some hot water, add powder then once mixed top up with measured out cold water

The tommee tippee powder dispensers don’t need sterilising so don’t worry about that. They can just be washed in hot soapy water as usual.

Buy the tommee tippee flask. Must have!

This is what I did below:
For example for a 5 oz bottle.

Took 5oz powder in the powder dispenser. Took out two sterilised bottles with me. Fill one sterilised bottle with cooled water from the kettle upto 4oz. Keep the other bottle empty.

Then refill the kettle and boil it. Fill up the tommee tippee flask. Pop it in your bag and head out.

When you need the bottle. The tommee tippee flask will keep the water hot. So pour 1oz of hot water from the flask into the empty bottle (similar to like prep machine) and then add the measured powder. Give it a mix. Then pour in the 4oz of cooled water from the other bottle you brought. An then you have a ready to drink bottle at correct temperature.

It’s just a manual version of what the prep machine does 🤗🤗 worked for us every time!

By the way your not supposed to add powder to cool water as it doesn’t kill the bacteria. Hence the need to take out a flask with hot water so the bacteria in the powder gets killed. 👍

I use 2 flasks, basically replicating what a prep machine does.

1 flask (tommee tippee) with boiling hot water

1 flask with cooled boiled water

Add a shot of boiling hot water to the bottle, add powder and shake. Wait a min for that to sterilise the powder then top up with the cooled boiled water.

^ As above, DIY perfect prep. You need to using hot but not boiling water to kill the bacterial. Remember you will need to premeasure the cool water as if you have already added the powder and fill it to the amount of water you need then the concentration will be wrong.

And once the waters in the bottle how long can I leave it there before it has to be used? 2 hours.

Thank you all so much for the help! That’s definitely cleared things up for me! Will be ordering a tommee tippee flask 😊

Also @jackshouse is that 2 hours just for the plain water? What would I do if I was out for the full day and needed to make a bottle after 2 hours?

No it's 2 hours at room temperature for made up formula. 4 hours for made up formula in a cool bag with an ice pack. Water is ok all day but would need to be hot before adding formula powder

Ah I see, thank you!

Why not take out cold milk in a coolie bag and warm it up when you need it in cafe etc?
By the way, in NZ the official guidelines are to make up milk using cold water - it's really not a set in stone thing. Likewise, in the USA sterilising isn't insisted on because their dishwashers get hotter than ours. Similarly, in Finland the advice is to make up all 8 bottles and keep them in the fridge to be used as needed (the old fashioned and very convenient way!)
NHS guidelines seem to be aimed at a (very) low common denominator to cover all the bases so as long as you're clean and sensible you can't really go wrong!

I think that’s why I’ve got to the point where I’m worrying this much about it - so many different guidelines and different ways of doing it! I’ve thought about it too much and googled so much I became paranoid about it.

I boil the kettle, put it straight in the bottles then pop them in the fridge.
Take them out right before I leave and take a little tub of the measured powder.
My bag has a cooling pouch so it keeps the water cold.
Then when I need it I pop the powder in, give it a shake then pop it on a jug of boiling water.

Meganc559 tap water is fine for babies. There is no point in using boiled cool water for babies. The point of using hot (not boiling) water is to kill the bacteria in the formula.

Babyboymama just follow the UK
guidelines. The homemade prefect prep ie mixing it with hot and cold water when you are out and about is fine.

Thats the way my mums made them for my sister 5 years ago so I ve just done the same