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Original poster

Bottle prep machine advice

14 replies

DaphneBridgerton · 27/01/2021 10:08

Hi all... hoping for some advice as I'm expecting my first baby in April and not sure how this all works.
I plan to bf initially but will move onto formula relatively quickly due to medication I am on (please no advice on bf because it's been a hard decision to make)
I want to make life as easy as possible when it comes to bottle feeding... what's the best combo I can buy?
My plan is to buy the Tomee Tipee perfect prep day and night machine, plus their new UV steriliser. And I will use MAM bottles.
Are these all compatible with each other? Is there anything else I need?
Thanks in advance.
p.s. I am not made of money but have received LOTS of second hand baby things including crib, buggy and clothes so I have some budget to spend on this

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Original poster

DaphneBridgerton · 27/01/2021 10:13

Also the MAM bottles say they are self sterilising (3mins in microwave) so would I be wasting money on the UV machine from TT? (It's £120)

OP posts:

FelicityPike · 27/01/2021 10:15

I used Milton & a cold water steriliser. I found it easiest.
I never used the perfect prep machine because I found making the bottles easier BUT my DD was on a set feeding schedule so we knew when to make her bottles up. I also read a lot of negative things about it especially regarding lime scale and cleaning it (although we don’t get limescale up here).

DollyP23 · 27/01/2021 10:19

Hi, I have the tommee tippee day and night and I use mam bottles.

The machine is great - so easy to use and even the cleaning cycle takes you through step by step on the screen.

We tried a few different bottles before we settled on mam so maybe just buy a few to start and see how your baby gets on with them. If they suit, it's easy to buy more. We did click and collect to waitrose and they were there the next day.

We just use a miltons cold water steriliser so I don't have any advice on the uv one. We don't have any plugs on one side of our kitchen for some strange reason so the cold water one suits us as the tub sits on that side.

DollyP23 · 27/01/2021 10:22

Oh and I should mention that we live in a hard water area and the perfect prep machine prompts you to descale and takes you through the steps

WalkingMeAway · 27/01/2021 10:25

You don’t need a separate steriliser if you are using the MAM bottles. They’re excellent - very easy to clean and sterilise in the microwave.

I used the prep machine. It’s as easy as a coffee machine. Very convenient. I had one in my bedroom too for night feeds! (We live in a town house and bedroom on top floor)

There was some controversy at the time (4yr ago) about how clean they were. I never personally had any issues. I’m not sure of recent reviews.

But with my eldest (12) we used to make 12hr of bottles and keep them in the fridge so 😂. I also did that after my DC2 was 6m

THATbasicSNOWFLAKE · 27/01/2021 10:39

The mam self sterilising bottles were too tall for my microwave

Like pp i prefer milton cold water sterilising

The mam bottles will be fine with the prep

I am not sure on the difference between the normal prep and the day and night but the normal one was good for us

Idratherberude · 27/01/2021 10:43

We threw our steriliser away and just used the MAM self sterilising bottles. They're great. You might want to sterilise the mixers with milton or however, or just make the perfect prep straight into the MAM bottles (check YouTube as it is different).

The day and night is quieter and has a light on it I believe, it's just the newer model.

WalkingMeAway · 27/01/2021 10:48

Oh yes definitely check the MAM bottles fit in your microwave. They didn’t at my MIL so we used a cold sterilised when staying there

wimbler · 27/01/2021 11:36

The perfect prep machine is great but honestly you don't need the day and night one. We got the basic one (second hand for £20 and gave it a good clean) and I actually found it easier. my brother had the day and night one and it's about 5 more steps and button pressing than a quick turn of the dial and go. You can't mute it at night time and it is quite loud but to be honest by the time I was formula feeding the baby was in her own room and was awake anyway!

We had a nuk microwave sterliser, it was the only one I could find that fit in my microwave, most were too large. It only held 3 bottles at a time though so wasn't that great. The mam self sterilising bottles are great but again make sure your Microwave is big/tall enough for the larger bottles to fit in. Personally I didn't like cold water sterilising as I hated the smell of the solution.

Chelyanne · 27/01/2021 11:43

You don't need 2 ways to sterilise most of the time but not a bad idea really... we had our microwave clap out on us when our twins were little so I had to rush out for a new one (not so easy these days). I want to get the tommee tippee perfect prep machine this time. They do state that it's compatible with most bottles so you should be fine with that.
Don't feel like you need to justify bottle feeding. FED is best whatever way you have/choose to do it. I tried so hard to breastfeed with our 1st 3 but my supply was totally pants and I had to swap to formula or they would have starved, our twins I gave as much as I could in the early weeks but they mostly had formula.

AliceMcK · 27/01/2021 11:47

Cheap microwave steriliser is fine or Milton and a bucket of water, I wouldn’t be wasting money on a uv steriliser. I used both those methods with all 3 of mine. If I was at someone else’s house and needed to sterilise either boil the bottles in a big saucepan ( like they did in the old days) of water or in a jug of water and put in the microwave.

The prep machines are great for speed. I didn’t discover them until number 3 baby and it made such a huge difference, especially when you have a screaming hungry baby.

Not sure on bottles, we just used the Tommy tippee ones. I don’t think I did any research, just went with what was available when I went shopping.

Don’t feel guilty about bottle feeding, you do what’s best for you. I never let any one pressure me, I told them where to go if they even commented on it. #1 got expressed milk for about 8 weeks as I struggled to bf for various reasons. #2 mixed fed, mainly breast but also bottles at night for 4 months and #3 bf for a few days then it was bottle.

BuffyTheBuffetSlayer · 27/01/2021 12:37

I had the tommee prep in the kitchen and in the bedroom for night feeds (my DB gave me his prep after I had already bought one). Made a huge difference at night by taking all the faff out of having to run down to make bottles while DP tried to pacify crying DD. Before I had 2 I took the one in the kitchen upstairs at night

PFin · 27/01/2021 12:37

We used the prep machine with first and loved it. I dont like pre making bottles then heating them up and esp.with a newborn you might need a bottle and if you dont have one ready the fuss and time of making one and cooling it is a nightmare so this machince perfect. As another poster said dont commit to mam bottles buy a couple and see if baby likes them, when had tommee tippee bottles, then avent and ended up using dr browns so all the others were a waste.

swiftt8919 · 27/01/2021 12:50

I use mam bottles and find them super easy to self sterilise in the microwave.

I have the day and night prep as well as a standard prep that I got for £10 on Facebook for upstairs. Honestly, the cheaper one is just as easy.

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