Making up formula

[Gabbysgarden]

so many ways to “conveniently” make a bottle compare to the normal boil kettle and wait 30minutes and it’s just confusing!

the nuby rapid cool , from my understanding you pour just boiled water into it with the formula and shake?

why can’t you just boil the kettle pour into bottle say 2oz add formula and then top up with cooled boiled water to complete the feed?
why is this considered not okay as the boiled water is too hot (I contacted a few formula companies re the “hot shot method”

it’s basically the same as the nuby which is recommended now by midwife’s?

Get a hot water dispenser with temperature control. 70° bottles in seconds. Zero faffing

The water should go first so you can measure out an exact number of ounces. If the powder is added before topping up the bottle you can end up measuring incorrectly and having the dilution wrong, which isn’t ideal for baby’s digestion.

Don’t overthink it. The hot shot method is fine. You’re supposed to make each bottle fresh now too but equally they then say formula is okay in the fridge for 24 hours.
My LG had reflux so fresh bottles were just too foamy. I used a variation of hot shot and fridge method with the rapid cool. So in the morning I boiled the kettle and filled two rapid cools with boiling water. Then I measured at least one oz of boiling water per scoop into the bottles, added the formula, shake, once the rapid cool water is cool enough I topped up each bottle with the right amount of cooled water and these would then be cool enough to put straight in the fridge. Enough bottles for the day and not all foamy and reflux inducing. All in the fridge quickly, so no real risk. Then warm as needed in the day.
Once they get to 6 months you can even then just do the hot shot and the top up can be tap water, so even easier.
You have to remember guidance is usually OTT strict because they have to be overcautious for babies. If they say it’s okay to make up bottles in advance imagine all the people that would store formula in the fridge for a week at a time, or leave the bottles on the side for hours to cool down before putting in the fridge. They can’t leave room for common sense with safety advice for babies, but a lot of it is just regular common sense/food hygiene you probably already practice, give or take some extra sterilisation!

You can do the boiling water and then ads cold water but you must pre measure it first to get the correct amount.

The Nuby is c. 20 quid and takes like 60 seconds. I actually think it’s probably the greatest invention of our time.

I wouldn’t want to pour boiling water into the plastic bottle itself because then the bottle itself is hot. I don’t like boiling water on plastics with all these chemicals and stuff. The idea freaks me out. I use Pyrex glass for microwaves. But that’s just me.

Just to add, the advice about measuring the water ratio is exactly right. You must do this accurately or your baby won’t be getting the right nutrients in the right quantities.
The rapid cool has measures on the inside so you can pour out the correct amount cooled water to the correct amount of hot shot.

I know they are not recommended but I just used the perfect prep machine and never had any issues !

I use the perfect prep and have never had any issues.

You can do it this way but you should always measure the water first - so pour 2oz boiled water into the bottle, then formula, then add cooled boiled water that you've already measured in another bottle so it's accurate.

I used the perfect prep. But tested the temperature of the water every week to make sure the hot shot was still over 70°C.

Out and about I used an improvised hot shot method.

I took:

• a thermos flask (also water tested this after a certain intervals to make sure the temp was over 70°C)
• A small sterile bottle.
• Larger bottles for the actual feed

Before going out:

• Boil the kettle, fill the flask
• Add half the feed size of water to the small bottle (e.g. 3oz for a 6oz feed)

Once I needed to make up a feed:

• I'd add 3oz of hot water from the flask.
• Add formula
• Shake
• Add the 3oz of, now cooled, water to the larger bottle from the smaller one.
• Top the smaller bottle back up to 3oz from the flask so it cools ready for the next feed.

Worked a treat!

So… conflicted with if a formula feed HAS to be made at the time or if it can be made in advance and stored in the fridge… my little man has zero chill when it comes to feeding and if he has to wait 30 minutes for a bottle in the middle of the night, the neighbours will think we’re mistreating him 🫣
What about a compromise of pre-filling the bottles with boiled water, leaving them to cool in the fridge, adding the formula when required and then warming in a bottle warmer? Thoughts??

WHO says that pre making bottles is the 2nd safest way after making them fresh.

You want to be sure that when you add the formula, the water is hot enough to kill any potential bacteria in the formula. If you don't then if any bacteria is in the formula, it might make baby very poorly.

Im not saying it’s right but everyone I know pre made bottles, suck in fridge then warmed and shaked to avoid hot shots m.

You can’t add formula to cold water. It has to be above 70 to sterilise it.
Premaking them using boiling water or hot shot method and refrigerating is fine as long as the formula has been sterilised with the hot water over 70 degrees.

@CMR25 There is no point boiling then cooling the water. The water is safe, it's the formula powder which isn't.

My midwife told me it’s perfectly safe to pre make them and leave them in the back of the fridge 🙈

In my experience of mum friends that FF they either pre-made and refrigerated or used a perfect prep or equivalent method. The more expensive premade bottles were used for outings. I've not met anyone that made every single bottle fresh.