How long do you use a bottle of formula milk for?

haggle-b · Apr 1st, 2011, 10:25 AM

Just wondered how long you use a bottle of milk for after it has been heated and baby drunk from it.

My lo has been regularly draining 7oz bottles until this week when he has only been taken 4oz max of them. I tend to use his remaining breakfast bottle to make up his porridge 45mins after he has had what he wants from it.

However, as my q asked how long would you leave it? For example he had his bottle at 3.45 today and will probably be having his dinner at 5.00, would you consider it safe to use the milk in his food which would be 1 1/4 hours after he first drunk from it?

Just want to make sure my LO gets enough milk. He has 4 bottles and when he was having 7oz that totalled 28oz in a day, now with him only having 4oz bottles he is only having 16oz a day. Puting milk in his food seemed to be a good solution to get more milk into him.

amygwen · Apr 1st, 2011, 10:27 AM

I don't give formula. But I believe it's the same as breastmilk. You can give it an hour or two after baby has eaten off of it. I think that would be fine!

emilyjade · Apr 1st, 2011, 10:29 AM

Its two hours i believe x

~chipper~ · Apr 1st, 2011, 10:31 AM

I wait two hours max, and if he hasn't eaten it by then, then I toss it

jakey1 · Apr 1st, 2011, 10:31 AM

I'm not sure tbh hun - I think (and I may be wrong because it's been ages since I used them) that the pre-made cartons that you can buy have to be used within a couple of hours of opening so I would say that 1 1/4 hours should be fine. Mind you, despite being told not to make feeds in advance and store them in the fridge, we always did and it never did them any harm. I don't think I could have coped with having to make them fresh and wait 30 minutes for water to cool, etc with 2 screaming newborns!! Sorry I don't have any better advice hun

starlight2801 · Apr 1st, 2011, 11:36 AM

2 hours is fine x

Becky123 · Apr 1st, 2011, 11:38 AM

I wait 2 hours, then chuck it if it goes over the 2 hour mark

wantababybump · Apr 1st, 2011, 12:03 PM

We don't heat our bottles (except bedtime) but for all of her bottles if she still has any left we will leave it out for 2 hours (unless there is still quite a bit left in it then it goes in the fridge and is heated later)...after 2 hours it goes down the sink! Our nurse in the hospital told us 2 hours so that is how we have been doing it ever since

PepsiChic · Apr 1st, 2011, 12:05 PM

its not 2 hours if its drunk from!

pre-made formula bottles:
24 hours - fridge
2 hours - room temp
1 hour - if drank from

the reason its one hour is because bacteria rapidly grows in the bottle once the baby has drunk from it, and this could cause sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach bugs etc

wantababybump · Apr 1st, 2011, 12:42 PM

Hmm nurse never told us that...we have been doing that for almost 6 months. We asked them while we were in hospital because I was worried about it being left out too long and she said 2 hours was the max it could be left out. Good to know...Definitely makes sense!

Apr 1st, 2011, 10:25 AM	#1
haggle-b Other Active BnB Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Suffolk, UK Posts: 833	How long do you use a bottle of formula milk for? Just wondered how long you use a bottle of milk for after it has been heated and baby drunk from it. My lo has been regularly draining 7oz bottles until this week when he has only been taken 4oz max of them. I tend to use his remaining breakfast bottle to make up his porridge 45mins after he has had what he wants from it. However, as my q asked how long would you leave it? For example he had his bottle at 3.45 today and will probably be having his dinner at 5.00, would you consider it safe to use the milk in his food which would be 1 1/4 hours after he first drunk from it? Just want to make sure my LO gets enough milk. He has 4 bottles and when he was having 7oz that totalled 28oz in a day, now with him only having 4oz bottles he is only having 16oz a day. Puting milk in his food seemed to be a good solution to get more milk into him.

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Apr 1st, 2011, 10:27 AM	#2
amygwen Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 9,581	I don't give formula. But I believe it's the same as breastmilk. You can give it an hour or two after baby has eaten off of it. I think that would be fine!

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Apr 1st, 2011, 10:29 AM	#3
emilyjade Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: notts uk Posts: 8,996	Its two hours i believe x

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Apr 1st, 2011, 10:31 AM	#4
~chipper~ Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UT Posts: 500	I wait two hours max, and if he hasn't eaten it by then, then I toss it

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Apr 1st, 2011, 10:31 AM	#5
jakey1 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: UK Posts: 962	I'm not sure tbh hun - I think (and I may be wrong because it's been ages since I used them) that the pre-made cartons that you can buy have to be used within a couple of hours of opening so I would say that 1 1/4 hours should be fine. Mind you, despite being told not to make feeds in advance and store them in the fridge, we always did and it never did them any harm. I don't think I could have coped with having to make them fresh and wait 30 minutes for water to cool, etc with 2 screaming newborns!! Sorry I don't have any better advice hun

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Apr 1st, 2011, 11:36 AM	#6
starlight2801 Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: UK, West Yorkshire Posts: 3,522	2 hours is fine x

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Apr 1st, 2011, 11:38 AM	#7
Becky123 Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: UK Posts: 1,884	I wait 2 hours, then chuck it if it goes over the 2 hour mark

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Apr 1st, 2011, 12:03 PM	#8
wantababybump Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 3,095	We don't heat our bottles (except bedtime) but for all of her bottles if she still has any left we will leave it out for 2 hours (unless there is still quite a bit left in it then it goes in the fridge and is heated later)...after 2 hours it goes down the sink! Our nurse in the hospital told us 2 hours so that is how we have been doing it ever since

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Apr 1st, 2011, 12:05 PM	#9
PepsiChic Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Missouri USA Posts: 5,174	its not 2 hours if its drunk from! pre-made formula bottles: 24 hours - fridge 2 hours - room temp 1 hour - if drank from the reason its one hour is because bacteria rapidly grows in the bottle once the baby has drunk from it, and this could cause sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach bugs etc

Status: Online

Apr 1st, 2011, 12:42 PM	#10
wantababybump Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 3,095	Hmm nurse never told us that...we have been doing that for almost 6 months. We asked them while we were in hospital because I was worried about it being left out too long and she said 2 hours was the max it could be left out. Good to know...Definitely makes sense!

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