Bottle feeding?....make them in advance or not??

[shelly1816]

I'm going to switch my lo onto bottle feeding and just wanted to know how anyone else manages the bottles.
This is my 4th baby and the rules about making up feeds seems to have changed a lot since last time I made them!
I used to make up a days bottles in advance, (this was advised by HV and by formula peeps) but apparently this is now a big no no and I'm supposed to fanny around making them up in the middle of the night or carrying round flasks of water, bottles and a powder storage pot when I go out.
Some people have told me to ignore it, it was fine for our other 3 kids so why change the routine.

What does anyone else do? Any hints or tips?? Have you made them in advance for siblings and still do the same? If not, how is the best way to do it at night or when out??

Thanks xx

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I couldn't be doing with all of that so I just used ready made.
If I had done powder, I would have made them fresh and then cooled them down quickly in a jug of cold water / ice pack from the freezer. Second choice would have been to make them up for the day, cool quickly, put in fridge then re heat as needed.

The important thing is to make them up with water that is 70 degrees or higher or you run the risk of bacteria still being present in the powder, as it is not sterile.

 

[Jadey-x]

i havent worried too much about it, pre-made was fine for me, and ive had no problems with it at all!!

 

[bubbles123]

I use cartons for night feeds and when I go out. During the day I use powdered and make them up fresh for each feed as he usually wants feeding at regular times so it's easy to make them up fresh each time. There are many cheat ways you can do to avoid making them one at a time though. A good one I found was to put half the amount of cooled boiled water into sterilised bottles for the day then leave until LO needs feeding then add the rest of the water boiling hot straight from the kettle then add the powder. Means the water will be 70+ to kill any bugs but will also be nearly at a temp your LO can drink straight away.

 

[Mellage]

I 24 hours worth and store them in the fridge, did this with my eldest aswell

 

[Vicks]

I made them up as we needed them. My steriliser keeps for 6 hours once done as long as you don't open the lid, so I put it on after the last feed so it was ready when we next need it, made the feed up and then quick-cooled in cold water.
When we were out and about, I used carton milk and put together a sterilised bottle. It wasn't too bad once we got in the swing of it.

 

[Susie28]

During the day (when I am at home) I make them up as I go along. To avoid having to constantly boil the kettle and wait I just boil it once in the morning, let it cool for about 25-30 mins then put it in a flask ready to make up bottles with during the day. The flask keeps it a correct temperature and when the bottles are made up they just need a few mins to cool down.

At night and when I am out, I just use the ready to use carton milk! x

 

[shelly1816]

I have heard one way of doing it is to pour the water into the bottle and leave them on the kitchen side and just add the powder when needed. Is that easy? Do you still need to warm them or just give at room temp?
Does the water left on the side not grow bacteria??? I'm so confused, going to call the HV I think!!

I wouldn't have had a 2nd thought about not making up a days worth of feeds with my other 3, but typical worrying mother I feel I should be doing it how they say I should despite my other 3 not ever getting ill. My OH thinks I'm mad, says he'll be doing it the way he always has!

We always used ready made cartons for the other 3 when we were out but not sure if it works out much more expensive to do this at night too?

 

[shelly1816]

During the day (when I am at home) I make them up as I go along. To avoid having to constantly boil the kettle and wait I just boil it once in the morning, let it cool for about 20 mins then put it in a flask ready to make up bottles with during the day. The flask keeps it a correct temperature and when the bottles are made up they just need a few mins to cool down.

At night and when I am out, I just use the ready to use carton milk! x

Don't know if I am being completely thick, but does the flask not need to be sterilised??? Does the water not grow bacteria being left hot in there during the day?

 

[bubbles123]

Would depend how may night feeds you do/how much they have. Cartons are 200mls so when he was younger one carton would do both night feeds, sometimes 3 feeds plus when he was small (as they last 24 hours once opened in the fridge). In all honesty most people store feeds in some way so I really wouldn't worry about it! Only thing you have to do is make sure that the water is 70+ when added to the powder - so adding it to room temperature water is not recommended as it wouldn't kill any bugs that may be in the powder. With storing in a flask, just pouring boiling water in it would sterilise it and it would be fine to keep for a day X

 

[Beth09]

I have heard one way of doing it is to pour the water into the bottle and leave them on the kitchen side and just add the powder when needed. Is that easy? Do you still need to warm them or just give at room temp?
Does the water left on the side not grow bacteria??? I'm so confused, going to call the HV I think!!

I wouldn't have had a 2nd thought about not making up a days worth of feeds with my other 3, but typical worrying mother I feel I should be doing it how they say I should despite my other 3 not ever getting ill. My OH thinks I'm mad, says he'll be doing it the way he always has!

We always used ready made cartons for the other 3 when we were out but not sure if it works out much more expensive to do this at night too?

This is how we do it, we fill the bottles with boiled water and then leave them on the side! When we want one we heat the water then add the powder! x

 

[Melody74]

I make 3 bottles in advance as I am using colief and if made in advance they need to be in the fridge for at least 4 hours. So I make in advance with boiled water that's been left for half an hour to cool. Then cool further quickly at the back of the fridge until luke warm (about another 30 minutes) and then add the colief. Back to the fridge and warm when needed. Making 3 at a time means I only do this once in the morn, once late aft and once for the night.
I also put some boiling water into a flask just incase in need to make emergency bottles. No need to sterilise.

 

[Susie28]

During the day (when I am at home) I make them up as I go along. To avoid having to constantly boil the kettle and wait I just boil it once in the morning, let it cool for about 20 mins then put it in a flask ready to make up bottles with during the day. The flask keeps it a correct temperature and when the bottles are made up they just need a few mins to cool down.

At night and when I am out, I just use the ready to use carton milk! x

Don't know if I am being completely thick, but does the flask not need to be sterilised??? Does the water not grow bacteria being left hot in there during the day?

Yeh the flask gets sterilised. Ill ask my midwife about it (the bacteria issue), as this method has been suggested by three midwives now, so It must be fine. I think the fact that the water maintains a hot enough temperature in the flask is preventing any bacteria from growing and also keeps the flask sterilised.

 

[lynnikins]

I use cartons for night feeds and when I go out. During the day I use powdered and make them up fresh for each feed as he usually wants feeding at regular times so it's easy to make them up fresh each time. There are many cheat ways you can do to avoid making them one at a time though. A good one I found was to put half the amount of cooled boiled water into sterilised bottles for the day then leave until LO needs feeding then add the rest of the water boiling hot straight from the kettle then add the powder. Means the water will be 70+ to kill any bugs but will also be nearly at a temp your LO can drink straight away.

i did this when i was FF my first, id even measure out the powder into seperate containers first thing of a morning and that way if i was going out i just had to grab a bottle off the bench caus you can get hot water most places lol

 

[hayley_willis]

I use ready made cartons when I go out and in the day I keep one bottle aside to put boiled water in to cool down (3oz) then when Finley is ready for his ready I put 1oz boiling water in another bottle, add my 4 level scoops then add the 3oz cool boiled water to make up to 4oz (sorry if it sounds confusing!) The milk has then desolved in the boiling water and the cool water makes it a temperature he can drink straight away, I then re-boil the kettle and add my 3oz in to the spare bottle to cool ready for the next feed!

 

[Jolinar]

I make the days bottles in one go as per tin instructions, rapidly cool in the sink then pop in the fridge. It's a real faff for me making them up as we go along, try explaining to a hungry baby he can't have his milk yet

 

[Rachel_C]

We used to pre-make the day's formula and then store it in the fridge but Leyla got sick and we were advised not to do that anymore, just in case that was the problem.

Now, we put the boiled water into the bottles and leave them on the side. When we want a bottle, we heat it in the microwave to just warm enough to help the powder dissolve (if you shake for longer, and depending on the forumla, you don't always need to heat it) and then add the powder. I use a powder dispenser normally so it's quick and easy.

I have read arguments from both sides about whether you need to put the powder into water that is at 70 degrees C. I concluded that if you are storing the formula after it's been made up you do need to put the powder in hot water. If you're using it straight away, you don't need to. This is my reasoning: When storing formula, any bacteria has time to grow so you want to kill off as much as possible with the hot water. Even 100 degrees won't kill all bacteria unfortunately, which is why they advise not to store it made up anymore because after a time bacteria will grow whatever you've done and wherever you store it. If you're not storing it ready made up, you're ok to use cold/warm water because although there is a small chance there is bacteria in the powder, there has been no water present to make it able to grow. Whichever way you do it, there is a very small chance of bacteria being present. The only way to completely avoid that is to make them up with hot water just before use and cool rapidly, which I don't think many people have time to do with a hungry baby!

 

[LorettaClaire]

We pre make 12 hours worth. Store one at room temp and the other 2 in the fridge. The one at room temp is then ready to go for her next feed and we just heat the other two up when they are needed in boiled water. We've had no problems so far but it is early days. x

 

[dani_tinks]

We make up two in advance and leave out at room temp as this is how he likes them temp wise. Then when hes drank them both, make up another two and so on.

 

[amandad192]

I was doing some research last night on when babies can have tap water.
I found soo much information that was all very contradicting, including experts saying that you only need to steralise bottles before the first use, then can just clean them in hot soapy water and rinse them well. Some experts saying you can give tap water from birth.
Aperently it's all to do with when poeple were advised to start steralising how the water was uncotrolled. Now there are regulations is place monitoring the water to make sure it's safe.
I make up Liams bottles at night for 24 hours sometimes. I make up bottles before I go out and leave them hot in the thermal bag so that I can cool them down when I need them (It's easier to get a jug of cold water than a jug of hot water)
But there's no way I'd risk not steralising the bottles yet. That just seems a little silly.