First day of FF!

[devon_91x]

I have been BF my little girl for 16 days and have been giving her the occasional ready make carton of formula. I really wasn't enjoying BF and with the added stress of having a newborn baby and getting no sleep, I have decided to switch to FF so I can have help with feeding her! I also hated the thought of leaving the house, or having visitors, in case she got hungry and I would have to BF around people.

I bought some SMA gold today as I didn't really know the difference between formulas (if there even is a difference?) And my mum told me sma is considered the 'best' formula. Is this true or are they all the same? As I've noticed sma is the most expensive.

My main concern is making the feeds up. I know you should boil the kettle 30 mins before to allow it to cool down, but what if my LO wakes up hungry, surely I don't leave her to cry for half an hour? So what I've done is sterilise some bottles, but boiled water in them and put them straight into the fridge. I've also put the right amount of formula into storage containers to make things quicker. So can I just take the bottles out, re-heat and put the formula in? Or do I put formula in first then heat? And is this ok to do? I just can't see another way of making things quicker rather than let her starve and cry for half an hour?

Also am I right in thinking if she dosnt completly finish her bottle, I can save whatever is left for 2 hours before I have to discard of it? Can I put it back into the fridge or re-heat it? Or do I just have to leave it at room temp until she drinks it?

Sorry for all the questions, I just find its easier to ask you ladies than googling! Thanks!x

 

[Frooty]

Hi there u can premake bottles boil kettle wait 30 mins fill a few bottles add tjw powder shake them all then rapid cool i.e put in the sink of cold water for 10 min then place in back of fridge then all u have to do is warm up in microwave when baby needs it give it a good shake tho for hot spots x

 

[Saphira]

I know that problem (baby crying in hunger and long cooling time with boiled water). To quicken the formula making process we use the Cool Twister (https://www.nip-babyartikel.de/en/eating-drinking/cool-twister/product/) and it's by far in the top 3 best baby related purchases we've made. It cools boiled water down to a desired temperature depending on what is stated on the back of your formula box (for us, 50ºc) in 80 seconds! It's also sold in the U.K. on Amazon if you're interested: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twister-boiling-desired-temperature-Preparation/dp/B000NAZZSE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346777280&sr=8-1
Sorry, I'm not in the U.K. so I can't comment on SMA formula, hopefully someone else can help.
We personally throw any leftover milk out after every feed but in rare cases when she's only had a few sips and refuses the rest we'll save it for an hour max. in room temp., warm it up with the bottle warmer and try again.

 

[skunkpixie]

Hey there. Welcome to the formula feeding section!

As Frooty said the safer way to premake is to make up feeds fully in advance (boil water, leave to cool for 20-30 mins, add powder, cool for 10 mins in a basin of cold water and store in the back of the fridge) and use within 24 hours.

A feed can be kept at room temperature for upto 2 hours before it needs to be discarded, but once baby starts to drink it then any left over feed needs to be discarded within an hour and not saved for later.

No formulas are better than any other, its just down to which one your baby prefers. xxx

 

[bumblebeexo]

I sterilise the bottles, boil the kettle & leave for 30 mins, then make up a few bottles fully. I then put in a sink of cold water to rapid cool, then put them in the fridge. The HV told me I could do this, as she even agreed that the advice to make them up fresh every time would make life a lot harder! She said to put them as far back as possible in the fridge, keeps them colder! When she is ready for a feed then I boil the kettle, and leave the bottle sitting in a jug with the water for a few minutes. I'll leave it for about an hour after she starts drinking. As for formula, I'm not sure what's best, some babies don't like certain ones etc so it's just finding the best one for you!

 

[devon_91x]

Thanks everyone! Also another thing, what do u do when you go out, say like shopping? Somewhere you dont have access to a bottle warmer etc? Do you take the bottle from the fridge with you and just leave it to reach room temp and give it to baby like that? So confusing!

 

[skunkpixie]

Personally I use a ready-to-feed carton, and give it at room temperature. xx

 

[Saphira]

Thanks everyone! Also another thing, what do u do when you go out, say like shopping? Somewhere you dont have access to a bottle warmer etc? Do you take the bottle from the fridge with you and just leave it to reach room temp and give it to baby like that? So confusing!

We fill a thermos with hot boiled water and it stays hot-warm for a good 6-9hrs. We pour the desired amount of water into her bottle, mix with powder when it's cooled down a bit and it's ready to go!

 

[belle254]

My LO's on aptamil and I premake the days bottles and store them at the back of the fridge. If I'm going out and think she might need a feed while out I take it out the fridge and put it straight in an insulated bottle bag (Tommee Tippee). I've got the TT bottle warmer too. Which is basically a glorified thermos flask! Fill with boiling water and whenever LO wants a feed while out I use the top of the flask as a bowl and pop the bottle in for a few mins- perfect temp. If I'm going to be out for longer and possibly more than one feed I take cartons and feed at room temp xxxx

 

[DSM]

Hi,

Im BF & topping up wit Aptimal First Formula for BF babies, I boil kettle wait 30mins, make his top up bottles for the day & night, shake for 10secs, leave 1hr then fridge (can last 24hrs in fridge) to heat up I use a bottle warmer which heats them in hot water for 4mins, then it lasts 2hrs til has to be discarded.

Its not how it says on the box but many babies have been ok previously with this method ( my family have had a few kids each so I take their advice) although none of them combi fed, just bf or ff

I'll be trying to combi feed until 5mnths then FF ready for when I go back to work Xxx