Formula feeders advice needed!!!

[jubilee]

OK! Someone enlighten me about this bottle making malarkey!

I have been told:

• Don’t pre mix formula milk with the boiled water
• Put boiled water in bottles and then add formula when you are ready
• Do not reheat

BUT
IF the point of using boiled water is to make sure that you add formula when the water is still 70 degrees in order to kill off all bacteria, surely it is better to mix the formula in and the n store that? Cos even if it is cooler the bacteria was killed off when you added it to the hot water to start with.

It stands to reason that once the water has cooled down it isn’t hot enough to kill the bacteria which was the bloody point of boiling it…right?

I bought some of those formula holders that go inside your bottle and when you are ready to mix it you put the formula into your water, shake and it’s ready…..BUT if the water has cooled down a bit then it’s not hot enough to kill the bacteria either.

I am really confused.

I have been trying to decide what system we will use for our bottle feeding to minimise the amount of time it takes to make a feed available to the bubba. I don’t want to spend 15 minutes boiling the kettle and waiting for it to cool every time she gets hungry.

I think I’m gonna just go ahead a buy a really good thermos (one that keeps the water hot for 12 hrs) and store boiled water in it for 6 hours at a time and use the water from there to make up bottles when she gets hungry.

There are just all these rules and do’s & don’ts about formula milk but to be honest every person I know who bottle feeds pretty much all:

• Pre mix feeds and leave them in the fridge
• Pre mix feeds and take them out and about
• Microwave bottles

And they have never had an issue or illness yet.

I’m driving myself mad here….help!

 

[Jolinar]

It's a nightmare of logistics when you first start out, here is what I do:

Make the bottles the recommended way for the day, rapidly cool by standing them in the sink in cold water and then store in the fridge. Reheat when needed.

It's no fun standing there with a screaming hungry baby making bottles as needed, it's just not practical IMO, especially in the middle of the night with your eyes barely open.

 

[minnie83]

Make them all up in the morning, cool in fridge until needed, and then warm up in a jug of hot water. If we're going out I put a bottle in a cool bag and warm it when I need it (either at someone's house or with a travel bottle warmer).

No poorly tummies so far!

 

[jubilee]

I had my son 11 years before this little one coming along now and I am sure I used to do the same and he was never once ill either!

 

[indieknits]

I do exactly what Jolinar does and have had no problems so far. When I'm out and about, I'll store a bottle in a cool bag, and heat it up with a travel bottle warmer.

 

[sandrass]

Ive always mixed formula with room temperature water..never warm/hot water..and havent had any issues yet? I havent even heard of this. I do boil the water, but I thought that was to get rid of the impurities in the water...

 

[jubilee]

Ive always mixed formula with room temperature water..never warm/hot water..and havent had any issues yet? I havent even heard of this. I do boil the water, but I thought that was to get rid of the impurities in the water...

wouldn't worry about it! seriously I have never spoken to one person who does by the guidlines and never spoken to a person who has had a bubba with a funny tummy x

 

[sandrass]

Ive always mixed formula with room temperature water..never warm/hot water..and havent had any issues yet? I havent even heard of this. I do boil the water, but I thought that was to get rid of the impurities in the water...

wouldn't worry about it! seriously I have never spoken to one person who does by the guidlines and never spoken to a person who has had a bubba with a funny tummy x

Ya, I think a lot of it is just being overly cautious!

 

[xxema&bumpmjx]

i always make my bottles with the water let them cool down an put them in the fridge then when its feedin time i re-heat the bottle then add the milk xx

 

[OmarsMum]

I just used ready sterile water at room temperature. We dont have fresh water in taps. When LO was younger I used to add 1 oz of boiling water, then the whole amount of formula to the bottle, stir, then add the remaining water. I always prepare fresh feeds. But LO is predictable & never screams for bottles. As he's already on solids & food is not sterile, I just prepare the whole bottle at room temperature.

 

[MrsSyd]

We put about 2 thirds of freshly boiled water into the sterilised bottle, and leave on the side to cool down. Then, when Erin needs a feed we top the bottle up with boiled water to the required ammount, then add the formula and mix.
This way the formula is going into hot enough water to sterilise it, but by the time it's all mixed it's perfect drinking temperature for her.

We tried making the bottles up and putting them in the fridge, but found it took too long to warm them back up when she was screaming for a feed. If they weren't warmed up enough she used to get really bad wind.

 

[bubbles123]

The whole not not storing made up formula is a weird UK only thing from what I can make out. Other countries seem able to store formula OK with no problems. Quite why the UK has such strict guidelines I don't know X

 

[OmarsMum]

The whole not not storing made up formula is a weird UK only thing from what I can make out. Other countries seem able to store formula OK with no problems. Quite why the UK has such strict guidelines I don't know X

We have the same guidelines I didnt knw it's possible to pre-prepare bottles & store them in the fridge before joining BnB.

Here, prepare fresh feed, use it within 1 hr frm preparing. All those I knw (even me) prepare fresh bottles.

 

[lea28]

Its good to hear other ways that people are making up their bottles. My bubs is 8 days old and boiling the kettle half an hour before she needs feeding is doing me head in! Def will be changing the way I do it! x

 

[blondeNklutzi]

I think boiling water is mostly a UK thing, although there may be a few other countries that do the same. Here the only people who are recommended to boil water are those on rural water systems or well water.

I don't follow many formula guidelines at all and my LO is perfectly healthy. We make feeds up in advance, keep them in the fridge, or make them up with room temp water. If we are going out but will be out for less than 2 hours I make the bottle up before we leave and just carry it in his bag (our Dr. says it doesn't really have to be refrigerated for 2 hours). If he eats less than the whole bottle I do a bad bad thing and stick it back in the fridge for later. He's never had a funny tummy except when he was about 2 weeks old and I was following all the guidelines at that time, lol.