formula questions from a numpty

[snowy-willow]

Yesterday we had to make the decision to switch from breast to bottle for our now week old baby daughter.

I have some questions about things.

1) I have a tommee Tippee electric steam steriliser and the instruction says they will stay sterile for 24 hours if it is unopened but how long if you open to take a bottle out? There is room for 6 bottles but as you cant make bottled in advance surely they need to stay sterile for a while.

2) how do you keep a bottle sterile while out and about?

3) how do you make fresh feeds when out?

4) what do you do about night feeds as the box of milk says you have to boil the kettle, pour the water and then leave to cool for 30 minutes before adding the powder but surely you don't want to have to wait 30 minutes before feeding a hungry baby.

I am sure I had other questions but am exhausted and have forgotten what they were so if you have any tips, hints or things i should know.

 

[jumpin]

I sterilise then take out the bottles and add cooled boiled water. I make up the bottle as and when needed, I just add powder and shake, I do not warm before giving. DD1 had all her bottles this way and has had no problems and DD2 is now having hers this way after 15 weeks of BF.
Others may make them up completely differently, I work with someone who sterilised bottles and assembled them adding water and powder at the time they were needed and someone who used insulated bags to keep bottles warm, I am sure others will have different ways as well.
Hope that helps you will soon work out what works best for you.

 

[ouchwithNo.2]

as jumpin says - we all have different rules!
I guess it depends if you have been there before and when..
I had my son in 2004, back then it was the norm to premake your feeds, ie ; 6 bottles in 24hrs, boiling water coiled for 30mins and then add the powder, roll / shake and store in fridge.
When I had LO last summer it had all changed again, I was horrified to see feeds should be made when required and though to myself, yeah right!!! screaming baby while kettle cools - no thank you...
I asked my HV why, she said rules changed but my premake is perfectly ok and I carried on (I was going to regardless - never heard of a baby getting ill, even if you dont do 24hrs worth at least 12hrs worth batch will keep you out of trouble).
When I am out all I do is take the bottle which is pre-mixed out the fridge and thats it - lid is on so all is well. If I were to make when required I would just assemble the bottle and keep it in one piece until needed.
Again, I am quite relaxed about the steriliser, I figure as long as my hands are clean then getting one bottle out isn't going to hurt.
You will figure out a way that suits x

 

[bathbabe]

1) I have a tommee Tippee electric steam steriliser and the instruction says they will stay sterile for 24 hours if it is unopened but how long if you open to take a bottle out? There is room for 6 bottles but as you cant make bottled in advance surely they need to stay sterile for a while.
if you take them out and put them together they stay sterile for 24hours
2) how do you keep a bottle sterile while out and about?
same as above
3) how do you make fresh feeds when out?
I dont, I premake - and i wouldnt advise you to just add the powder to cold/room temp water as it dont make the milk powder sterile
4) what do you do about night feeds as the box of milk says you have to boil the kettle, pour the water and then leave to cool for 30 minutes before adding the powder but surely you don't want to have to wait 30 minutes before feeding a hungry baby.
again i premake - hell of a lot easier

 

[annaandoli]

i sterlise all 6 bottles and then take them all out of the steriliser and screw them all together ready to use. i too was baffled at first as to how we would keep the bottles sterile. we did begin by using the steriliser 5 or 6 times a day until i read some very useful ideas on here!

when we make bottles we put fresh water in kettle, boil and use strightaway but cool to the right temp using cold water (either holding bottle with lid on under cold tap or sitting in a jug of water). i dont think you ned to use cooled boiled water like the formula cartons all say. when olivia wants her feed she wants it then, not in 20 mins when kettle has cooled down hehe!

after a little time of bottlefeeding you will get your own way of doing things! i felt completely clueless when we had to start bottlefeeding olivia so your not alone! xx

 

[Tulip]

I premake twice a day and store in the fridge. I have the same steriliser and as earlier posters say I put the bottles together once they're sterilised. As for going out I just take one from the fridge - it'll be up to an acceptable temp by the time he wants it - or I use a premade carton x

 

[snowy-willow]

thanks for all your advice, I had planned all through my pregnancy to breastfeed but due to lack of support at birth, bad latch etc we had to switch as it was effecting both of our healths.

I just felt so overwhelmed with trying to work it all out.

It also says on the powder box about offering cooled boiled water between feeds - do you need to? Surely this just fills their tummies without giving them the calories etc they need.

 

[Tulip]

They can get thirsty or dehydrated on formula - you can tell by them getting constipated or the fontanelle drooping.

I know what you mean about giving up bf - even with some (late) help we couldn't quite latch right, I was constantly in pain, he's s greedy guts and we began to resent each other. I still miss it but was right to change - having dropped to the 9th centile in wright, as of yesterday he has regained his curve between 25th and 50th

 

[bubbles123]

After a few weeks of FF you will be a pro! I make fresh at home and use cartons when out and LO has fallen into an easy routine. The times I need to put the kettle on are permanently drilled into me brain. It will be so weird in a few weeks when I don't have to do it any more! As for offering boiled water, I've never had to but it might be a good idea in very hot weather. Only offer an oz or two though as as you say too much could fill them up and they won't want all of their milk.

 

[bathbabe]

Theres no real need to give extra water unless your baby is constipated. Its really hot. Or your weaning x

 

[Sarah10]

1. We premake 6 at at time and put them in the fridge.
2. Just put the teat and lid on
3. before we leave, i put the correct amount of boiled water in the bottle, i have some tommee tippee powder dispensers which clip inside the bottle. just tip the powder in and shake.
4. ^^ premake then fill a jug with boiling water and pop the bottle of milk in.


Don't worry about the extra water, that is only usually needed if it is really hot and your LO is uncomfortable (even then only small amounts for young babies) or if baby is constipated it can help.

xxx

 

[angelic_one]

Hey, i just switched over in the last 2 weeks, I strongly suggest stocking up on some cartons to begin with, especially if you don't want to premake, they're so much easier especially for night feeds while you're getting used to using formula, all you have to do is pour and serve at room temp or warm it slightly.

As for powder, most people seem to premake but personally I never had a problem with making them as I went, because we're on SMA gold which lasts for 2 hours after you make it up anyway, so we'd just start making about an hour before she was due. At the moment I do make 2 bottles at a time because we're trying baby girl on Colief which adds an extra half hour to the prep time. I then cool them rapidly in cold water and store them in the fridge.

The most important thing is that the water is about 70 degrees when it mixes with the powder, too hot and it apparently kills some of the nutritional value, too cold and it doesn't sterilize the milk powder. Anything else is up to you really, as people have said, you'll find your own way of doing it.

 

[angelic_one]

Oh, one of the best way I heard of doing it is to boil some water and leave it to cool, then say you were making a bottle of 4ozs, pour out 3oz of the cooled boiled water into each bottle, and put them in the fridge. Then when it came to time to make the feed, boil the kettle with fresh water, then add the extra oz of water, so that it would be sterile and roughly the right temperature to add the powder straight away but you don't have to wait half hour for the kettle to cool with a screaming baby! Shake the bottle then cool to the right temperature!

Oh and another tip, don't forget to unscrew then rescrew the top just before you give it to the baby to release any extra built up air!