Help - I'm confused - Heating up Bottles (long :( )

[Lulu]

Hi everyone, I'm totally confused about the whole bottle feeding/making up formula issues that it's really getting me down, I just cannot figure it out at all!!!

Quick bit of background - Euan born 11 days ago, tried breastfeeding for first 4 days but he had jaundice and a bit of an infection so he wasn't feeding very well so I switched to bottle while in hospital and he's fed great since then.

In hospital I used pre-made bottles of milk that they stored in a metal cupboard - no heating up, just take the lid off and put on a teat!

Since coming home we've been using pre-made cartons of Aptimil, taking bottles out of the sterliser and filling up. The cartons are kept on the worktop so are room temp when fed to Euan and he takes them fine.

As this is a fairly expensive way of doing things I really need get my head round how to make up a feed and heat it up.

What is the best way to heat up a feed if left in either the fridge or on the worktop - bowl of boiled water just out of the kettle, warm water from the tap, in the microwave for 1 min (then let stand for 1 min)????

Tons of questions I know but I'm so confused about the whole thing that I'm becoming completely obsessed and scared that I'm going to do something wrong

 

[faille]

I have no idea if this is the "right" way or not but we haven't had any problems doing it this way.

We sterilise 6 bottles every day and then fill them up with fresh boiled water from the kettle.

We wait for them to completely cool down and then pop them in the fridge.

When Violet is hungry, we heat the bottle in a jug of boiling water (I leave it there between 5-10mins so it's not too hot for her to drink) then add the formula.

We tried it with making up complete feeds and just reheating with a jug of water, we've tried leaving them at room temp, but I'm most comfortable doing it this way. HTH xx

 

[Lulu]

Thanks for that Faille, it's just so confusing and new just now that I'm totally out of sorts with what to do, so any advice is gratefully received.

 

[faille]

I was the same hun, and then you hear one person say "no no you shouldn't be doing it like that" and it makes you completely paranoid again.

There was a thread in this forum not too long ago asking how people made up their bottles - you might get some more info from that, it had some great answers.

Just do what you're comfortable with in the end, just remember that boiling water kills the germs/bacteria and germs/bacteria can't live in the fridge.. anything else I think is down to each individual.

I know that microwaving to heat bottles up is a "no-no" now altho I can't remember why.. I think it's something to do with chemicals being released from the bottles when they get that hot.

 

[needausername]

Hot water from the tap is a no no as the water can have lead in it as it is usually stored for longer periods than the cold water.

In the microwave often heat doesn't get dispersed adequately and it leaves "hot spots" so that parts of the milk (or any other food) will be hotter than others. So you may test it and it feels warm enough then you feed baby and it swallows a hot spot and burns the throat and mouth.

Anything else I have no idea because I haven't a baby! But From friends that have babies they all seem to boil water, leave it cool, make up bottle and give it to baby or else heat in a jug of hot water

 

[Lulu]

Thanks girls for your replies. It really is a case of trial and error I suppose, it's just at the moment I've been so overwhelmed with everything that even the simpliest thing i.e. make up a bottle of milk seems like the hugest thing and it has been sending me over the edge into floods of tears!

Thank goodness for BnB, I need the voice of reason to help me see sense!

 

[lesleyann]

we dont heat up our bottles we cool them down because we always use hot water to make up the bottle due to that being what the formula says and HV and thats how i feel comfy doing it. I was told the water needed to be about 70 in Temp because the powder is not stearile and the heat of the water makes sure it is ok to drink.. but thats just how i do it

everyone does it a different way just find what suits your best and what you profer

 

[mrs shine]

I make the bottles up in advance and then store in the fridge. I tend to make the next one up once I used the last one so that they're not hanging around all day in the fridge but then I don't use many bottles a day as I'm combining, if I was purely FF then I may make up the whole days feeds in one go.
When it comes to reheating I pop the bottle in a jug filled with boiled water and leave for a few mins.
Some people microwave but I don't feel safe doing it that way as when you heat things in a microwave they can continue cooking for a short time after taking it out so I worry about burning my LO mouth

 

[laura3103]

i make the water up and store in the fridge until she is hungrey then pop the bottle in to the microwve to heat the water up about 40 seconds then pop the formula in and shake the bottle well so there are no hot spots this as worked for me the last 1 1/2 months and luckly she has never suffered with colic either as i gave her infacol as soon as i switched to bottle.

 

[Vickie]

You'll find loads of different answers to this question and keep in mind some countries give different guidelines. Do what suits you best though

We make up 24 bottles in advance. I sterilize the bottles, add boiled water, add the powdered formula, shake and pop immediately into the fridge. Early on I warmed them in a bottle warmer as needed, now she mostly drinks her milk cold (but she's over 10 months old and has very few bottles).

 

[daisyday]

I always fill the bottles with as much boiled water as i need and then just leave them on the side.

I add the formular as i need the bottle so that they dont go bad and im a bit naughty, i heat the bottle in the microwave with the lid off for 35 seconds. Just make sure the microwave is spotlessly clean and that you shake the bottle up alot after to make sure there are no hot spots.

I brought some little tommie tippie pots to put the exact amount of milk in i need and i just pour this in the bottle when i need it.

 

[candeur]

I've always made up Seren's bottles when needed but when I use a carton and have to warm it up I always put it in a jug of boiled water. I don't use a microwave because it can cause hot spots in the bottle. I find that it does warm up pretty quickly in a jug of boiling water though.

 

[Dona]

I make up six bottles with boiling water and add the formula. Then I cool down fast in cold water before putting them in the fridge. When Archie needs a bottle I heat it in the bottle warmer - takes three mins. Everyone does this differently. You do what fits in with your routine and you think feels right.

 

[Lulu]

Thanks girls for all your replies I really appreciated the advice.

What I've been doing the last couple of days is making up 2 or 3 bottles with boiled water straight from the kettle, add in the formula and then put directly into the bottom of the fridge (the coldest section in mine) and when I need to use them, boil the kettle, pour hot water into a glass jug and pop the cold bottle in for about 3/4 mins. Check on my wrist and then feed to Euan. He's been guzzling them down, so they must taste ok