How long do you use a bottle of formula milk for?

[haggle-b]

Just wondered how long you use a bottle of milk for after it has been heated and baby drunk from it.

My lo has been regularly draining 7oz bottles until this week when he has only been taken 4oz max of them. I tend to use his remaining breakfast bottle to make up his porridge 45mins after he has had what he wants from it.

However, as my q asked how long would you leave it? For example he had his bottle at 3.45 today and will probably be having his dinner at 5.00, would you consider it safe to use the milk in his food which would be 1 1/4 hours after he first drunk from it?

Just want to make sure my LO gets enough milk. He has 4 bottles and when he was having 7oz that totalled 28oz in a day, now with him only having 4oz bottles he is only having 16oz a day. Puting milk in his food seemed to be a good solution to get more milk into him.

 

[amygwen]

I don't give formula. But I believe it's the same as breastmilk. You can give it an hour or two after baby has eaten off of it. I think that would be fine!

 

[emilyjade]

Its two hours i believe x

 

[~chipper~]

I wait two hours max, and if he hasn't eaten it by then, then I toss it

 

[jakey1]

I'm not sure tbh hun - I think (and I may be wrong because it's been ages since I used them) that the pre-made cartons that you can buy have to be used within a couple of hours of opening so I would say that 1 1/4 hours should be fine. Mind you, despite being told not to make feeds in advance and store them in the fridge, we always did and it never did them any harm. I don't think I could have coped with having to make them fresh and wait 30 minutes for water to cool, etc with 2 screaming newborns!! Sorry I don't have any better advice hun

 

[starlight2801]

2 hours is fine x

 

[Becky123]

I wait 2 hours, then chuck it if it goes over the 2 hour mark

 

[wantababybump]

We don't heat our bottles (except bedtime) but for all of her bottles if she still has any left we will leave it out for 2 hours (unless there is still quite a bit left in it then it goes in the fridge and is heated later)...after 2 hours it goes down the sink! Our nurse in the hospital told us 2 hours so that is how we have been doing it ever since

 

[PepsiChic]

its not 2 hours if its drunk from!

pre-made formula bottles:
24 hours - fridge
2 hours - room temp
1 hour - if drank from

the reason its one hour is because bacteria rapidly grows in the bottle once the baby has drunk from it, and this could cause sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach bugs etc

 

[wantababybump]

Hmm nurse never told us that...we have been doing that for almost 6 months. We asked them while we were in hospital because I was worried about it being left out too long and she said 2 hours was the max it could be left out. Good to know...Definitely makes sense!

 

[Seity]

its not 2 hours if its drunk from!

Pre-made formula bottles:
24 hours - fridge
2 hours - room temp
1 hour - if drank from

the reason its one hour is because bacteria rapidly grows in the bottle once the baby has drunk from it, and this could cause sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach bugs etc

^^
wss

 

[wantababybump]

its not 2 hours if its drunk from!

pre-made formula bottles:
24 hours - fridge
2 hours - room temp
1 hour - if drank from

the reason its one hour is because bacteria rapidly grows in the bottle once the baby has drunk from it, and this could cause sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach bugs etc

Where we don't heat her bottles are they ok in the fridge after she has drank from them or should they be tossed? She has room temp bottles...

 

[Seity]

Once they drink from it I wouldn't trust it after 1 hour sitting out or in the fridge... and this is coming from someone who doesn't believe in sterilizing.

 

[wantababybump]

Once they drink from it I wouldn't trust it after 1 hour sitting out or in the fridge... and this is coming from someone who doesn't believe in sterilizing.

Hmmm okies!! Might have to rethink what we usually do then!! I honestly would never even thought of that! Just assumed it was ok because nurses told us it was ok! Can't believe we have been doing it this long without knowing!!

 

[PepsiChic]

Once they drink from it I wouldn't trust it after 1 hour sitting out or in the fridge... and this is coming from someone who doesn't believe in sterilizing.

Hmmm okies!! Might have to rethink what we usually do then!! I honestly would never even thought of that! Just assumed it was ok because nurses told us it was ok! Can't believe we have been doing it this long without knowing!!

regardless of where you put the bottles once they have been drank form its 1 hour max to use them.

nurses and HVs seem to tell people all kinds of rubbish.

if you have a look int he formula section of the forum theres a few threads int here with the same kind of question.

 

[leoniebabey]

I always have left it for up to 2 hours (from drank)
no harm has come to my LO, saying that it's not often he left any and if he did it's not too often he would go back to it

 

[citygirl1]

I always have left it for up to 2 hours (from drank)
no harm has come to my LO, saying that it's not often he left any and if he did it's not too often he would go back to it

I agree, 2 hour rule for me, even when drank from. Hasn't done LO any harm.

 

[wantababybump]

Well at least I am not the only one! I don't feel as bad now!!

 

[Trying4ababy]

I believe the recommendation is to throw it away after 1 hour if they have drank from it.

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

yeah the recommended is 1 hour after drunk from but I go with 2 hours. back in the days when Ellie was in special care it took her longer than an hour to drink 3oz poor wee mite and she seems fine, but it is recommended that once drank from it is an hour xx