Im really confused

[flower01]

we currently use aptimil ready to use formula.
We brought a big thing of powder the other day to see if we could use that instead.
on the back it says that at 8 weeks we should be giving willow 5 feeds a day of 150ml
well she is fed every 3 hours so thats more then 5 feeds and we only usually give her 150ml at night, she has about 130-140 per feed in the days.
Her weight is excellent and shes been gaining it well.

should we be at 4 hourly feeds at her age now then?

also- do i really have to start a bottle 30 mins before its due to cool the water etc etc. isnt there a quicker way?

im so paranoid about using the powder cos it has big warnings all over it about if you do it wrong it will make your baby ill.

with all this faff im very tempted to carry on with the ready made stuff but it will soon get expensive.

 

[lozenge]

I really wouldn't pay attention to the amount the box says they should be taking, we use the Aptimal powder too and my LO never conforms to what they say he should be having! I normally work out that he takes less per feed but has more feeds so it works out the same anyway. If she is happy and gaining weight then that is all that matters

As for the making instructions, we boil the water and fill 6 bottles beforehand, and add powder when needed. The sterile water keeps for 24 hours so it works out fine

Hope that helps xx

 

[flower01]

ah that does help!
Thankyou so much!
xxxx

 

[purpledaisy2]

I do exactly what Lozenge does with regards to making up feeds. I've never done any different and LO is fine.

Ignore the tub hun they are only recommendations/a rough guide, every baby is different. My LO drinks 150-180ml every four hours, so thats 6 feeds a day.


xx

 

[topazicatzbet]

I really wouldn't pay attention to the amount the box says they should be taking, we use the Aptimal powder too and my LO never conforms to what they say he should be having! I normally work out that he takes less per feed but has more feeds so it works out the same anyway. If she is happy and gaining weight then that is all that matters

As for the making instructions, we boil the water and fill 6 bottles beforehand, and add powder when needed. The sterile water keeps for 24 hours so it works out fine

Hope that helps xx

i discussed doing this with the health visitor on thurs as im just switching to formula. she said doing it this way doesnt kill off the bacteria in the milk powder so you should make up each bottle as needed. you can cool the bottle faster by it under the cold tap as long as the cap is on.

 

[aimee-lou]

I agree - pay no attention to the tin! lol

Earl eats every 2.5hours during the day, has 6oz (180ml) per feed - 6 of them throughout the day, plus another bedtime bottle at 7oz (210ml). That's 43oz, and he eats it ALL!! He's always been a big eater but he wont take a larger bottle at the moment so I'd rather he be happy, and eat what he wants.

With regards to making the bottles, you can either store the boiled water as suggested or you could pre-make the bottles and pop them in the fridge until you need them, then warm them up. I make up 2 batches in the am and pm and it works for us. (Your HV should have given you a leaflet on 'correct' methods, but in the back there's a method for pre-making if you need to go out etc, which is the way I do it all the time).

 

[DizzyMoo]

I pre made the bottles & stick them in tubs of water to cool quickly then whack em in the fridge & warm as needed. Jax is nearly 10 wks & doesn't feed every 4 hours unless we've gone out in pram he sleeps better/longer so feeds better, If like now its weekend he feeds as & when he wants it coz he doesn't sleep long enough at a time so he defo isn't going by the tin.
I've just put him on sma staydown & this has to be made with already chilled water anyway instead of warm water (not sure why) . So i'm currently filling the bottles with water, cooling quickly then sticking them in fridge without milk in, & just adding milk & slightly warming as i need it as your meant to give this cool.

 

[OmarsMum]

At the beginning I was counting scoops. I used to go crazy if he takes extra 30 ml per day. Thenm I just fed on demand. Omar is 9 wks old, and just started taking 150 ml per feed every 4-5 hrs although it said on the tin 180 ml 5 times. He sleeps for 8 hrs at night without a feed. So the total no. of scoops he takes is much less than the recomended.

On his 2 months checkup, he scored 90th percentile.

As for water,the easiest way I found is boiling, keep it until it's warm, then store it in a flask.

 

[Lazy Leo]

What I've always done is fill three bottles with pre-boiled water, make up one and then when the LO has finished that one, I make up the next one for later and put it in an insulated bottled bag that came with my changing bag. I did this for through the night feeds too. I used one of the powder dispensers. I always keep a jug of boiled water by my kettle and when my bottles are finished I fill the next lot. The jug of boiled water means I can give her water as well if she needs it.

I don't heat Georgia's bottles, I just give her them at room temp.

 

[lozenge]

I really wouldn't pay attention to the amount the box says they should be taking, we use the Aptimal powder too and my LO never conforms to what they say he should be having! I normally work out that he takes less per feed but has more feeds so it works out the same anyway. If she is happy and gaining weight then that is all that matters

As for the making instructions, we boil the water and fill 6 bottles beforehand, and add powder when needed. The sterile water keeps for 24 hours so it works out fine

Hope that helps xx

i discussed doing this with the health visitor on thurs as im just switching to formula. she said doing it this way doesnt kill off the bacteria in the milk powder so you should make up each bottle as needed. you can cool the bottle faster by it under the cold tap as long as the cap is on.

My HV told me it was perfectly fine to do this, know lots of people who do it this way too. Ah well...! So much conflicting advice these days!

 

[ellie27]

I sterilise the bottles, get the water ready, fill the bottles with water and leave on worktop in kitchen.

When I need a bottle I just add powder and heat it up a little by sitting in a cup of water.

I started topping-up Anna with formula just 6 days ago and I didnt have a clue so researched a bit and found this to be the way most folk do it.

I do hope its ok!!

 

[Archies Mummy]

I sterilise the bottles, get the water ready, fill the bottles with water and leave on worktop in kitchen.

When I need a bottle I just add powder and heat it up a little by sitting in a cup of water.

I started topping-up Anna with formula just 6 days ago and I didnt have a clue so researched a bit and found this to be the way most folk do it.

I do hope its ok!!

That is excatly the same way i did it with my son, so your doing everthing fine hun.

XxX

 

[lozenge]

I sterilise the bottles, get the water ready, fill the bottles with water and leave on worktop in kitchen.

When I need a bottle I just add powder and heat it up a little by sitting in a cup of water.

I started topping-up Anna with formula just 6 days ago and I didnt have a clue so researched a bit and found this to be the way most folk do it.

I do hope its ok!!

We have never had any problems doing it this way and our LO is 16 weeks

My midwife and HV recommended doing it this way so it should be fine. In a perfect world everyone would boil the kettle and leave it for 30 mins to cool, but in reality it just isn't practical! If we sterilise everything and make sure the water is freshly boiled and used within 24 hours then it will be fine. xx

 

[OmarsMum]

I use bottled water. I boil it as per the instructions (for 5 mins). Do I really need to do so?? or warming it is enough.

 

[ellie27]

I use bottled water. I boil it as per the instructions (for 5 mins). Do I really need to do so?? or warming it is enough.

I picked up 'How to prepare a bottle feed' leaflet while at the hospital and it says ""use fresh tap water, boiled and left to cool for 15mins - do not use bottled water"" - I dont know why it says dont use bottled water??? But it does. I am guessing with your little one being a couple months old, you have never had any problems?

 

[flower01]

I use bottled water. I boil it as per the instructions (for 5 mins). Do I really need to do so?? or warming it is enough.

i heard that about bottle water too that you shouldnt use it.
weird cos you'd think its better then tap water!

 

[OmarsMum]

I use bottled water. I boil it as per the instructions (for 5 mins). Do I really need to do so?? or warming it is enough.

i heard that about bottle water too that you shouldnt use it.
weird cos you'd think its better then tap water!

Here, we dont use tap water at all. We use mineral water for everything even cooking.

We dont get fresh water from taps, it's distilled sea water, which I dont really trust

 

[OmarsMum]

I use bottled water. I boil it as per the instructions (for 5 mins). Do I really need to do so?? or warming it is enough.

I picked up 'How to prepare a bottle feed' leaflet while at the hospital and it says ""use fresh tap water, boiled and left to cool for 15mins - do not use bottled water"" - I dont know why it says dont use bottled water??? But it does. I am guessing with your little one being a couple months old, you have never had any problems?

No problems. All my friends here use bottled water for their LOs.

 

[blahblahblah]

They say not to use bottled water because it's usually high in minerals, which is bad for a baby. It's the same reason why they tell you not to use repeatedly boiled water as that concentrates the minerals too.

If your mains water supply is a bit iffy, talk to HV about which brands of bottled water are best to use.

I make up my bottles with water from the kettle - usually less than 30 mins old, and cool quickly in a jug of water, and store in the fridge for up to 12 hours. Then I warm with a jug of hot water (approx 5 mins) or the microwave (10 secs per 2oz from fridge cold) when needed.