Making up bottles in advance???

[Lexy7200]

Hi ladies
I use actimal 1st milk cartons and im going to move over to the powder but it says you have to make up as and when nedded, do any of you make up in advance and how long does it need to cool before placing in fridge? x

 

[bathbabe]

i make them up in advance. Put them in cold water for 30ish mins and then in the fridge. I use cow and gate tho xxx

 

[Kate&Lucas]

Course you can make them up in advance, just as long as they're used within 24 hours. I've always just put mine straight in the fridge

 

[Sarah10]

I make mine up in advance too, and put them in the fridge

 

[cherryglitter]

It does say on the side of my Aptamil Comfort box that you have to make up the feeds as and when you need them.. also said it on aptamil stage 1!

But what I do is put 3 ozs of cooled boiled water in each bottle. Then leave them on the side and when I need them add 2 ozs of hot boiled water and add the milk. They're the perfect temp.
When I was making up the smaller feeds I used to do 2ozs of cooled and 1oz of boiling.
Hope this helps a bit hun. xxx

 

[bathbabe]

iv always put them in cold water first because then they get colder quicker and arnt in the 'danger temperature' for to long. You know? The temperature where its ideal for bacteria to grow? Learnt it on my food safety course. I feel silly for doing it now if nobody else does?! Lol x

 

[loopylou86]

I have been putting them in the fridge too x

 

[rihanna]

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[carolyn_s]

i make up them up in advance and fire them straight in the fridge. If im going out though i just put the cooled boiled water in the bottle and keep the formula in a tub and add it when i need it xx

 

[RHR]

I make mine up in advance and then put them in the fridge after cooling them down first. We use cow and gate and touch wood we haven't had any problems.

 

[MrsT&Ben]

I make mine up in advance, cool them down in a bowl of cold water then put them in the fridge. Tried to do it the 'proper' way but got so stressed out with it!
Even my HV said there is no harm in making them up in advance as long as you use them up within 24 hrs. Its just the companies covering their backs.

 

[Foogirl]

Even my HV said there is no harm in making them up in advance as long as you use them up within 24 hrs. Its just the companies covering their backs.

Not sure about that - the staff at SCBU when babies were discharged were very clear that there is a risk in doing this. Something to do with bacteria starting to form as soon as the bottle is made and obviously the longer that happens the worse it can be. There have been some cases of gastroenteritis attributed to this.

Of course loads and loads of people choose to ignore this advice and make them up in advance and just as with everything else there is nowt wrong with that, it's all about deciding as parents what we are prepared to risk. But it is important we understand those risks first.

Most of my friends who FF, prepare bottles of boiled water and let them cool then just add the powder as needed. I think most of them give feeds at room temperature but one does give them straight from the fridge.

 

[Eala]

There seem to be 2 schools of thought on this

Either you make the formula up with very hot water (at least 70 degrees C), as this will supposedly kill any bacteria in the powder. Then you fast-cool the bottle, and put it in the fridge to be used within 24 hours.

Or you put freshly boiled water into sterilised bottles, let them cool, and make up the formula as and when you need it.

Some formulas (SMA staydown springs to mind) HAVE to be made up with very cold (fridge-chilled!) water, in which case there isn't really a choice.

In general, you have to find the method which works best for you, and what works for one won't work for another. People will always be ready to give an opinion on why you shouldn't do this or should do that, but only you know which is the right choice for you As Foogirl said, as long as you have the facts and are making an informed choice, then do what works best for you as a family

 

[Vici]

This is the way i do it (and always have done).

It was too stressful for me to make up a bottle everytime Imi was hungry (we fed on demand) so I looked into the "next safest" way. I was unhappy with making the formula up with cooled boiled water as it was not hot enough to kill any bacteria in the milk so i chose to make them in advance. If they are quick cooled ie. in water and then placed at the back of the fridge (doors do not stay cold enough) then bacteria growth was at its slowest. I then reheat to room temp when imi needs feeding

 

[Midgetgem]

i used to make them up, cool them down and put them in the fridge.. now i just add the water, leave them on the side and add powder when needed.

 

[MrsT&Ben]

Even my HV said there is no harm in making them up in advance as long as you use them up within 24 hrs. Its just the companies covering their backs.

Not sure about that - the staff at SCBU when babies were discharged were very clear that there is a risk in doing this. Something to do with bacteria starting to form as soon as the bottle is made and obviously the longer that happens the worse it can be. There have been some cases of gastroenteritis attributed to this.

Of course loads and loads of people choose to ignore this advice and make them up in advance and just as with everything else there is nowt wrong with that, it's all about deciding as parents what we are prepared to risk. But it is important we understand those risks first.

Most of my friends who FF, prepare bottles of boiled water and let them cool then just add the powder as needed. I think most of them give feeds at room temperature but one does give them straight from the fridge.

Erm..... I was just saying what I had been told.

 

[tiggerlix]

i make mine up with boiled water in advance and then into the fridge.always done it this way and always will.my 6 kids seem fine
for me all the faffing about making bottles as and when needed is a pain in the bum.
agreeably this is my opinion and my chosen way of doing it
xx

 

[sunshine114]

Even my HV said there is no harm in making them up in advance as long as you use them up within 24 hrs. Its just the companies covering their backs.

Not sure about that - the staff at SCBU when babies were discharged were very clear that there is a risk in doing this. Something to do with bacteria starting to form as soon as the bottle is made and obviously the longer that happens the worse it can be. There have been some cases of gastroenteritis attributed to this.

Of course loads and loads of people choose to ignore this advice and make them up in advance and just as with everything else there is nowt wrong with that, it's all about deciding as parents what we are prepared to risk. But it is important we understand those risks first.

Most of my friends who FF, prepare bottles of boiled water and let them cool then just add the powder as needed. I think most of them give feeds at room temperature but one does give them straight from the fridge.

Erm..... I was just saying what I had been told.

Its what my hv said too, she also said try boiling the kettle, putting half the water needed in the bottle in the fridge, then topping up with freshly boiled water and powder when needed. She also said there is more of a risk if baby is underweight / premature, so perhaps why scbu staff were of that opinion.

We were making every bottle fresh as lo had lost weight and had nothing to fight any infection with, but now he is gaining weight quickly and is almost 1lb over birth weight we can be more flexible.

Like anything, whatever you do you are wrong! I've learnt that pretty quickly!!

 

[Gingerspice]

We often have cool boiled water in a bottle in the fridge. We then boil the kettle - pour in a couple of oz of hot water add the powder and then top up with the cooled boiled water. This way the powder is being added to hot water and the milk is the right temp for drinking straight away

 

[Janiepops]

I always make mine up in advance. This is what we were told to do when Luke was wee, and he was fine, so I wasn't gonna start faffing around waiting on kettles and water to cool whilst the poor baby was screaming hungry!
I always cool mine in water for 20 minutes before putting in the fridge though, putting them in hot will raise the temp of the fridge which isn't good for everything else in it!