Poll - how do you make yours?!? (bottles up!)

[dizzyjoo]

I'm so sorry as I know this gets asked a lot!

We currently have a few ozs of cooled boiled water in bottles, then top up with boiling water to get to the right temp and then add the milk powder. It works well but OH is now worried after reading about the hot water killing the bacteria and thinks we should make bottles, rapid cool them and store in the fridge and then microwave! (we have BPA free bottles and know to shake the bottles well to remove hot spots).

I just need reassurance that our 1st method is OK, or that the 2nd method is too!!! We DO make up fresh bottles when we can, but its not always the quickest option with a hungry baby!!!

Poppy is nearly 6 weeks.

Thank you everyone! xxx

 

[fairykate]

I chose option 2, but I don't microwave as you're not really supposed to (as you mentioned anyway) due to hotspots. I make about 2/3 feeds at a time and rapid-cool, then refrigerate. When I need to use them I take them out and warm in a jug of hot'ish' water for about 5mins while I change Josh's nappy.

Otherwise I use my TT flask, boil the kettle and fill the flask up from boiling. That keeps the water hot but not boiling for a good 6/7hrs and I use that to make up each feed as I need it, cooling in a jug of cold water where necessary.

Depends on what's going on that day and how organised I feel as to which method I use!!!

 

[Leopard]

Well I don't want to get bashed, but bear in mind that the tap water where i live is twice the quality of anywhere else in the world.

So we use tap water, add formula afterwards, shakeup, put in microwave (oh the horror), 10 seconds, then take it out, shake it for about 20seconds to distribute the heat and then feed.

Don't like it? Buck up

 

[MatthewAlyssa]

I make bottle with all boiled water then add the powder and shake well and either rapid cool to feed her asap or I let it sit on the side until her feed and then I will warm it up by either using a bottle warmer or by standing the bottle is hot water.

With my son I use to make all his bottles for the day in the morning. With my eldest daughter I use to make 2 bottles at a time but now I make one bottle at a time and when I have given her a feed I will go and make the next one =)

 

[skunkpixie]

I have been using option 2 the last couple of weeks as its easier now she is weaning. In the beginning up until about 8-10 weeks I used cartons exclusivly as it was alot easier as she didnt really have a feeding pattern and you couldnt really tell how many bottles she would have a day (sometimes 9-10 in the beginning!). Then I started using a mixture of cartons and premade bottles stored in the fridge. Then I moved onto making each bottle fresh using powder as she settled herself into a particular routine and it was easy to predict when she wanted her next feed. Then when she started weaning almost 3 weeks ago I started premaking again as it made it easier to fit everything in.
Making each bottle fresh is definatly preferable over premaking and storing, but if you baby doesnt have a predicatable feeding pattern then premaking and storing would be a viable option. Also I use a bottle warmer, not microwave. xx

 

[ellie27]

UK current guidelines are for a fresh bottle each time when needed - no storing etc.

If you want a 6 oz feed then this is the quickest way to make a fresh feed to the correct standards....

-pour 2oz freshly just boiled water from kettle into a bottle
-add 6 scoops
-add 4 oz cooled boiled water

this makes a 6oz bottle to the correct temperature, and it is ready to go in the time it takes the kettle to boil

 

[pottysue]

UK current guidelines are for a fresh bottle each time when needed - no storing etc.

If you want a 6 oz feed then this is the quickest way to make a fresh feed to the correct standards....

-pour 2oz freshly just boiled water from kettle into a bottle
-add 6 scoops
-add 4 oz cooled boiled water

this makes a 6oz bottle to the correct temperature, and it is ready to go in the time it takes the kettle to boil

This is what we do but just a different number of scoops. We put the required amount of powder into the bottle, add a third of the required amount of water using freshly boiled water, then shake to dissolve the powder. We then top it up to the correct amount using cooled boiled water that we store in a sterilized bottle in the fridge. It kills the nasty things living in the powder that can give your baby food poisoning and produces a freshly made bottle that is the right temperature.

It is really important that the water that hits the powder is at least 70C in temperature to make sure it kills off the nasty things that lurk in the powder (see the World Health Organisation's website for further details). It is extremely rare but babies have died because the milk powder was added to water that is not hot enough.

 

[yourstruly10]

Well I don't want to get bashed, but bear in mind that the tap water where i live is twice the quality of anywhere else in the world.

So we use tap water, add formula afterwards, shakeup, put in microwave (oh the horror), 10 seconds, then take it out, shake it for about 20seconds to distribute the heat and then feed.

Don't like it? Buck up

This^^^ lol. Except I used bottled water( approved by doctor first)

 

[Leopard]

Well I don't want to get bashed, but bear in mind that the tap water where i live is twice the quality of anywhere else in the world.

So we use tap water, add formula afterwards, shakeup, put in microwave (oh the horror), 10 seconds, then take it out, shake it for about 20seconds to distribute the heat and then feed.

Don't like it? Buck up

This^^^ lol. Except I used bottled water( approved by doctor first)

We use bottled water half the time too, but our tap water is pretty much the same quality

 

[momto4girls]

I use tap water, make that warm tap water. throw in 4 scoops of formula (1 scoop for 2oz here), shake and feed. Sometimes I use water from the filter on the fridge, fill it up to 8oz, microwave for 30 seconds, add the formula, shake and serve. Up until I came here, I never heard of boiling water for formula before preparing it.

 

[Leopard]

Oh and it's 1 scoop per 50ml here (1.5oz).

 

[tinkerbelle2]

Jumping in from 2nd tri here, I do apologize but thread title caught my eye.
We are going to be bottle feeding and are totally new to it, what I thought would be ok would be too in a morning boil kettle pour out the bottles and leave them on the side to cool and add powder as norm and feed baby the bottle at room temp, now reading about boiling water? can you not feed them bottles at room temp? Sorry for the silly question, but as said all new to me

 

[ellie27]

Jumping in from 2nd tri here, I do apologize but thread title caught my eye.
We are going to be bottle feeding and are totally new to it, what I thought would be ok would be too in a morning boil kettle pour out the bottles and leave them on the side to cool and add powder as norm and feed baby the bottle at room temp, now reading about boiling water? can you not feed them bottles at room temp? Sorry for the silly question, but as said all new to me

Guidelines say the powder should be added to the water when the water is very hot, so your method would be adding powder to cool water so not correct to guidelines. Plenty folk do the way you suggest without any problems though.....

 

[My_First]

I do as tinkerbell does, but I have to use staydown milk and the instructions are different.

 

[Leopard]

Jumping in from 2nd tri here, I do apologize but thread title caught my eye.
We are going to be bottle feeding and are totally new to it, what I thought would be ok would be too in a morning boil kettle pour out the bottles and leave them on the side to cool and add powder as norm and feed baby the bottle at room temp, now reading about boiling water? can you not feed them bottles at room temp? Sorry for the silly question, but as said all new to me

Guidelines say the powder should be added to the water when the water is very hot, so your method would be adding powder to cool water so not correct to guidelines. Plenty folk do the way you suggest without any problems though.....

The guidelines here state to cool it down, add formula then heat it back up o.o

 

[JLFx3]

I prefer to just make a fresh feed everytime she gets hungry... when she starts showing signs she hungry i'll boil kettle, pour the water in, then add scoops.. then bring it into her bedroom into a jug of cold water and let it cool in there while im changing her! 9 times out of 10 its usually the perfect temperature by the time i've finished changing her..

Although, sometimes i do ''cheat'' making her feeds especially the night feeds when she just woke me up i buy ready made carton milk, bring a sterilised bottle upstairs in her bedroom and as soon as she wakes up for a feed just have to pour the carton into her bottle and done! she likes her carton feeds cold so makes it easier for night feeds!!

 

[RebeccaG]

We used cartons for night feeds too and when he was younger I used to make bottles as per guidelines but now he is older I use cool boiled water and then reheat.

 

[Kage76]

I boil the kettle- let it cool right down and use throughout the day- most of the formula is made at room temperature or a bit above. I know who recommends that you boil mix and rapid cool to kill bacteria- but i pay a premium for the "good" bacteria that is supposedly in my formula- and using that method would kill it off as well as any other "bad" bacteria. This is the way i was shown to make formula in the hospital- Not to mention the horrendous waste of water running it under a tap.

 

[Amy31]

Make with boiling water, rapid cool, keep in fridge, then use boiled water in jug to heat through. This is a really useful link to:

https://www.nhs.uk/Planners/birthtofive/Pages/making-up-formula.aspx

QUOTE:
"Bacteria in infant formula

Even when tins and packets of powdered infant formula are sealed, they can sometimes contain bacteria such as Cronobacter sakazakii (formerly known as Enterobacter sakazakii) and, more rarely, Salmonella. Although these bacteria are very rare, the infections they cause can be life-threatening.

To reduce the risk of infection, make up each feed as your baby needs it, using boiled water at a temperature of 70ºC or above. Water at this temperature will kill any harmful bacteria that may be present."

 

[ashley_gee89]

hot water does kill bacteria but as long as you are storing the bottles in a cool dry place with the bottle lid on then it will stay sterile for 24hrs.

I did this with my my son and doing it now with my daughter and never had any problems