question about amounts in rtd cartons

[laura109]

If you use the rtd cartons it seems as though you can have a maximum of 7 oz feed out f a bottle. What if your child needs more? Or is it ok to just give them that amount?

Also is it ok to tip the whole carton in when theres only abit left and not enough to make up a second bottle? Or do you jst throw it?

Basically is it going to make baby poorly if they only have 7oz when they normally have more?

I only plan on using them occasionally when im out because ths 2 hour rule means you cant make bottles up in advance for days out or trips to town. Its a right pain! I have a flask but its not always possible to get a jug of water to cool it down if your not near a cafe or if you are at a park or something x

 

[Wannabe Mommy]

One opened the carton is only good for 24hrs. In the early days when I was using them she only had 2oz bottles so I'd pour 2 oz out then put the lid back on and use it for a couple more bottles during that day. Now she's having 6oz bottles I just gove her all of it and throw away whatever is left.

 

[SoupDragon]

You probably won't have to worry about your LO needing 7oz or more for a few months My (pretty large) 14.5-week-old DD is still on 5oz bottles...I know a 7-month-old who also takes 5 oz, lol.

It won't make them poorly to feed them less than their usual amount on the odd occasion when you're out, but if they're still hungry, you'll know all about it! I've found it's a sensible strategy to take one more feed than I think I'll need when we go out.

I've used the RTD cartons on occasion, and I keep one in my changing bag for emergencies, but when I go out I usually take cold bottles of expressed breast milk as that allows me to avoid the formula issue entirely when away from home. I think I'm the only one at my baby group who does that though - everyone else is either bf or exclusive ff. The ff mamas either take a bottle premade in a cool bag (as baby group is only 1.5hrs), or have the bottle with just water in it, and put premeasured milk powder into the bottle and give it a shake when baby needs feeding. If I wasn't expressing, that's how I'd do it! (and I would really recommend using the little powder storage pots anyway, the tommee tippee ones are really cheap in Boots and if you have your powder measured out ahead of time, making your bottles up is so much quicker and your scoop doesn't get all nasty from being held over hot water while it's got powder on it)

 

[laura109]

Ok thanks. I would rather put the water in the bottles and add the powder but they say you cant because the water wont be hot enough to kill the bacteria. Do you think it will be safe? X

 

[MindUtopia]

If I was using a ready to feed carton and I was out, I would just tip the whole thing in the bottle. The ones we used had 200ml of formula per carton. We didn't start to FF until 10 weeks and it probably wasn't before about 5 months that my daughter would take more than that per feed. So I would just throw out whatever she didn't drink. If you have access to a fridge, you can put the remainder in a sealed bottle or leave in carton if it's the kind that can seal up again (the ones we used couldn't be closed again once you cut them open) and keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Probably if you're out though, you won't have a fridge and you'll just end up chucking it out.

If you want to make up a bottle, put boiling water into a flask (thermos) and bring with you with power and a sterile bottle. The water will have to be hot (but not boiling) when you mix them, which it should still be for several hours - or alternatively, ask for hot water, many cafes or restaurants are happy to provide it if you're sitting and having a coffee or a meal. To be honest though, the cartons are MUCH easier when you're out and if I FF next time, I won't bother ever making a bottle up from powder when I'm out. Hiding in a restaurant bathroom with a hungry, crying baby while you try to cool a freshly made bottle in a running sink full of ice water is not something I want to do again!

If your LO is drinking more than 7 oz at most feeds, just bring two cartons. You'll waste the rest obviously, but it's better than having a hungry baby. You should always feed them on demand as much as they want, so sometimes you just waste a bit and that's okay.

 

[SoupDragon]

If the water is still hot (from a flask like MindUtopia says, or in the bottle and insulated like I've seen people do at baby group) it will be ok. Some ladies do it with room temp water with the reasoning that it's going to be drunk straight away so no time for bacteria to proliferate in it. Of course if there was (highly unlikely) something nasty already in the powder that isn't destroyed by stomach acid, that's where the problem lies with that. But, some formulas you have to make up in cold water and I don't see how they can be manufactured any differently to normal formula, yet they don't need the 'hot shot'. Hmmm...

Personally I think the guidelines are excessively strict and impractical. They have to be, of course...but I have always prepared my bottles in small batches (due to using colief, which needs 30min + to digest the lactose in the milk once the bottle has cooled to 37 C, so you're looking at a bottle having to sit for nearly an hour before it's ready) and stored in the fridge, and warmed to room temperature in a cup of boiled water immediately before use. DD has never had a problem with it, and the HV was fine with it when I checked with her that it was ok. But as I say this is just how I do it, you will have to decide what you are happy with and what works for you.

I've seen some ladies on here who do e.g. for a 6oz bottle, 2oz of boiled water added to the powder, then topped up with 4oz cooled boiled water to bring the temp down to drinkable, kind of like a cheaper perfect prep system. You could do that with flasks if you were out and didn't want to use cartons for whatever reason