Bottle feeding?!

My little one is 3now so I mite b a bit rusty, but I'm sure that was how I did it. The health visitor just said to not to put them n the fridge door. X

When I had my 1st 2 children (many moons ago) I always made up my bottles in the morning for the whole day & kept them in the fridge once cooled.

But now, I have been told to make each bottle as is needed, I was gona do 3 with boiled water at a time & keep at room temp, then when needed add the milk! Not sure what is right or wrong?

Sorry I couldn't help but I'm hoping I've bumped yr post so we can both get the right answer! X

I just thought that the water has to be hot to kill off any bacteria in the powder?
It's so so confusing! X

My hv told me to add the water to sterilised bottles and then add the powder when the bottle is needed. I do about 5 at a time, so easy! She said its fine to do unless baby is ill for any reason, then revert back to making them individually until they recover x

I made 6 up in morning with dd and put in fridge... They lasted the day and night.. It's not 'recommended' but she was fine... Just as pp said don't put in fridge door...
With ds he demand feeds so just as easy to make one up at a time xx

I make up 5 bottles of water, keep at room temp and add powder.

They changed to making up bottle by bottle after 2 mums in London (both druggies living on filth) killed their babies by not cleaning bottles! Therefore they introduced the new procedure to idiot proof!

Well this is what my HV told me anyway.

I have been told that you need to add some boiling water to the bottle just before feeding to kill off any bacteria in powder & also so it dissolves properly.
My MW said to half fill a couple of sterilised bottles with boiled water in morn & allow to cool. Just before feed, add powder and top up to correct amount with boiling water. It should be at near enough the right temp & you will have killed the bacteria xx

I make each bottle as Riley needs it but when he was feeding during the night I would take bottles with water in up to bed warm the water up in my bottle warmer then add the milk it actually says on the milk boxes do not make feeds up and refridgerate but as my mams says she did that with us and there is nothing wrong with us so just do whatever you feel is best for you
Joanne and Riley 21 weeks

I agree with divabelle. Put half water in then let it cool and put in fridge. When needed top up with boiling wter and add powder. Powder isnt sterile so needs the hot water to kill bacteria off. Ur bottle should be near on ready to drink x

It won't kill the bacteria like that. The water needs to be 75 degrees to kill bacteria which is really hot and no where near ready to drink.

I make my bottles up in advance then cool n put in fridge then heat wen needed! My formula says u can do this if needed though x

Me and sil were discussing this the other day as she has always bf but due to mastitis has had to put her ds on formula... She also said about the 75 degrees and was so paranoid, as I'm on my 2nd child of formula feeding she asked me!!
As I said earlier I made all 6 of dd in morning and kept in fridge.. She also happily took it straight from fridge so didn't need to even reheat.. She never had tummy issues etc..
Now with ds I'm doing it as you're 'supposed to' simply because he's demand fed and I never know how many bottles he'll have etc and don't want to waste it!!!
Now he's healthy BUT has had a few occasions of pulling legs up and crying (colic???!!!)... I know every baby is different but just shows that the baby who follows what they advise is the one with tummy aches!!!! While dd was fine..

Do what works for you, that's what I'm doing.. And how you can get the formula to exact temp is beyond me??!!! I certainly don't have time to faff about!! Plus although obv they say the powder isn't sterile, what is??!!!! You can only do so much...
They now say not to sterilize as much as they previously said as things are too sterile...
Xx

Do you rapidly cool it in cold water or leave on the side to cool? X

Is that for me or op??
I personally do both... Depending on how moany ds is!! Is normally cooled on side tho..

You are the op!!! Lol!!! Sorry!!

Yeah I do either... Try and let it cool on side where poss but if ds cries out and gets stressed then I put in a jug of cold water xx

With our DD 11 years ago we made up 6 bottles and put them in the fridge (not the door though) and used them within 24 hrs and this was fine with our HV. Now with DS we make up 3 and put in the fridge. Poor little man has colic and has to have comfort milk with Colief drops in. It actually says on the Colief box you can make up bottles in advance, but they have to be in the fridge at least 4 hrs before you use them (to let the drops work) and you have to finish them before 12 hours are up otherwise the drops don't work. So I have to start making the nxt batch of 3 when he's on his 2nd one! All I do is bloody make feeds up haha! On the plus side, his tum isn't giving him as much jip! There's no way our little lad would wait peacefully whilst we made a fresh bot-bot :oD lol! Especially when we would have to keep it warm for half an hour whilst the drops work there magic before he could have it (that's not including the half hour for the boiling water to cool a little) !! Everyone's got different advice and experience, including HV's! Can't do right for doing wrong eh lol :oD Hope you find somat that suits you and babs x x

We agonised over this for ages too! We decided to make up the bottles we need for the day in the morning (5 in total) and put them in the fridge I'm a childrens nurse and on the wards thiscis how it is done xx

Drat. I thought I had it sussed. I'm putting my boiled steralised water into my spare not been used but have been sterilised breast milk bottles which are kept on the work surface then when it comes to a feed I put the water into a dr browns newly sterilized bottle then add powder, then add colief drops. Swish bottle around then give to lo.
Am I doing it wrong? I'm so confused now, have I Bern causing my little one to have colic because I'm making the bottles up wrong? Please say no, I'm already feeling guilty.

Not sure hon but I doubt you have caused colic... I've left my boiled water on side and I don't think it's issue, never for more than couple hours most but that's not consciously.. It's just how it's worked.. I also put formula in then but my water has always been 'warm' prob not the 'correct' temp but hey...

Tho I'm wondering if my ds tummy pain is actually the infacol cos he was fine before I started giving it him... Only gave it as sometimes he has trouble getting wind up... But that's not caused major probs so think I'm gonna stop the infacol!!

Whatever u girls doing it's not bad I made up bottles up for the day myself the issue is that the formula isn't sterile is made in controlled environment someone said nothing is sterile and good we don't want kids to live in a sterile environment but when it comes to formula what we worry about is salmonella so no by making bottles up in advance u didn't cause colic. Powder milk companies saying we can't promise there's no salmonella in ur milk that's why we tell u to put the powder in hot water so if there is any u kill it by high temperatures.
The problem with making up bottles in advance is that the milk goes through a danger zone twice which gives any potential bacteria time to multiply to high levels that can cause food poisoning. The danger zone is 5 degrees C to 63 degrees C. Over 63 bacteria start to die and above 5 they stop multiplying. The best temp to kill all bacteria is 75. If they are bacteria in ur powder and u put it in a not hot enough water not all of them will die when u cooling it down it goes from let's say 63 degrees C down to about 5 if u planing on putting it in the fridge which means the remaining bacteria multiplied when the milk temp was between 5-63 then u put it in the fridge bacteria don't die now they go to sleep when u take ur milk out of the fridge and heat it up u heat it up till about 37 degrees which is the best temp for bacteria growth so they wake up and multiplying again if all this process isn't done quick enough baby gets ill as they don't need a lot of bacteria to get food poisoning. And the bacteria in milk had a chance to multiply twice.

If u want to make bottles in advance make them with hot water boil the kettle wait 30 min thats when the water should be roughly 75 degrees make bottles put in cold water to rabidly cool down keep in the fridge at about 5 degrees. Quickly heat up and feed ur baby immediately.

I look after food in the hospital and there are very streaked rules about the food temp and storing. I had lots if training and courses about it which made me tad paranoid about my own food . Just wanted to make it a bit more clear why they make u faff about with that powder milk so much lol

Good luck and remember u doing a great job

Remember if u making bottles up in advance rapidly cool and rapidly heat up. Don't leave the bottles on the side to cool down or to warm up.

Salmonella???!! Seriously??!! I didn't think there was actually Anything in it that was an actual food etc..
As I said dd had them made up and then took straight from fridge and was ok..
Ds is having it done 'proper' most of the time too...

So if the formula is so 'strict' why is their cartons not?? Surely it's same stuff and if not then why can't they make it easier for formula???!!!!
We have enough to contend with!!! Lol xxx

Also... (sorry if being thick)... If you kill the bacteria then by putting it in the correct temp then does it come back??? So once it's dead it's not actually dead?? Cos if it's dead but you put in fridge (which you said you can do) why do you need to quickly reheat again? Xx

I say each to their own!
We all have common sense- I think make the bottles up how you most feel comfortable. If your lo is showing any signs of illness etc then reconsider how you are making the bottles.

At first I totally stressed about how to make up the bottles but it was only after speaking to my mum & nan that I chilled out a bit. The advice back then was different to now. My nan didn't even have a HV lol and she had my mum on cow's milk by 6 weeks because my mum wouldn't take anything else! Another member of the family was brought up on carnation cream because they wouldn't have anything else!!!! Now obv I'm not saying do that lol but it goes to show that you can really just use common sense- you know what is/isn't working for your lo.

I also think the advice given is a complete contradiction. Both NHS and formula companies state to make each bottle 'on demand', but also state that if making up bottles in advance that milk should not be stored longer than 24 hrs...

Xxx

It also states on my formula to use it ASAP but within 2 hours so again surely a contradiction?? By then it's got back to room temp but you can still give to baby???!!! What's diff of boiling kettle, putting it in bottle with formula and leaving it out for hour and a half before giving baby and giving it straight away but finishing off 2 hours later??? (which sometimes my ds does)...
Also, the pre made formula in hospitals says only keep for one hour... Why is there a difference between there's and the cartons??

I'm gonna carry on doing what I'm doing... Xx