how do you prepare your formula?

[arbour01]

I had been almost only BFing my DS of 4 months..

My DH did the DF with a EBM and Formula mix..

Now I have been having supply issues and I am thinking Ill be switching just to formula..

Just wondering how people make big batches (for the day) Before I was only making up 4 0z at a time so it wasn't too big of a deal... but if I am going to switch to bottle then I will be making a lot more

Suggestions?

thanks!!

[L76]

I know some people make it up in advance and I'm not sure what the rule is but I used to sterilise all my bottles for the following day at night, fill each one with the required cooled boiled water (never use reboiled water). I would then add the powder just before the feed.

I have a friend that used to make them all up and put in the fridge but no idea if this is ok or not?

x

[Mum-of-Two]

A friend of mine would make what she needed for the day in a pitcher and pour out of there all day.

I, personally, would use the BF storage bottles and make premeasured amounts for a feed or two in advance.  This was especially helpful with daycare so all the measuring was done for them.  And I liked that there was a top to the bottles and not just a pitcher.

With my son we had regular bottles (the scenario above we used those drop ins) and found mixing as we needed it to be just fine.  We could use luke warm water from the tap and it meant no time wasted heating bottles, its been great.

Good luck!

[kayra]

as far as i know it's best to prepare it fresh at each feed. Is there a special reason you need to prepare it ahead of time? what you could do is prepare the water amount in the bottles, and then use one of those segmented tupperwares into which you can premeasure the amount of formula and then add it to the water before you feed him.

[Lolly]

Current WHO guidelines are to freshly prepare a feed when it is needed. You are supposed to add the powder to water that is around 70 in order to kill any bacteria in the unsterile formula. There was a thread a few weeks ago with a WHO link

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=169368.0

That said, many mums do make feeds in advance and there are a variety of ways people do it. Some make the feeds with hot water and refridegerate, if you do this you need to cool the bottles very quickly and store at the back of the fridge not the door. You also have to make sure you use these feeds within 24 hours (mainly so you don't forget when they were made or mix up batches.). The other way is to fill your sterilised bottles with boiled water and let them cool, then add the formula powder as needed and warm and use straight away. These bottles are ok on the counter for 24 hours and baby can have a room temp feed if you choose.

GvackM - do you have some sort of system that heats direct mains water? I have never heard of anyone in the UK using water from the hot tap for drinks or bottles. For us that is water that has been in a water storeage tank and all around the pipe system - I dread to think what would be in there . And it tastes funny . UK guidelines are to use water from the cold tap that has been freshly boiled once - any more and the minerals etc can become too concentrated.

HTH!

Laura

[kaynay]

we just get the nursery water at the grocery store specific for use in formula and in baby food it is already ready to go..we prepare fresh first pouring the amount of water needed into glass then putting in microwave for 15 seconds then putting it in the bottle then adding the powder this way the water is heated to 70-75 degrees which is room temperature and killing any bacteria in the formula itself..we use organic earth's best formula.

[Mum-of-Two]

Huh, just my hot water tank that heats the water in house.  I am in the States and live in a nice suburban city area.  Now my ILs water isn't as tastey and has a smell, they are closer to the country, not well water but still not the same either.  I always ask them to use bottled water for the rare occasions my kids are there (they LOVE their water).

There is a lot of hype in the States around bottled water but those aren't regulated so there is a bit of uprising in the other direction back to tap now as well.  We do have "boil alerts" when the water system is compromised in any way, like a water main break.  Otherwise we grew up drinking water from the tap, there are no governing rules against it, so its certainly not un-safe regardless of the debates out there.

I have never ever heard of heating water to 70 degrees before!!  Eeek... what am I missing here?

[Lolly]

Our cold water is totaly fine for drinking - and for babies over 6 months, it's cooled boiled water before that. All the UK mains water is very clean, but does taste different around the country and we have hard and soft water areas. My bottles always feel "scummy" after a visit to the in-laws as they live in an area that has hard water so they have to descale everything that heats water quite frequently.

The heating water to 70 degrees is fairly recent, it's to make sure any bacteria is killed in the powder.

Kaynay - The water needs be a lot hotter than room temp - a kettle bolied and left for about 15 - 30 mins is around 70 degrees.

I'm not sure what the statistics are on babies made ill through bacteria in powder. It's probably not that high really, and the risk you take making feeds before hand is down to your comfort levels with all the info to hand. My two have been on reflux formula which has to be made with cold water and both have been fine. I did however notice that the recent tins now have a comment that if you are using this formula with a preemie/ very small baby to get advice for making it up - probably to cover themselves because of the 70 degree thing.

Just something else to make you feel guilty for the choices you make

Laura

[Mum-of-Two]

This is really very informative!  The hard/soft water sounds familiar though I don't know enough to talk about it -- something with minerals as well if I remember right.  Must be why my ILs prefer not to drink their tap.

I will have to go home and read our formula cans again!  I BF'd the first few months so by the time we switched to formula it was less of a concern, they weren't quite 6 months yet but not newborn either.  We used premixed formula with my daughter only to find out a few years later that was likely laced with that BPA stuff they have now banned.

You're right... always something... !

[arbour01]

hi all..

firstly thank you for your input

I use platex drop in (they are disposable liners) So if I make it up ahead its easier.. I cant mix in the bottle im going to give.

Ive read on my formula can that it can be made up  - up to 24 hours ahead of time. I think I would just make it once a day in the am for the day

I have a bottle warmer so I can heat and go. I am in canada in the country but we have treated water.

For anyone who makes large batches - any issues with clumps? sometimes I get them when I make up my little bottles..

THANKS again to all

[kaynay]

i think the warm water helps with clumps and room temperature is 74degrees if I remember correctly from school?

[Lolly]

Ahhh - we must be on different scales!

Formula needs to be made at 70 degrees celcius not farenheit - which explains the difference! That would make quite a difference too - 70 degrees celcius is 158 degress farenheit - water boils at 100 degrees celcius which is 212 degrees farenheit (got to love google!). So suggested room temp for a baby's nursery for example is 18-21 degrees celcius or 64 - 69 degrees farenheit.

They really need to make these things clear - don't they know babies turn our brains somewhat mushy

Laura

[kaynay]

really? here in the states room temp is 74 degree far and suggested babies rooms should be 76 degree far well i think the mico we do makes the water much warmer than that it feels as warm as my expressed breastmilk and if my body temp is 98.6 far its probably closer to that then.

[Mum-of-Two]

LOL and my doc said to keep the house at 72 degrees F (during the winter months).

OK, so what are we back to now?  Making formula ahead of time?

With the drop ins, we mixed in the BF milk storage containers, 4 oz at a time to avoid the clumps.  If the bottle you're shaking is too full, clumps don't dissolve as well.  As for the large container like a pitcher, not sure.

[arbour01]

i had been keeping boiled water in fridge to stop any (potential) bacterial growth

ill make using rm tp and see if that helps w clumps