Making Up Bottles - How do you make yours

[cjcoolcat]

There seems to bit a lot of different ways of making up bottles. The manufacturers recommend putting newly boiled water in with powder and cooling down the feed. This can take forever and when you have a baby screaming the place down I can't see how you can ever keep ahead of the game.

I make up my bottles with boiled water for the day.  Then I just add the powder when I need them and heat them up in a TT bottle heater.

But how do you do yours ?

[Roseii]

DD2 just has one or 2 bottles but what I do is boil the water the night before, sterilise the bottles, put the boiled water in them and let it cool down to room temp, then add the powder and stick them in the fridge-I believe they're ok for 24 hours from then?
If I need an "instant" bottle I put the boiled water in a large bowl so it cools down much quicker, if it's still too hot once you've added the powder then I run it under a cOld tap
Or sit it in a bowl of cold water. Hth

[cjcoolcat]

Interesting, I have a friend that does that.  I just wondered whether doing it my way was contributing to her having a smelly bum.

[kiansmam]

i also use to make them up in advance for the next 24 hours and put them in the fridge once cooled down, then warm then when my lo was due his bottles

[Lolly]

The way described on the tins is the officially safe way to make formula so what to do depends on your level of comfort. The water needs to be at 70 degree or above to kill any bacteria in the powder. If you keep freshly boiled water in a flask and replenish after every feed you make you don't need to wait for the kettle to boil.

Charli - if you are making bottles in advance then they are ok for 24 hours BUT really you should be adding the powder to the hot water then rapidly cooling under running water then putting in the fridge (right at the back not the door). The trouble with adding powder to room temp water is any bateria aren't killed off and if you are leaving them for 24 hours before use that is quite a long time for bacteria to multiply and milk is an excellent medium for bacteria .

We had to add our reflux powder to room temp/ cold water but we used that feed straight away. We did pre-measure the freshly boile water into sterile bottles and kept them for 24 hours. It's just as quick to add the powder to room temp water and warm (or offer it at room temp, some like it that way) as it is to pre-mix and warm to be honest.

Don't forget too a freshly made bottle is good at room temp for 2 hours BUT should be discarded by 1 hour after it has started to be drunk from because of the bacteria that washes from the baby's mouth back into the bottle.

I know it's a pain but I am much happier being safe rather than sorry!

http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_124526.pdf

HTH!

Laura

[Roseii]

I haven't actually been making bottles like that for all that long but I'll make sure I add the powder to hot water now, thanks

[cjcoolcat]

I think I might go for the mixing and putting in the fridge.  SMA do a cartoon of milk and I used to make them up in advance, it was so much easier. Aptimel don't though.

She even has her own kettle, so might get a mini fridge also.

[Roseii]

Well this morning I made 2 bottles up with the hot boiled water, rapidly cooled them
In a pan of cold water, didn't take long at all, and now they're in the fridge. Easy peasy! X

[LittleLegs]

I make up little pots of formula the night before for the next 24 hours.  In the mornings I put 4oz (when making 7oz feeds) of boiled water in the mid morning and mid afternoon bottles.  When I need a feed I simply top the bottles up to 7oz with just boiled water (or a pre-made flask of boiling water) and then add my formula pot and it's the right temperature to go.  With the morning bottle I put the 4oz in the night before so it's cold and only 10 hours old by the time it's needed.

This works really well for me as I have the bottles and forumula pots good to go, whether I'm in the house or out, whenever I need them.

[Ima shel Alon]

I also make up the bottles the night before but only with boiled water, which I leave to cool and then prepare each bottle when I need it. I add the formula to the cool boiled water - but I don't warn the bottle again. Tracy also writes in the book that babies don't show preference to warm or cold formula bottle.
For the night time though, I am making the three bottles I need before going to bed and keeping them in one of these special bags that keeps temp. (my English vocabulary goes that far!)

[cjcoolcat]

thanks for all the feedback, its very interesting

[cjcoolcat]

After speaking direct to Aptamil it became apparent why I have so much difficulty in eating a decent quantity of milk in to my little girl.

While using Aptamil Comfort milk - I need to add the powder to hot water in order for the starch molicules to burst that then thickens the milk, which reduces her wind.  She is now taking 150ml bottles on every feed ! She has 3 to 4 hours breaks and sleeps much better also.  

There is more to making up the bottles as instructed than just to get rid of bacteria !

To make this quick and easy I  -

Boil Kettle
Add 60 ml to bottle
Add powder and shake gently
Add 90 ml of cold water
Ready to drink !

Bit of a bummer at night as I wouldn't normally sit there waiting for a kettle to boil, but its worth it !