can you re warm?

[perikitten]

Been searching the net but all different answers.

Can I make up a bottle with boiling water and when it goes cold rewarm it up?

[Lolly]

You shouldn't do that with formula because bacteria washes from their mouths back into the bottle and rewarming will encourage bacteris growth. For the same reason once a baby has started drinking from a bottle of formula it needs to be discarded by an hour after they started drinking.

I'm not sure if it's the same for a bottle of breastmilk. Breast milk has antibacterial properties so I think it's ok to warm again but maybe check on the breastfeeding board as those ladies know more about breastfeeding and breast milk!

Laura

[perikitten]

Thank you, that makes sence now thanks. Won't rewarm, never had but was wondering.

[creations]

Can I make up a bottle with boiling water and when it goes cold rewarm it up?

I totally agree with what Laura said about not re-warming a bottle after LO has started to drink from it but I read your question differently.
I thought you meant can you make a bottle with boiling water, then rapid cool, then store in the fridge (LO has not yet touched it) and then when you need it a few hours later take it from the fridge and warm it for LO to drink.  This is ok to do.  If for example you want to provide another care giver with a prepared bottle (so you know it is made correctly and to reduce their work load) you can do this, or for night feeds to minimise the time it takes to get the bottle for a night feed.

[*happy*]

just jumping in here...hope you don't mind.
we are stil learning about bottles here cause i was BFing up until a few weeks ago.
we are now on 3 bottles of formula a day & 1 bottle (although she only takes 1-2oz) of BM.
for 2 of the 3 feeds, we make them up as we need them, but now that we are giving F for the morning feed, it's a little more awkward so i have been putting 8pz of boiling water into a bottle the night before, closing it &leaving it on the worktop. then i add the formula in the morning & put it in a bowl of boiling water to warm it up...should i not do this?

[Lolly]

Technically, no you shouldn't as you need the water to be hot enough to kill any bacteria in the powder when you add it to the water. That's the official line on making up feeds.

In reality it depends on your comfort levels. My kids were on a reflux formula that had to be added to cold water or it wouldn't mix and we didn't have any problems. Freshly boiled water put straight into a freshly sterilised bottle and sealed straight away is considered sterile for 24 hours. I don't know what the percentage of babies being made ill from bacteria in formula pwder is, but if you consider the number of bottles of formula made every day in the UK and the number of babies you know of that have been ill from formula (I don't know of any) I don't think the risk is that high, but it does exist hence the guidelines.

If you sterilise properly, boil your water fresh every time and don't keep the bottles hanging around too long then *I* think it's fine to add the powder, warm and feed straight away. The other thing you can do is to fill a flask when you go to bed, that should still be hot in the morning but again may not be hot enough to kill bacteria. Bottles of water and adding powder is also the easiest option for being out and about apart from the sealed ready made cartons.

HTH!

Laura

[*happy*]

a flask!!!!doh!!!!that's a great idea!you said that to me before!will my brain EVER work again?!

[Lolly]

will my brain EVER work again?!

Sorry, but probably not - baby brain turns into toddler brain, which turns into pre-schooler brain............ and when you have another one it just compounds the whole thing as you have baby brain and toddler brain at the same time. Welcome to motherhood - you'll notice you weren't warned about this bit

Laura

[*happy*]

i'm a disgrace!i leave the iron on & burn things....i leave the tap on & flood things....i leave the front door unlocked & am lucky not to have lost things.....i could go on!!!!!

[Lolly]

It's fine - just don't loose the baby - and dropping them isn't great either

Laura

[*happy*]

LOL!that's what's DH said to me this morning!well, actually he told me not to burn her....after i set the smoke alarm off by burning her pasta....yes....you read right....i burnt PASTA!!!!

[Lolly]

Lol

[*happy*]

don't worry....i have a thread on the solid feeding forum too.....!!!!!

[creations]

How does one burn pasta???

FWIW I used the cartons of pre-made formula both out and about and at home.  They are sterile so there is not the same bacteria risk associated with powdered formula.
Laura is right a LOT of people make up formula with cold water (pre boiled but gone cold) and now there are so many products available to buy which make this more convenient and encourage this, for me even a slight risk was too high.  The powder can contain cronobacter sakazakii and salmonella, both cause infections which might be rare but are life threatening.  I personally couldn't get my head around being ok with possible salmonella in formula and then being major cautious with eggs when they are introduced as solid food.  In the UK eggs are lion marked to show the hens have been vaccinated against salmonella so there is such a low risk and yet everyone is still major cautious with eggs and not formula - I don't get it.

A bottle of formula made in the correct way (with just off the boil water) can be rapid cooled in the back of the fridge (back bottom is the coolest place) and after minimum of 1 hour either:
- taken out and about in a cool bag with ice pack and used for up to 4 hours
- taken out in a cool bag and transported to a childminder, and if within 4 hours be put in a fridge for max 24hrs
- left in the fridge overnight and used for night feeds or morning feed.
The max time is 24 hrs in the fridge. So really although it is advised for each bottle to be made freshly, the way the previous generation made up bottles (ie make a full days worth in the morning and leave them in the fridge all day) is safer than the more common cold water method used by the current generation.

[Lolly]

Here is a link to the WHO's guide to making up formula. http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/PIF_Bottle_en.pdf

It actually does say at the end that if you do not have access to boiling water to make up a feed that you can do it with fresh, safe water at room temp providing it is consumed immediately. I think this the key if you are adding powder to cooled water, even if you make feeds with hot water, cool straightaway and store properly in the fridge there is still the chance of contamination as any bacteria will still be breeding in the milk in the fridge although much more slowly.

No method is going to make your feeds totally bacteria free so you need to do what you are comfortable with and in the case of specialist formulas you may have to do something different.

Laura