Talk to me about room temperature bottles and other questions

[koe2moe]

We didn't have to measure the second batch of boiling water.  After you make one full bottle, mark down (even on the bottle if it helps) where it should fill up to, pour boiling water till that mark!  Swirl and done!  Does the Dr Brown system have a lid?  I used to bring cooled boiled water in the milk bottle with lid, I can shake vigourously without spill before putting the tit on.  And the lids get sterilised, too. 

[babybarr]

Pour pre measured formula for 6 oz bottle in bottle

This is the bit I'm confused about!! Clearly my baby brain is definitely not working!  I guess I'm confused because you have to measure the water and then add the powder and adding the powder makes the whole bottle bigger in volume

Perhaps you or Koe can give an example in measurements too please?!!

However I'm first going to try cold milk   gotta be worth a shot!

[Lindsay27]

We didn't have to measure the second batch of boiling water.  After you make one full bottle, mark down (even on the bottle if it helps) where it should fill up to, pour boiling water till that mark!

This is what I did.  I put in the number of scoops I needed into a container (if I remember correctly 1 scoop per 60mls of water).  So say I needed 6 scoops, I would put it into the container, and then I pre-measured 360mls of water in a measuring cup, then poured it into the container and mixed.  Once it settled I drew a line on the container with a marker indicating where the mixed formula was, so each time I knew I needed 6 scoops of formula and then I would fill up to the line with the water, and I wouldn't have to measure the water every time because the line told me how much I needed which included the increase in volume because I drew the line after it was mixed.

I hope that makes sense! LOL...it all sounds so confusing.

[creations]

Laura I think they mean one of those little plastic tubs that you can store the dry powder in. Rather than counting out x number of scoops each time you make a bottle you spend a few mins in the day counting out x number into a tub, seal, then x number into another tub, seal, and so on until you have a collection of little tubs with the right amount of powder in. This means if it is night and you are bleary eyed or day and you are heading out you have a pre-measured amount of dry powdered formula ready and don't have to take the full carton out with you or try and count in your sleepy state in the middle of the night.

From what I understand for esample a 6 oz bottle
- 3oz of cooled boiled water in bottle A
- pour 3 oz of boiled and hot water (above 70 degrees) into bottle B
- add one pre-measure out portion (x number of scoops) tub of dry powder formula to bottle B (hot water)
- shake to kill bacteria and dissolve powder
- pour bottle A (cool water) into bottle B (hot with formula)
- shake to mix

It does work out that you will have the right amount of water and the right amount of formula this way and that the bottle will be cooler than a bottle made up solely of just boiled water.

[babybarr]

Ok thanks for clarifying everything!  That is what I thought all along!!!  So technically I could make up "half bottles" so 3oz boiled and hot water with 6 scoops of powder, fast chill and refridgerate, then add warm boiled water (3oz again) to take the chill off??  I'm just trying to find the quickest way of making up the bottles when I *need* them.  I'm happy to do the prep in advance iyswim?! just when I have two screaming hungry babies I'm gonna need to be fast!

[ZacsMumme]

Yes - as creations said! And as koe says after a bit you know how much to put in anyway.
Sorry Laura...can you tell a certain small someone isn't sleeping well ATM

And yes, no reason you can't do your own concentrate if kept in the fridge I think

[creations]

Hmm...I suppose in theory yes you could but this is not one of the recommended ways from the WHO guidance (I don't recall anything in the guidance saying anything about babies crying with hunger just about what is safe, best safe, then other less-safe-safes for if the best-safe isn't possible.  Am I confusing you again )

If I had two (or even one mew one) and really couldn't do the ready-to-drink I'd make up the bottles in the morning and I'd also try feeding straight from the fridge.

Not that I have twins, but, I see baby twins IRL and they often don't eat at the same time.  Often times one is asleep whilst the other is being fed and entertained, cuddled etc.  I have also seen them both feeding at the same time though (bf).

[babybarr]

Yes I'm thinking just make them up like I did with o in the morning. Everyone I have spoken to with twins says feed them together even if you wake one. Else you end up feeding non stop! So that's my aim. I'm going to try from the fridge and failing that I'll have to warm them perhaps just to take the edge off rather than to make them warm if you get me?!  I've worked out how much it'd cost to buy ready made formula over the powder and initially I wondered about doing that but you have to keep the opened carton in the fridge so there's no point unless out of course!

[koe2moe]

Just one little thing to clarify.  I think it is best to do an experiment.  Get a box of formula now.  follow instruction on the box, 1 scoop for how much water?  mix it and see what it comes up to on the bottle.  Write it down.  (it might make more sense to do at least 3 scoops, as you don't want to miss out on the round up/down.) 

Then mix a jug the way you would want to do it.  I think the cooling off would take considerable time, unless you use ice.  (Get a feel of how long it would take, so you will not get a shock).  Then after proper chilling test how much cold (from the fridge) and how much hot water give you a good enough room temp bottle.  60ml of 5C water will not need 60ml of 100C water to come up to 23C.  Just the math doesn't sound right

AND when you run out of premade one, what are you going to do??  What is the contingency?  Pour hot water, add formula, stir, then add cooled water!    That, to me, is a must know-how!

Oh and Laura, I wanted to find your other thread but I will just add here.  As I had awful back pain that I couldn't even hold DS as a newborn, I sometimes fed him on a nursing cushion, the kind of microbeads, not the hard filled ones.  It can nicely hold a baby in place but not too high, esp. as a newborn.  You will have a hand free for twin b.  You probably can prop them both next to each other and hold both bottles.  Soon enough, they will be able to hold the bottles themselves. 

[*Kara*]

Soon enough, they will be able to hold the bottles themselves. 

Unless they are like my kid who never held her own bottle - apparently, she thought her mother was supposed to do that job

I can't believe you can't buy the concentrated liquid over there   It's a big time saver for sure and costs about the same as powder does...

What about doing the premade for the first few months until you get everything into a bit of a routine?  Then moving to powder once you feel a little more in control of things?

I have a few friends with twins and all of them did feed both at the same time, even if they had to wake one during the night to eat.  That said, they aren't much help to us here - all 3 of them exclusively BFd.

I used the microwave once DD was a bit older... the hot spots risk can be eliminated by a good shake of the bottle (or more specifically, turning it over on itself 10 times).  Had i known that there wasn't actually a risk to the formula itself - I would have used the micro much sooner!

[babybarr]

Ok so I'm back! Both boys will drink milk which is room temp (premade formula) they will also take it from the fridge although not as keen so I've been literally takin the edge off it with a minute or less in warm water. Now dh is freaking about how much the ready made stuff is so thinking about swapping to powdered formula for during the day and perhaps cartons for the night. I'd like 2 make up the milk in a large jug or pitcher first and store in fridge but how do I sterilize the jug or do I need to buy something specific?  I have a steam sterilizer but my large jug wouldn't fit and also don't want to fill up a massive bowl with sterilizing solution just for that.Thoughts?

Can I sterilize the inside of the jug only with water in it in the microwave for instance ? I just know it'll be quicker than doing the individual bottles.

[Lindsay27]

Do you have a big pot you could boil it in?  My friend has twin boys and she used to use a large stock-pot and boil the bottles and containers once a day at night while her DH was doing bath time and then she would pre-make the formula for the night feeds after everything was sterilized because it is good if kept in the fridge for 24hrs.  During the day I think she did room temperature bottles.

[Shdef]

We had two flasks, one with boiled hot water, one with boiled cold water. And a container for the formula. I would make each bottle fresh, mix the powder with the hot water then add the cool water until perfect temp. It was quite easy.

And as someone mentioned, it has to be done above 70° when mixing with the formula. But not boiling either.

[Mashi]

To sterilise the jug you could use Milton?

[creations]

Do you have a dish washer? I don't but I hear that in the US many people only use the dish washer for bottles etc and don't use the sterilisers or solutions?
is your fridge big enough to keep a jug/pitcher of formula in the bottom back?  I just can't imagine rearranging my fridge to fit that in, bottles are smaller, or do you mean to make up the large amount in the jug and then fill bottles to go in the fridge?  Not that it really matters to your question, I was just being nosey.