Making up bottles

[Cornish smiler]

Please don't laugh, but I'm really new to all of this having just started to wean my son, Sam, off being fully breastfed to formula fed.  It may seem obvious to you, but what is the best way to make up the bottles - can you do a day's worth in advance, cool them in a bowl and keep them in the fridge, or do you have to do each one seperately as you need it?  Can you just put water in the bottles, cool them and add formula when needed (before warming) - does the formula mix in OK?  I'm using Cow & Gate Premium if that makes any difference.  On the tub of formula it says to boil the kettle and then leave it to cool for 30 mins - how on earth can you do that when you have a baby screaming for its food at 3am? 

I'm sure I'll get into a routine with it all, but just need to get started.  At the moment it's not a problem because I'll only be giving Sam formula at 10am and 7pm so he can have them fresh - this is only because I'm coming off fully bfing though and in a matter of another few days will be stepping it up some more.

Sorry for daft questions, just don't want to get it wrong.

TIA

Ali

[jennyh]

for both of mine i made 24hrs worth up at once then cooled them in cold water and put them in the fridge.in the middle of the night all i had to do was pop one in the bottle warmer to heat up .it was so much easier than trying to make them up as i went.hth...jenny

[ryan's mum]

Not a daft question at all ! I did the same as above , I always had my feeds for the next day prepared the night before and kept in the fridge .I took the bottle warmer upstairs for the night feed .

[oilerbaby]

All three of mine were/are bottle babies...  once made, a batch of formula is good in the fridge for 48 hours.  We use the Enfamil concentrate and do two cans up at a time which makes six 8 ounce bottles and one 6/7 ounce bottle (DS has 8oz. morning/lunch/supper/bedtime and then the smaller bottle during dream feed).  Put the caps and nipples in a collander in the sink and pour boiling water over them and right away fill up the kettle and boil the water so it's ready to go for the next batch - the rule is whoever makes the batch has to boil the water right away so it's ready for the next batch.  We have always used playtex with the bottle liners that come in boxes of 100 on a roll (not the drop in type).   

[oilerbaby]

You could absolutely make them up as you go ad I would do as Stacy does and store the boiled formula in a sterile container.  My sister-in-law just made up the formula in a big pitcher and stored that in the fridge and poured the bottles as she went.   As for the colder formula - we give it at room temp or a bit cooler... that's just how what they did at the hospital so we continued doing it at home.