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Can I make a bottle of formula milk now and then stick it in the fridge and microwave it at, say, 6 o'clock, 7 if I'm lucky? Rather than make fresh then and have to wait ages for it to cool.
I think this is the crappest question I've ever asked on here. Sorry.
Yeah, we used to make a nights worth for our twins then heat it in a jug of hot water
Can't remember TBH. We've only ever made them up for say 2-3 hours storage (using those thermal type travel bag things). I'm sure other people have stored them in the fridge - but that might be EBM, not formula.
Someone will probably come along soon as say it's fine.
Thinking about it, why do you want to make one up - why not just do it to demand?
Why not what's going to happen??
As long as you keep it in the fridge.
We used to do it for our 2 girls and never had a problem.
Anything to make it easier fella 😉
Think they suggest you make it fresh. We make up the bottles in bulk then just warm the bottle in boiled water and add powder. Much quicker than cooling it down and if he is hungry enough he don't mind it cold.
Friends have microwaved the bottle to the right temp then added the powder too!
If you're going to micro it anyway, why does it help that you're making it up in advance ? It won't cool at a different rate
Mix it fresh, then micro it until just right
Or do you mean to just bottle some boiling water before you go to bed so you can make up with that "sterile" water later ? That sounds fair enough
Like Bruk says, we made it to order, i.e. boiled kettle > poured into plastic container > made up bottle/mix > put bottle in plastic container for say 2 mins to warm up. No need to do what some people do and boil water for every mix and manually cool it.
For the other kids I used to make it with cooled boiled water, but now apparently one should mix the powder with just boiled water then let it cool, in case you have introduced bugs into the powder I am told. Even standing it in water it can still take a while, and at 6 o'clock I want him filled up and back to sleep as quick as possible. If I can just microwave a ready made bottle for 30 sec that is much quicker. I'll try it, what's the worst that can happen? Diarrhoea probably, and his mother will be back home by then.
Anything to make it easier fella
Amen to that.
it's your choice
emotional blackmail
look as a freshly made bottle as the gold standard, every shortcut diminishes this
valley daddy et al
their kids are OK so so should yours be
regardless
personally microwaving baby bottle is a bad idea due to the risk of a mistake/ hot spot, the data/ scare stories about the release of chemicals in the plastic when microwave
also
you have a health care worker professionally trained and upto date in the latest studies/ best practice + lots of experience. Why not ask them?
Do you mean my wife or the health visitor?
We make up bottles of sterile water in advance and then add a little boiling water at feed time to bring the temp up.
the health visitor, they are free as well (during normal working hours)
Ah yes. It's for tonight, so probably a bit late to ring them.
Thanks for the suggestions. He's used to being breast fed during the night so who knows how this will go.
Good luck. Nothing is as quick in the middle of the night as breast but I've found having the sterile bottle with boiling water into it then cooled and heated in boiled water then add powder the best so far at between 2 and 6 when mine wakes. If you haven't practiced how long it takes in the microwave and you want to perfect it start practicing now!
Oh ignore the Health nazi on bottles, ours is only willing to comment that breast is best. (whole new debate and way too late for that 😀 )
make up a days worth of bottles in advance, cool, put in fridge, then blast in the microwave for 30seconds when needed.
so long as you shake it , no problem. so much easier than doing them one at a time.
Make ours for the next 24 hr period. Boil the water mix in and then in the fridge. I think the latest advice is that you should use boiling water and mix straight away and then let it cool.
Much better to have it ready in advance than having to faff when baby starts crying because they want food.
Health visitors know next to nothing, well the ones round us do, all they offer is reassurance.
What baby powder do people use? There are so many different powders out there, even within the same brand that offer milk for different stages ie new born, 6 months, 1 year, sleep better etc etc. I've heard a number of rumours that they are all basically the same, except the older ones, more specfic ones cost more and you get less !
Oh and while we are at it. Did you know that any baby milk you can buy is minimum priced fixed... to promote breast feeding. Idiots.
mixing up early is fine, just don't heat and cool then reheat.
Bottle - pfft.
I think you'll find that breast is best!
"I think you'll find that breast is best!"
Ah but the latest research is showing that its far from conclusive, and there may not actually be many if any benefits, obviously the baby bonds with the Mother more.
We make up bottles of sterile water in advance and then add a little boiling water at feed time to bring the temp up.
This is what we did with our twins - we found *approx* 50/50 fridge cold water and freshly boiled water + the powder was about right.
The recommendation is to make it freshly because of the *risk* of bacteria multiplying at an extra-ordinary rate in the milk powder once made up. I don't think the risk is absolute and many people have made up milk in advance all the time without issue, but the risk IS greater than by not doing it at all. You takes your chances I guess.
go with the cool/fridge/microwave option.
But be aware that 3 in the morning when you're half asleep you need to be really careful that you've given it a good shake once warm and checked it for temperature (I used to literally suck it and see...).
checked it for temperature (I used to literally suck it and see...).
Breast is definately best for that ;D
I make the formula bottles up at 11am or so for the day with boiling water, then zap for 20-30 seconds in the microwave (depending on the dose) before lashing into the kid whenever they are hungry.
Did this for all our kids and they are fine, they take enough of my time as it is.
Re: MF's comment / idea
Assume boiling water by the time you pour it will be 95C. Fridged water will be about 5C. Hence a 50/50 mix of the too will be to all intents half way between the two - physics, innit - ie about 50. So with a bit of experimentation, you should be able to get to about body temp, just like 'from the tap', by either using slightly cooled boiled water, or a slightly different mix.
So: I'd bet you that with a bit of checking, half a bottle of boiled water, mix in the milk powder in which time the temp will have dropped anyway (hence no bug issue in the introduced powder), mix in another half bottle of cooled boiled water, and you'll be pretty well sorted.
With mine, admittedly nearly 7 years ago, we used to sterilise bottles, fill with cooled (but not cold) boiled water and then leave them at room temp. Mix in the milk powder as req'd, quick nuke and then serve.
Doesn't boiled water have any effect on the proteins etc in the milk? Just asking, like?
We've always made up from freshly boiled water and let to cool. As we know how long it takes to cool, we just make sure his bottle's done and in a jug of cold water half an hour beforehand. We tried a bunch of baby raising methods, and regular routine seemed to do the trick for ours, so it's pretty easy to do. The advice from our health worker was that bugs could get into the formula once opened, and also that it was possible the formula could come from the factory with microbes in it, so freshly boiled was the way to go. If you're feeding on demand, I can see this might not be the easiest thing for you, however!
In emergencies, we've cooled bottles from boiling in less than ten minutes by using the frozen tub thing of an ice cream maker - works a treat, but you need to shake the bottle a couple of times.
Re: MF's comment / idea
Yeah I did say approx and our twins actually like their milk at different temperatures so we tweak a bit for them anyway.
It is also a good way of making milk up on the move - just put the hot water in a flask* and make up as you would at home.
*This stops working when your wife drops said flask in a car park in Cornwall.
Mleh, "making up formula", we just use the little ready-made cartons of Aptamil.
Saves all the faff.
The tricky thing last night was that his Mum was doing a night shift, having just gone back to work, so although he has bottles in the day, she wasn't there to feed him when he wakes in the early hours - he usually has 10 minutes or so with her then back in his cot. I didn't want to hang about faffing while he woke the other kids up. As it happened, by lucky coincidence, if slept right through for the first time!
My son was in hospital when he was about 7 months old, batches of milk* were made up and frozen. My wife was given the frozen bottle and some hot water to thaw the bottle out.
*actually Neocate 'cos he has a milk allergy
Saves all the faff.
Yeah, it also saves on having to spend money on other essentials seeing as you will have none left.
Mleh, it's 56p for a 200ml carton, which lasts a day.
Granted the powder is cheaper, but it won't break the bank.
We just always kept the kettle full and then made fresh and heated as reqd in the microwave. You get very good at judging how long it needs very quickly.
Mleh, "making up formula", we just use the little ready-made cartons of Aptamil.
Expensive, and not veggie (if you care - did have effects on ours tummies) - 200ml is one feed for our latest gutsy pig 🙂
Sterilise bottles, boiling water into them, into fridge, mix up, nuke, and use as required - never had any bother with that and it's no more faff really
Yeah 200ml of formula lasts her a day, but she only really gets it in her morning porridge and her evening drink. She still gets organic free-range boob juice in mornings, evenings and "dream feed" (she is only 9 months old). At other meals she just has water from the tap.
Sterilise bottles, boiling water into them, into fridge, mix up, nuke, and use as required - never had any bother with that and it's no more faff really
Compared to: Sterilise bottle in microwave (if required), pour in some milk from carton, serve?
You've got me worrying now: just what is the price difference?
Any idea what pence/litre powder works out as?
I know a 900g tub of Aptamil is £9. But I don't know how much powder per litre goes in a serving?
For the ready-made, 56p per 200ml means it is 280p/l.
Sterilise bottles. Boil kettle. Let kettle sit for 30 min. Make up a day's worth of formula in the bottles. Cool bottles rapidly (plastic tub full of cold water) to prevent time where bacteria can grow in warm milk. Put in fridge.
Take out of fridge 20 min before feed time. Stand in bottle warmer. Give warm milk to baby. Sorted.
Ours is a thriving year old and caught nothing from the above method that was recommended by several parents. The cooling rapidly seemed a good point.
Ah but the latest research is showing that its far from conclusive, and there may not actually be many if any benefits, obviously the baby bonds with the Mother more.
That's not the case at all, there was no new research just an opinion paper on some previous research, which was twisted and hyped up by the media.
Can't be bothered reading all that ^, but the wife(boss) used to have the bottles that had a pot you could put in them with the correct measured amount of powder, we would make up quite a few to last a few days. Boiled the water filled them with water the put the pot in(with powder) lid on and just use as required, but warmed them in microwave for approx 20sec.
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As far as i am aware, the reason for making them up with freshly boiled water is to kill any potential bacteria in the powder as that is not sterile from the packet.
Water in the kettle that was boiled and then left there for hours to cool will possibly contain more bacteria than the water fresh from the mains, as the boiling will have removed any residual disinfectant from the water. (that would depend on the cleanliness of the tap though)
If everything put together and in the bottle was sterilised, it should be ok.
Mrs Flash. There was an article in last months British Medical Journal with new quantified research....
Can you use a Camelbak or do you have to go with bottles if you're out riding?
😉
Mrs Flash. There was an article in last months British Medical Journal with new quantified research....
Linky?
FunkyDunk can you link please, I'm really interested in this as I am training to be a bfing peer supporter at the moment so am doing a lot of reading around this subject. I would really like to read the article - the only recent one I know about was the Mary Fretwell etc one which was actually about introcusing solids & timings but was put a different spin on by the media and came out in a lot of papers as "breastfeeding not always enough" etc. Thanks!