Bottle Feeding

li'l_p

I am currently bottle feeding and am just struggling with the technicalities of sterilising. To explain:

We have moved from the steam steriliser as it just seemed such a faff and we felt we were waiting for them to sterilise, which was increasing the time of making up the feed.

We are now using the cold water steriliser with Milton fluid. I understand that after washing the bottles with soap & water, you soak them and use them as and when needed. Is this right? I also understand that you just need to ensure that the fluid is changed every 24 hours, which we are doing.

What do we do if we need to go out and take stuff with us to make a feed? Obviously I have a dispenser/container to carry the powdered formula to make it up, but how do we go about keeping the bottle sterile? My OH is saying that we would need to take a container and sterilising fluid out with us, however this is not something I have ever seen anyone doing and just seems a complete faff??

Can anyone advise if we are being too particular about it? Or can anyone tell me what their own routine is for making up bottles?

liney

I'd just make the bottle up and put the lid on. The lid keeps the germs off the teat and the air isn't in contact with either at it's clicked shut. That's what i did anyway - i had one of those thermos bags to keep the bottle at the right temperature for a few hours.

For ease of bottle making at home i used to sterilise and add boiled water to the bottles a couple of oz short to what i needed, and leave in the fridge. At feeding time i'd boil the kettle, top up to the required level, add the power and shake. No need for bottle warmers, and very quick to do. It's abit trial and error at first to how much cold VS boiled water you need to get the bottle the right temperature. There's no made up formula laying about, and you can do a whole day at a time.

money_maker_3

If you dont want to make up the bottle then just add the water to the bottle and seal it by putting the lid on, then adding the powder when needed.

mumofjusttwo

I used to sterlise the bottles then fill up with the required amount of water. I would then add the required amount of milk powder when required. This meant that when the weather was hot or when I was not going to be home for a while I didn't need to worry about the milk being out of the fridge for too long.

feelinggood_2

This link is quite helpful:
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/formula/storingexpert/

Personally, I'd just use the ready-made cartons of formula while out and about, it seems the easiest and safest option.

pretzelnut

You can make feeds up all at once and store them in the fridge for 24 hours.

I clean all bottles, tests, etc. Put them in the steam steriliser takes 8 mins. I usually do this at 8pm at night after bubs bedtime feed.

I them make up 6 bottles of milk for the next 24 hours. Leave them on the side for an hour to cool, then put them in the fridge. When baby wants a feed i take 1 out of the fridge and warm it up in a jug of hot water or using the bottle warmer.

You can also make bottles up with the water in and the powder seperate. Then you can leave the bottle on the side and just add the powder to it, this is great if you give your baby milk at room temperature.

If your using cold water then the only thing i suggest is that you take bottles out of the sterilisation fluid use the tongs and try not to touch the teat as much as possible. This is the only way of keeping the bottle as sterile as can be.

As with all types of sterilisation as soon as the bottle is touched in anyway or the lid on the steam steriliser is opened they are no longer sterile.

Or another option is disposable bottles that can only be used for 1 feed but these are an expensive waste.

li'l_p

Thanks for the advice so far.

Another thing I didn't say is that we make he feed up by filling the kettle fresh, boiling the kettle and then allowing it to cool for about 10/15 mins, pouring this into the bottle to the required level and then adding the scoops of formula, shaking it and allowing it to cool. The formula tin states that you shouldn't use the water if it is left more than 30 minutes, so if baby settles, we are then having to wait and re-fill and re-boil the kettle.

We are having to cool the bottles down as opposed to warming up, as she likes them at room temperature and the way we are making them the water is really hot and we have to cool it right down.

I just feel we are being a little over the top? I appreciate the rules state that you have to make formula up fresh each feed, but I just feel that we are missing the point somewhere???

tiamai_d

See this is why I am determined to breast feed with this one. The new guidelines are just pants!

With the boys we used to sterilise, fill with boiling water, leave at room temp and add powder when needed. Unused bottles of water got emptied and re sterilised after 24 hours. Those days were simpler (a whopping 4 year ago). And if the breast feeding doesn't work, this is what I'll be doing, new guidelines or not.

Why don't you just cool the water after it's in the bottle by floating it in cold water in the sink? It will cool quicker that way as there is less water to cool.

li'l_p

princesswoo wrote: »

You can make feeds up all at once and store them in the fridge for 24 hours.
.

This is something we have been told should not be done.

Krystaltips

Here is a link to the department of health recommendations for the safe making and handling of infant formula. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_100887

The way you are doing it is the safest way...

Janepig

When I had DD in 2003 there were no "rules" about not making feeds up in advance, so I used to do all the bottles for the following day at around 8-9pm and keep them in the fridge. If I was going out I used to keep a bottle in a cool bag and warm it when needed. Neither of mine like their milk particularly warm.

By the time I had DS in 2005 the advice was to make up the bottles one at a time, but seeing as I have a life, and DD suffered no ill effects from having had her bottles made up in one go, I carried on as I had before. I can't imagine the faff and stress from having to do each one individually.

Plus I only needed the steamer once a day and did all the bottles, teats and dummies (get me - as if I wasn't a bad enough mother to start with, dummies too!!!) in one go. What a stressless life I led!!

Jxx