Babies powdered milk question

Morglin

Lotus-eater wrote: »

When you make up a bottle of milk and as I understand it, after an hour you have to throw it away.
Is this true and if not, how long can you keep it for?

I'm sure there must be something about sticking it in the fridge as well.

Well, I'm going back about 30+ years, but I used to use SMA Gold Cap.

I made up a day's worth, stored them in the fridge and used a bottle warmer to get them to the right temperature, when needed.

It may be outdated advice but my kids thrived with me doing this - so I assume it's still the right advice.

Lin

miss.bint

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I don't understand this fully. Are you saying that after boiling, the water shouldn't be left for more than half an hour before making up the milk? And after that, throw it away?
And how would that kill bacteria in the milk?

Atm we fill all the bottles with boiled water in the morning, then use them throughout the day. Sounds like we have been doing it incorrectly.

What I used to do was, say I had to make a 7oz bottle; I'd make up 4 bottles for the day, fill them with 4oz of freshly boiled water only, let them cool and then put them to one side for later....
Then when it came to making a feed, I'd fill one of the bottles up with the remaining 3oz of just boiled water and add the formula - that way I could use the milk straight away and not have to wait while it cooled.

That was last year, and I have a happy, healthy 23 month old
I think the new formula-advice has turned into scaremongering.

Putting pre-made bottles in the fridge is obviously not the best idea, but neither is making them on demand for a screaming, hungry baby with the possibility of scalding them :rolleyes:

nottslass_2

How on earth is one supposed to manage when out & about ?
OK so you might just be able to persuade a cafe or restaurant to boil a kettle but how many will then cool it under running cold water ?

Personally,I cannot see how cooled ,previously boiled water,that was poured straight into a sterile bottle can be anymore harmful than any airborne germs they come into contact with every second of every day !!!

Perhaps this new advice comes from the "bottle feeding police" who think if they make bottle feeding as difficult as possible for new mums they'll get a 100 % breast feeding rate !!!!

emlou2009

nottslass wrote: »

Perhaps this new advice comes from the "bottle feeding police" who think if they make bottle feeding as difficult as possible for new mums they'll get a 100 % breast feeding rate !!!!

That is exactly what my excellent HV told me she thought of it all

snapping_crocodile

As other people have said though it is only guidance. Health visitors have to tell you what is best practice, and deemed to be safe advice at that time....what parents chose to do (i.e. what is easier for their circumstances/parenting style) is completely different. Health visitors do know that parents wil do what they think is best, but they are still obliged to give the 'correct' information

oystercatcher

Morglin wrote: »

Well, I'm going back about 30+ years, but I used to use SMA Gold Cap.

I made up a day's worth, stored them in the fridge and used a bottle warmer to get them to the right temperature, when needed.

It may be outdated advice but my kids thrived with me doing this - so I assume it's still the right advice.

Lin

30+ years ago cars didn't have seatbelts in the back but I'm ok so it must be OK to still do that ?????

csh_2

oystercatcher wrote: »

30+ years ago cars didn't have seatbelts in the back but I'm ok so it must be OK to still do that ?????

Why even bother to compare the two? Its not helping any and its pointless.

oystercatcher

csh wrote: »

Why even bother to compare the two? Its not helping any and its pointless.

The fact is experience and research has improved the advice given out.

30 odd years ago occaisonally a child died in a car accident. Also occasionally a child died or was seriously ill from drinking contaminated milk.
I still see people driving about with small children standing in the back of cars, just the same as I'm sure some people don't follow the advice given about making up bottles. Only difference is there's no law about making up bottles!

Janepig

nottslass wrote: »

Perhaps this new advice comes from the "bottle feeding police" who think if they make bottle feeding as difficult as possible for new mums they'll get a 100 % breast feeding rate !!!!

It was either my midwife or HV who said the same thing. They're not supposed to give advice on safe bottle feeding any more, only promote breast feeding. Which is utter nonsense and more likely to put babies health at risk than anything else.

Personally I did the same as Morglin - made up a day's worth of milk in one go. Never a problem, and that was as recently as 2006 and with DS who was five weeks early and very small. I was aware that the new advice was to make up a fresh bottle every time but quite frankly there was no way I was going to to that. I'd made up the bottles in advance for DD in 2003 and just carried on as I'd done before. Most people I know who'd bottle fed did the same. And I used to keep a couple of small cartons of ready made milk of the same type (aptamil) and took that and a sterile bottle if I was out and about.

Jxx

JBD

It would be interesting to see if there are any definite statistics on this matter. I have heard of babies in the 3rd world dying [very sadly]due to contaminated water used in bottle feeds but have never heard of it happening in this country.