Cooled boiled water for formula

luby-lu

I have always made my daughters bottles up fresh each time. Unfortunately I was unable to breast feed, but waiting for a bottle to cool enough was a nightmare, until my neighbour told me how she did her sons.

My daughter has 8oz, 4 times a day. So on a morning I sterilise 5 bottles and fill with 5oz boiled water. Then sterilise 5 more bottles and leave them in the steriliser. When she is ready 3oz boiling water goes in a fresh bottle with powder, good shake, then add the cooled water and it is exactly the right temp for her. I think this is the safest way of doing it quickly sterilised bottles, and milk powder is mixed in >70c water to kill any bacteria.

When I am out I just take a sterilised bottle, a carton of formula AND scissors, lol.

moomoomama27

When mine were young and I used formula, I used to boil a fresh kettle of water, pour water in steam sterilised bottles add, forumla shake, and quickly cool and then put them in the fridge until need (up to 24hours) before discarding. I used to warm them in a jug when needed.

This was the advice when all 3 of mine were small, didn't have any problems with their health.

confusedroast

I do the same with my second child as I did my first. Put boiling wate in bottles and tighten lids so the bottles get sterilised with the boiling water, once cooled after half and hour I put in formula, shake well and put in fridge. I only make up two bottles at a time so both get used within a few hours. With my first I heated bottle by boiling kettle and putting bottle in bowl of water, got told my professionals this was the right way rather than microwave. WIth my second I pop it inthe microwave for 30 seconds and shake well

Hootie19

Thank you for all your replies.

Hellfire, it's a bit of a minefield, isn't it. Seems like there is no "right" way to do it.

I did mine the way moomoomama27 did. My kids all survived! Can't believe how often the guidelines seem to change.

lizzywig

I breastfeed my 10wo and she gets a bottle at bedtime and if we are out and about. Having read through this thread I must ask a question. I am typing directly from the wording on my box of formula, it says "boil freshly run water. Leave kettle to cool for 30 minutes. Measure the required amount of water into a sterilised bottle. Do not add powder to boiling water for risk of scalding. Using scoop provided, level off the powder with the built in leveler".

Now usually when I go to the water after 30 mins it is cool, so going by what everyone says here (which I don't doubt) this implies that you should add the powder to cool water. This is what we have been doing since she has been born, since this is what is says on the container. Now sleep deprived I am, tired I am, full of baby brain I am, but am I being entirely stupid here? Being a first time mum I am taking the packet at face value. Boil water and leave to cool, then add powder.....

Thoughts would be welcome as reading other peoples comments has unerved me. As I majority breastfeed it's not something I thought I would have to investigate further than reading the label!

Xaniwoop

sounds like you are doing it right, after 30 mins the water should have cooled to around 70C hot enough to kill bugs but not hot enough to destroy the vitamins (another reason not to use boiling water)

Agutka

Mine are 4 and 2 and I never heard of 'nasties' in the powdered milk. I thought the whole boil water and wait 30 minutes (hah!) thing was just to stop people using microwaves - hot spots and all that...

peachyprice

lizzywig wrote: »

I
Now usually when I go to the water after 30 mins it is cool, so going by what everyone says here (which I don't doubt) this implies that you should add the powder to cool water. This is what we have been doing since she has been born, since this is what is says on the container. Now sleep deprived I am, tired I am, full of baby brain I am, but am I being entirely stupid here? Being a first time mum I am taking the packet at face value. Boil water and leave to cool, then add powder.....

Thoughts would be welcome as reading other peoples comments has unerved me. As I majority breastfeed it's not something I thought I would have to investigate further than reading the label!

Yes, that does rather contradict everything that has been written here. If I left water out for half an hour it would be nowhere near 70 degrees and would kill nothing. A cup of coffee left on the side for 30 mins would be too cold to drink, wouldn't it?

I always did mine with freshly boiled water, which makes far more sense for the purpose of killing bacteria.

Xaniwoop

I admit I was going on the comment of a pp who said that after 1/2 hour it would be 70C, perhaps that is true if the water stays in an electric kettle as its insulated...

I really want to go and boil water and find out now

daska

lizzywig wrote: »

I breastfeed my 10wo and she gets a bottle at bedtime and if we are out and about. Having read through this thread I must ask a question. I am typing directly from the wording on my box of formula, it says "boil freshly run water. Leave kettle to cool for 30 minutes. Measure the required amount of water into a sterilised bottle. Do not add powder to boiling water for risk of scalding. Using scoop provided, level off the powder with the built in leveler".

Now usually when I go to the water after 30 mins it is cool, so going by what everyone says here (which I don't doubt) this implies that you should add the powder to cool water. This is what we have been doing since she has been born, since this is what is says on the container. Now sleep deprived I am, tired I am, full of baby brain I am, but am I being entirely stupid here? Being a first time mum I am taking the packet at face value. Boil water and leave to cool, then add powder.....

Thoughts would be welcome as reading other peoples comments has unerved me. As I majority breastfeed it's not something I thought I would have to investigate further than reading the label!

Most people (with the exception of MSE forumites ) tend to boil far more water than they need when they put the kettle on so the cooling time for a kettle is far longer than that of a bottle. It's not comparable to how fast a cup of coffee cools because of the extra volume, the kettle having a lid and the kettle already being hot (rather than pouring it into a cold cup). The full instructions given to health professionals specify to cool it to no less than 70 degrees and then point out that it takes a kettle approximately 30 minutes to cool to this point, the timing is only a guideline it's the temperature that is important.