Bottle Feeding Mums Out & About

[mandspice]

Hiya,

For those of you who bottle feed, what do you do when you're out for a full day or away for a night (ie at a hotel)?

Do you use the ready made cartons or do you take powder and find somewhere to make it up? How do you sterilise the bottles in a hotel room, assuming you don't carry 6 ready sterlised ones with you? For day trips do you make up a couple and keep them in a cool bag? Does your LO take them at room temp? Thanks!

 

[Jade&Evie]

I make up the sterilised bottles with water in advance and then add the powder when I need it. I use TT bottles so have the ones that fit in the top-

I use an electric steam steriliser at home but also have some milton tablets so could sterilise anywhere

Depending on what formula you use you may need to carry a thermos too as some milks only mix properly in warm water. I've used SMA Gold and SMA White which Evie takes a room temp

Boobie Feeding is sooo much less faffing!

 

[Leese]

We've got Lindam steriliser bags which you stick the bottle in and then pop in a microwave. If we're out and about during the day I've got a thermos thing which keeps the water warm and a powder dispenser. James really doesn't like room temp milk.

 

[Sherlock]

Apparently ready made cartons will taste quite different to the powder. Some babies often won't take the cartons when fed formula.

They only keep for 24 hours once opened also. I guess if you went out and used them you would fill up your bottles before you left and store any leftover in the fridge. Or buy them when out.

 

[evemarie8]

Clark has always had the cartons, they are so easy its unreal, and I always take bottles ready steralised!

 

[Jade&Evie]

Apparently ready made cartons will taste quite different to the powder. Some babies often won't take the cartons when fed formula.

They only keep for 24 hours once opened also. I guess if you went out and used them you would fill up your bottles before you left and store any leftover in the fridge. Or buy them when out.

The ready made cartons are definately different. When Evie was a bit constipated the HV suggested giving her some carton milk too as it makes the poo runnier They smell grosser too!

A small carton is around 55p which makes them a LOT more expensive than tins. I always carry one with me when we go out for a day- just in case- but I don't use them every day.

You can also buy ready sterilised disposable bottles but IMHO they are a waste of money and an unecessary strain on landfill!my MIL has some at her house just in case but in 12 weeks we've never used them.

At first sterilising is a HUGE chore but now Evie is taking 5 bottles a day I just do it all before I go to bed and know I won't have to do it for 24 hours.

 

[LilysMummy]

If I know Im going out for only an hour I just make it up and take it, but if I go to stay on the boat or anywhere for a good few hours I just stick a couple of sterelised bottles in my bag and some cartons. They are ace and Lily has never had a problem with the difference from powder. Plus they are an exact feed size for us. Wouldnt be without them, just if you bite the corner make sure you dont get a mouthful

 

[daftscotslass]

Same here - we just take the water and the powder in the dispensers. When we were on holiday we took the travel steriliser (made by tommee tippee, it's basically just a box with a hole in the lid) and a can of the milk powder. We were staying with the in-laws but hotels will have no problem sticking a steriliser in the microwave for you if you ask nicely.

Totally agree about the formula in cartons. It's UHT sterilised and smells (and I'm sure tastes) totally different. I hate the smell of it so we don't use it.

That's for SMA Gold, though, when we were using C&G comfort last week we had to carry about a flask of hot water and make it up long enough before she wanted it for it to cool down. Way too much faff!

 

[Magic Monkey]

We used to just take water and add powder from the Tommee Tippee pots, but suddenly it stopped mixing properly at room temp! It happened when she started having bigger bottles. Now we use the cartons when we are out, we use the 250ml ones, which is an exact feed for us so it's really easy. You need scissors to open the SMA ones though (I have a habit of forgetting them!). We have never had any probs with LO taking them, it doesn't seem to bother her at all, and IMO it is far safer than making bottles up and worrying about the temp!

My LO takes the cartons at room temp when we are out, but it is really easy to just stick the bottle in boiling water to warm if needed.

 

[mandspice]

Thanks, that's really helpful - I think we'll try the cartons and see how we go! xx

 

[muppetmummy]

I either take a bottle out ready made up in a cool bag, and warm it up with my bottle warming flask. I only take 2 bottles like this so they are used within 6 hours max and still feel fridge temp before heating (I do this at night too to save going downstairs.)

or I take out sterilised bottles and cartons of formula. Once assembled, empty sterilised bottles can be kept for 24 hours before needing to be re-sterilised.

Formula powder needs to be mixed with water that was boiled around 30 mins previous to kill any bugs as the powder isn't sterile. ETA: or if you kept the water at that temp in a thermos it would be ok

 

[soulem]

I make up the sterilised bottles with water in advance and then add the powder when I need it. I use TT bottles so have the ones that fit in the top-

I use an electric steam steriliser at home but also have some milton tablets so could sterilise anywhere

Depending on what formula you use you may need to carry a thermos too as some milks only mix properly in warm water. I've used SMA Gold and SMA White which Evie takes a room temp

Boobie Feeding is sooo much less faffing!

Same as Jade!!!

 

[Sylvie]

When we go out I take a carton of ready-made milk and a sterilised bottle. That's all right even though it's true that Louis becomes a bit fussy when he is having these cartons... not because of the temperature (he hates having his bottles warm) but because of the taste and consistency I think. Can't take some powder because he is on Cow&Gate Comfort milk which needs to be made with very hot water (water kept in a flask wouldn't be hot enough).