Bottle feeding

[Strangeness]

I used to put bottles in a jug og boiling water to heat them up.

 

[lauramumof2]

I microwave my mam bottles, make them in batches and have weaned joe early. oh, i also use jars. i am going to hell

 

[kellie80]

I always make them up 6 at a time or i'd go mad. Like to have the bottle ready for when the baby needs it. i used a bottle warmer with Aimee and i found it quicker than a jug of water. Everyone is getting told new things all the time, drives me mad. It amazes me when i talk to older people how different they used to treat babies. OH got fed on watered down carnation when he was a baby!

 

[Icecream]

I was going to say the same thing kirkybird. What happens when you go out for the day. Do they expect mothers to be stuck indoors all the time?

I read last night in the pregnancy bk I got from the hospital that breastmilk can be kept in the fridge for 24hrs so i don't see why formula can't.

 

[Dee1985]

I microwave my mam bottles, make them in batches and have weaned joe early. oh, i also use jars. i am going to hell

im coming with you.

microwaving is just sooo much faster

 

[Dee1985]

i boil the kettle, then leave it in the kettle for about 1hour.

then i get 6 bottles. put 9scoops in each bottle, while there is no water in there.
then i get a spare bottle put 9oz water in and fill up every bottle with water, that waqy the scoop dont get all glogged up.

then stir them with a knife. fill the kitchen sink with cold water stand all the bottles in cold water they are all cool in 3mins then they go in the fridge and i microwave them for 6sec before i used them

 

[Icecream]

I'm not sure about microwaving to reheat things. Doesn't it cause bacteria or something?

 

[Jaidy]

You do make it sound easy Dionne, I reckon il get in such a flap lol

 

[Vicki83]

Ach i'm sure we'll all learn to cope just fine Jade!! It'll come with experience i suppose, here's hoping anyways!!

 

[Lyndsey]

Now here is a question - do you HAVE to heat up the milk??? The reason I ask is because I have been told it is much easier when out if your baby will drink room temp milk........ and thinking about it this does make sense... so why would you need to heat up the milk?

I understand if the milk is straight from the fridge it may be too cold but can you leave it on the side for a few mins to come up to room temp? Or would that encourage bacteria? Would you then stand the bottle in a jug of warm water from the tap???


** I am confused now***

 

[Jaidy]

Now here is a question - do you HAVE to heat up the milk??? The reason I ask is because I have been told it is much easier when out if your baby will drink room temp milk........ and thinking about it this does make sense... so why would you need to heat up the milk?

I understand if the milk is straight from the fridge it may be too cold but can you leave it on the side for a few mins to come up to room temp? Or would that encourage bacteria? Would you then stand the bottle in a jug of warm water from the tap???


** I am confused now***

Good quezzie Lyns!!

 

[bev]

Hi, at our parent craft class the midwife said that the reason thay want you to make up each bottle when needed was to do with the powdered milk not being sterile anymore when you open the lid!!! bizarre as when you take your bottles out of the steriliser surley thay aren't sterile anymore, maybe they just don't have the big fat germs!!
I don't see the point -, if you keep bottles in the fridge surely they are ok cuz you got any bacteria out of tap water when you boiled it?
Next they'll be telling us to prepare everything in a bubble



Bev x x

 

[Jade89]

Now here is a question - do you HAVE to heat up the milk??? The reason I ask is because I have been told it is much easier when out if your baby will drink room temp milk........ and thinking about it this does make sense... so why would you need to heat up the milk?

I understand if the milk is straight from the fridge it may be too cold but can you leave it on the side for a few mins to come up to room temp? Or would that encourage bacteria? Would you then stand the bottle in a jug of warm water from the tap???


** I am confused now***

I bought a fisher price bottle warmer to take out with me, its a godsend, only £10 from boots and you fill it up with boiling water and put the lid on and its got a clicky button to get the water out and you pour it into the bigger lid that goes on top of the flask and screwes on after your finished with it.

From the fridge you would stand the bottle in boiling water for a little while and shake it, test it and if you cant feel it on your wrist then it should be room temp, this is what I do.
I'm not sure tap water would get it to room temp, i think the coldness from the bottle would make the tap water cold.

To make my bottles up, i wash them in hot soapy water, rinse them, sterilise them while the kettle is boiling, leave the kettle to cool for half an hour, put the water in, put the scoops in, fasten the bottles, shake and stand in water til cool enough to go in the fridge, you get so used to it your just on auto pilot when doing it.

 

[Amanda]

Right - to clear this up.

The reason they give you this information now is because the milk manufacturers now say that they cannot give a 100% guarantee that the formula powder is being made in a sterile environment. So if you make up 24 hours worth of feeds, some bacteria may begin to grow, even if it is kept in a fridge.

I do this:
Wash and sterilise all the bottles
Pour 4 oz of boiling water into each bottle and put the lids on and store in the fridge.
Then when I want to make up a feed, I stick the kettle on, and then I top up the cold water with 2 oz of boiling water. This is the perfect temperature then for 6 oz of formula to mix in and for Charlie to drink it! Oh, and it means that the kettle has boiled for a coffee to drink while I'm feeding him!!!! Oh, and it's much quicker than trying to warm a bottle in a jug of water!!

When I go out, I have bought a container from Tesco's which is in 3 sections and you can put the right amount of powder in each section. It was less than £2. I also bought a Fisher Price flask for a tenner. I make up the bottles with 6 oz of boiling water. Then when I want to make a feed, I can heat the bottle in the flask and add the formula to it.

TBH, when the hv told me I wasn't to make the bottles up in the morning, I was shocked and had no idea how I would do it, but I find it easier! There is no screaming baby while you are trying to get the bottle to the right temperature!

*climbs down off soapbox and scurries off again*

 

[katie05]

I do the same as Amanda, make up 4 bottles of 6 oz water, store in fridge and when i need them add 2oz of hot water. He likes his milk quite warm so i also pop in my micro for 15 seconds (only the water) then add the scoops of milk.

Tried other methods at first but have stuck with this for 6 months. I was never comfortable with leaving milk made up for hours as sometimes the milk would seperate (if that makes sense!)

I didnt think you could add milk to cold water as it says on the box it must be added at a certain temp to let the powder break up properly.

You will find what suits you in the end!

 

[Dee1985]

the reason you shouldnt use a microwave to heat them is because they heat the bottle un even. and the milk will have hot spots. even if it feels ok to you there could be hot bits but iv never had that prob. Harley has his milk room temp he hates hot milk so i microwae them to take the chill off.

but now he is 7 months its sooooo easy. crab a bottle out the sink put in 9 scoops and fill up 9oz of water from the tap.

 

[Lyndsey]

Phew! Thanx for all the information!!! So it sounds like its better to get the boiled water into the bottles and into the fridge and then add powder and extra water when needed..............

Now I just have to get my head around expressing and storing breast milk!!!!!!! and what teat bottle to use so that baby doesn't get confused!!!

Lyndsey

 

[Amanda]

and what teat bottle to use so that baby doesn't get confused!!!

Lyndsey

If you are breastfeeding, definitely use the Tommee Tippee back to nature bottles. The teats are just like nipples. I never breastfed, Charlie had normal Tommee Tippee bottles, but then I started struggling to buy new teats as they are fazing them out, so replaced the lot with the closer to nature, and he loves them. No wind, he takes so much more milk, they are wider so easier to clean, and he has slept through the night every single night since switching. Coincidence maybe?

 

[Dee1985]

Harley will have no other teat then the brown latex ones, they are what they give you in hospital and now at 7 months he refusses any others

 

[Jaidy]

Harley will have no other teat then the brown latex ones, they are what they give you in hospital and now at 7 months he refusses any others

What make are they Dionne? Can you buy them from the hozzy then or do they sell them in shops? My friend's baby will only feed from them!