Bottlefeeding - any hints/tips on making up formula!?

[lisaspoon]

Hi Everyone

I'm bottlefeeding my wee boy and just looking for some advice/tips on how you make up your formula... As we all know current guidelines state that its recommended to make up feeds when needed and not to make up in advance. We're finding this quite a drag especially at night time. Also now that OH is back at work and we're not into a routine yet I can't really presume when Euan will wake up hungry etc I've tried making the bottle when he starts to stir and then going to do his nappy while its cooling....but more often than not it ends up too cold.....

any tips/suggestions on what you ladies do would be helpful.... as my mum always keeps stating, she made up our feeds for the day in advance and stuck them in the fridge then warmed them up!

We're using SMA gold at the moment.

 

[NooNoo]

i used to make 6 up at a time...amazingly mia was fine

or sometimes id make up the bottles but only put say half the amount of water in...put them all in fridge, then when it comes to needing one, boil the kettle and top it up to however much and put formula in

 

[Naterjack]

i make up a days worth at night and store in the fridge and then shake and re-heat when needed - touch wood but my LO has been fine with it this way - the formula companies just have to be extra careful and cover their own backs, which is why they say make bottles up as needed

 

[Lisamj]

Sam tends to have about 7oz at each feed, so I tend to pour 4 oz of boiled water into the bottles, and then 3 oz of freshly boiled water when his feed is due, then add the powder obviously. I do this when at home as it saves having to wait for the kettle to cool down! I don't use the microwave.

When I'm out I just pout 7oz boiling water into the bottle and take it out with me, adding the powder from a dispenser when his feed is due. Sam doesn't mind what temperature his feed is so it doesn't matter if it gets cold.

hth

Lisa

 

[lea m]

I boil a full kettle in the morning and just re heat to the right temp throughout the day when needed and make up the bottles or I do what Lisamj does and just top up the bottles with hot water and make up when needed!

 

[ninjawomble]

Sam tends to have about 7oz at each feed, so I tend to pour 4 oz of boiled water into the bottles, and then 3 oz of freshly boiled water when his feed is due, then add the powder obviously. I do this when at home as it saves having to wait for the kettle to cool down! I don't use the microwave.

I do the same! Saved my sanity!
And its always instantly the right temperature!

 

[kalia]

DD prefers her milk at room temperature so we put 4.5oz of boiled water into 6 bottles. then throughout the day when we need milk we just need to boil a little bit, top the water to 6oz and add the powder. ou get powder dispensers so you could measure the powder in advance if you wanted.

 

[leckershell]

I guess I'm just boring and unadventurous as I always made them up as and when needed.. that said I did used to use cartons a lot so just had to flick on the bottle warmer.
Now hes ok with tap water, I boil the kettle and put in 3oz boiled and 5oz cold - just the right temp lol

 

[Magic Monkey]

We have done it many ways!

To begin with we out the boiled water in the bottles, left them on the side and then added the formula to the room temp water when needed.
Then when she needed bigger bottles we found that the powder didn't dissolve very well in room temp, so we put say 6 oz in and left it on the side, then boiled the kettle when needed and topped up the final 2 ozs.
Now, we put all the water in the bottles and stick it in the microwave to warm through enough so that the powder dissolves.

As of tomorrow we are on cows milk though, so much less hassle!

 

[XXAmyXX]

We make up four bottles at a time, with boiled water allow them to cool then pop in fridge, when Kyle is ready for a feed heat the bottle in bottle warmer then add the powder.

 

[daftscotslass]

or sometimes id make up the bottles but only put say half the amount of water in...put them all in fridge, then when it comes to needing one, boil the kettle and top it up to however much and put formula in

We used to do this only there's no need to keep sterile bottles of boiled (sterile) water in the fridge so we just kept them on the kitchen worktop and topped them up as needed. Now she either takes it at room temperature or we put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and make sure it's well shaken to prevent hot spots.

 

[xmcnickyx]

During the day we boil the water, put it in the bottle and then put the bottle in a jug of cold water for a bit to cool it down.

When she was waking during the night though we used to do the ole half an half thing (putting boiled water in and topping up with hot water when needed) and we still do that for the morning feed so she doesn't have to wait for ages for it.

 

[ASD123456]

We have done it many ways!

To begin with we out the boiled water in the bottles, left them on the side and then added the formula to the room temp water when needed.
Then when she needed bigger bottles we found that the powder didn't dissolve very well in room temp, so we put say 6 oz in and left it on the side, then boiled the kettle when needed and topped up the final 2 ozs.
Now, we put all the water in the bottles and stick it in the microwave to warm through enough so that the powder dissolves.

We did exactly the same and now use the mirowave to do the same. x

 

[lisaspoon]

Thanks for all the replies ladies!

i spoke to my health visitor about this and the formula hasnt changed at all as what it was a few years ago when people used to make up to 6 feeds up and store in fridge she said it was just to prevent people leaving milk about for over an hour as this increases the chance of bacteria growing with the girls i put the right amount of boiled water in and cooled it down then added formula then put it in the frigde and het it up as i needed it, with zak's night feeds i make a really hot bottle and put it in a little bottle bag that i got from boots for £5 or something it keeps it warm for 4 hours so it usually ready for him through the night when he wakes i also take an empty bottle up and a little pre made carton under my pillow to warm it up if he needs another feed, which he usually does

I spoke to my HV too and she said that the current guidelines are there as a "recommendation". As you said babydust, the formula hasn't changed at all since people used to make them up in advance......

OH is still a little funny about this (even though his mum formula fed him and made the bottles up for the whole day in advance).... I feel he forgets that I'm home alone and running to make a feed before or after a nappy change and waiting for it to cool all takes time and when your LO is screaming because they are hungry, its not nice to listen too

 

[emman24]

We're going through the same thing Lisa. Ben goes from 0 to starving in 2 seconds so its not practical for us to make up feeds then wait for them to cool. He just screams the place down then by the time the bottle is ready he's really upset & full of wind from all the crying.

I've been making up 3 or 4 in advance & putting it in the fridge but I think we're going to try putting the water in 1st then topping up with boiled water & the powder. Hopefully that will work for us. My SIL is a nanny & her boss is a paediatrician, she made up the feeds in advance, so it can't be that bad. I think it's just the milk companies who are covering their own backs and being extra cautious.

Hope you find something that suits you.

 

[daftscotslass]

In the early days we had a flask filled with boiling water so that we didn't have to wait for a kettle to boil to top up the half filled bottles. So in that case it takes less than a minute to open bottle, top up, dump in powder, shake and feed to baby.

 

[lisaspoon]

Today I've been making up my next feed in advance when I go to rinse the previous feeds bottle..... still have to wait for warming up tho when botlle out the fridge! lol

anyone use the bottle warmers and find these useful? would have thought it would be useful to bung bottle in warmer and by the time nappy changed = bottle ready!

may try the cooled water - adding some boiled and powder method as this would obviously warm it at the same time..... cant keep up with my LO at the mo!!

 

[daftscotslass]

I got a bottle warmer as a present and I have used it a grand total of once

 

[loz]

I make up 3 bottles for Emms when she is at the childminders first thing in the morning and she has been fine! My childminder did the same with her children and they were fine. I tend to make them up when needed when I am at home, but Emms only needs 3 bottles in the day now.

 

[bobby1]

so you have to add the powder when your about to feed and not in advance?