Steriliser/ formula questions

[Sleepy sue]

Hi ladies
Well after ripping my hair out we've decided to try combination feeding. I have a few questions regarding making formula up:

After bottles are sterilised how long do they stay sterile?

Can you put the pre boiled water in the fridge in the bottles, if so how long for?

If you make up formula how long can it be kept?

And I thought bf could be complicated :-/

Many thanks xx

 

[pinkyprincess]

Why do you want to try combination feed?

My midwife told me that if you put a sterilised bottle it stays sterile for longer (dunno how long tho!!) she also says you can make a couple of bottles up and put in the fridge but not too many. All the warnings are because people were making weeks worths and not rotating with use!

 

[hugsy]

The bottles stay sterile for 24 hours in most units, if you open it you need to put the bottles together straight awya though,

I pre make 4 in the morning to do me for the day then at 1030 ipm il make another 3, one for the 11 pm feed one for the 3 am and one for the 10 am feed , i take the one for 3 am out of the fridge when im going to bed and put it in a cool bag and its room temp by time she needs it, I give a carton at 6 am( cos im too lazy to go down n take a bottle out of fridge) then take out the 3rd pre made one at 8 to feed to her at 10,( she never settles in morning so i dont have time to make one up ) I do it that way so that she never gets a bottle more than 12 hours old.

I know people make them both ways but i personaly prefer to make them up with the boiled water cooled for 30 mins as that kills the bacteria in the powder, if you put the cold water in the fridge and add powder later the germs are stilll in the powder ykwim, but i know lots that do do it that way and have never had sick babys

 

[Nic36]

I am combination feeding too.
I sterilise the bottles in the morning and put boiled water in each bottle and put them in the fridge. Each time I need to mke a feed I warm the bottle of water and mix the feed.
I make sure the bottles are used within 24 hrs otherwise I throw away and resterilise.

 

[Terri1884]

I used to sterilise all 6 bottles for 24 hours! Put boiled water in and leave them on the side! Then add powder and heat when needed!

 

[Sleepy sue]

Thanks ladies

Do they always need heating or can they be room temp?


Pinky I'm combination feeding just at night, I've tried everything to get lo to sleep at night except this. I'm hoping it will give us both a few hours. Trust me it's not a decision I've taken lightly xx

 

[Mrs CW]

We boil the kettle and leave it to cool for 30minutes then put the water in a flask. D is extremely fussy and will only take warm milk - he won't even take room temp! I was bf for the first 8 weeks and LO wouldn't take much of the bottle the first few times we tried it and I think it was because the formula was colder than breast milk!
Formula can be used for up to 2hours after it is made up.
Hope that helps x

 

[Nic36]

Thanks ladies

Do they always need heating or can they be room temp?


Pinky I'm combination feeding just at night, I've tried everything to get lo to sleep at night except this. I'm hoping it will give us both a few hours. Trust me it's not a decision I've taken lightly xx

I usually warm the water before mixing the powder, but I know people who do it at room templ

 

[pinkyprincess]

Thanks ladies

Do they always need heating or can they be room temp?


Pinky I'm combination feeding just at night, I've tried everything to get lo to sleep at night except this. I'm hoping it will give us both a few hours. Trust me it's not a decision I've taken lightly xx

I'd be interested to know if it works or not. I've heard it makes no difference. Wouldn't work for us as mr doesn't take a bottle!

 

[Hunnie]

I use comfort milk which you make up with boiling water.

I only premake 2 bottles incase she wakes up at half 2 in the morning and then for get up time again at half 6 and store in the fridge. I'm so so paranoid about premaking bottles though incase of bacteria growing in the milk and giving her bellyache but I know there's no worry of that really because it's boiled water and in a sterile bottle.

If I was you then I would make up just the night ones and store in the fridge and make all the others fresh during the day and just try to be more on top of it. Saying that though I guess for the first few weeks of baby's life they are so unpredictable.

I used to just pour boiling water into the bottles and add the milk later and reheat but I just got so paranoid about the milk powder having bacteria in it that I stopped.

 

[hesty14]

I have a microwave steriliser and as long as you don't open the lid the bottles stay sterilised for 24 hours. As soon as it is open, the bottles have to be assembled.

I make up 3 bottles at a time with boiled water, leave on the side and add powder when needed and heat up. I do 3 just before bed and this is her 6am and 10 am plus a spare if she wants more than the 5ozs. I will clean the other 3 bottles and put the sterliser on before I go up so have ready sterlised bottles when i wake. In the morning I make up 3 more which is her 2pm, 6pm and 9pm. She will happily take them at room temperature, even cold, but we started to heat them up as she gets a bit constipated and I wondered if having them warn might help.

 

[Cazza]

My LO is on Comfort Formula too.

I sterilise all bottles first thing in the morning, fill apprx 3/4 of the amount she needs with cooled boiled water and pop in the fridge. Then as a feed is required top up with boiling water and add powder.

We have a kettle upstairs to do the night feed too!!

 

[Samsgirl]

I do this cazza. I make up the bottles of cooled boiled water but only up to 100 ml. Then when I'm about to feed I top up to 150ml with boiling water and it's perfect temp for her. Then add powder. Xx

 

[Sleepy sue]

Thanks ladies, well so far tonight it hasn't made any difference except dh did a feed. We used a carton tonight but he only had 250ml this could be because it was totally new to him. We'll see how it goes xxx

 

[GregorysGirl]

Hi guys.
Its all each t thirr own I think ab how u chose. to feed ur LO.
However...worryingly it appeats noone has mentioned the fact that
* - The water needs to be boiled and poured directly onto the formula powder straight away after boiling in order to kill the germs it contained from not being a natural sterile products like ur boob. Thats the main reason they advise to boil it. So in effect boiling water to then leave to cool...to then add to ur form powder sorta defeats the object if u get ne...but again each t their own for their LO x

 

[Hunnie]

That's generally only for comfort milk. My midwife told me to use the water at 70 degrees c (15 minutes after boiled) as pouring boiling water into the powders breaks it down too much and denatures it therefore baby not getting as much goodness from the milk?

 

[Samsgirl]

Yeah instructions on aptimil say you should leave water to cool for 30mins. I have also spoken to health visitor and she advised me to make up bottles of boiled water and cool them and use when required. Preferably use any cooled water within 24 hours which I would anyway x

 

[BevG]

i tend to make on demand as i always boil the kettle when i put water in it and sterilise the bottles straight after use. then again i only use a few a day and im trying nt to so i never plan to use any bottles lol