Stupid question

[CARNAT22]

Hi,

We FF but use cartons - we have a teeny kitchen and I am a lazy arse.

Anyhoo, we are going to move over the powdered formula now and I just wondered if you could give me a few tips

1) Do I need to make up each bottle as we go along (not a problem as James feeds same time everyday give or take an hour for some feeds)
2) Or can I make up all the bottles for the day (just the water only) and store in fridge and add powder as and when I give them?

Any other tips, we'll be using Aptamil and James feeds are x8oz per day and x3 7 oz per day

xxxxxxxx

 

[Titch85]

I think the rules say you should make them up as you go along. However, I make them up in the morning with 2oz less then what I need and leave them on the side. When I need one, I use boiling water to top it up to the right amount and add the powder.

 

[Jbeanie]

We use Aptamil and I batch make them in advance.

I boil the kettle, leave it 25mins then put the water in the bottles and the powder (sonething to do with formula not being sterile so needs to go in water above 70 degrees)

I then let them cool a little then put them in the fridge and warm when needed.

Everyone prob does it slightly different so just give it a go and see what works best for you x x

 

[HopesDreams]

We use Aptamil & we make his bottles in batches of 3. We boil the kettle, let it cool for 30 mins, pop formula in, give a shake, allow them to cool fully & pop in the fridge. In the beginning I tried making them fresh but when O is hungry he just won't wait. I can't even make a bottle when I see feeding cues because they come about 2 secs before the shouting starts. lol Like someone told me, you just do what you're comfortable with.

 

[CARNAT22]

Another quick question if you don't mind!

James is due a feed around 3pm but he's asleep (I don't know how long for?)

I've got the water ready for 3pm but if I make up bottle then and he isn't awake until 3.30 will that bottle still be OK?

Babies aren't robots so there must be a bit of leeway?

This is what I have been a lazy arse with the cartons.

xxxxxx

 

[HopesDreams]

Have you put formula in? If so just let it cool & pop in fridge until the wee fella wakes up. When he wakes up (it might be warm enough) either pop it in micro (I normally do 30 secs) & give it a good shake to avoid heat spots. If he's a patient boy then you can warm it up in a jug of hot water.
I make 3 bottles around 7am & he gets the last of those late afternoon & he's just fine.

 

[diane]

As my lo feeds at same times everyday more or less I make all feeds fresh. I boil the kettle leave it to cool for 30 mins then pour into a flask. This way I have the correct temp water to kill off bacteria. When I need a bottle I just pour water from the flask and add powder, simple! Once the powder has been added that bottle can be kept for 2 hours x

 

[kat1988]

my lo feeds the same times (within half hour) everyday, I make up bottles in the morning to last 24 hours,

tips my midwife gave me...
it's best to make them fresh everytime but that's not practical at all, if u make them up in advance keep in the fridge but not in fridge door as the temp fluctuates as u open/close the fridge door, never keep a made up bottle for more than 24 hours as its not sterile after this time.
best way to reheat bottle is in a bottle warmer, only takes a couple of mins and is evenly heated, warming in a microwave causes 'heat spots' (milk to be boiling in some bits and cold In others) so if u choose to use a microwave shake the bottle bloody well (her words lol) also be aware that most bottles now are not microwave friendly (I know tommee tippee and mothercare ones def aren't ok to use on microwave)

 

[Lou12]

Another quick question if you don't mind!

James is due a feed around 3pm but he's asleep (I don't know how long for?)

I've got the water ready for 3pm but if I make up bottle then and he isn't awake until 3.30 will that bottle still be OK?

Babies aren't robots so there must be a bit of leeway?

This is what I have been a lazy arse with the cartons.

xxxxxx

Once at room temperature a bottle of formula lasts 2 hours.

I make all of mine of an evening. I boil the kettle, leave it for 20-25 minutes, make the milk up including formula, then pop them in the back of the fridge. I then warm them up in the microwave when needed. All completely wrong according to HV and MW's - but Greyson has always been perfectly fine!!!

 

[Ella1979]

We always followed the instructions on the formula tin to the letter (mainly cos our LO was a preemie and so tiny, I really didn't want to be lazy and then for her to get really sick). We had horrid times when she was screaming for food while we waited for the formula to cool to room temperature. Wouldn't do that again. It was awful and really distressing... and completely unnecessary, except the GP wouldn't give us the formula we needed (special preemie stuff) in cartons, only powder, so we were kind of stuck.

You might be switching to the powder, but if I were you, I'd always have a couple of cartons handy just in case you're caught out. With our next baby, we're planning on using powdered formula, but will still make it up as we go along and have cartons for nighttime, when you can't always see that baby's starting to get hungry.

My HV told me that the guidelines come from research done in the 1980s into a few cases where formula-fed babies died. He went on to say that later on it was proved most of them died of other causes and one was inconclusive. Although the research was mainly disproved, the guidelines remain.

 

[CARNAT22]

Well I am hating powder, I knew there was a reason I've been using cartons!!

Again a few more questions:
1) I just gave James his last bottle and he refused the last oz, when I poured it away there were lumps in it!! I had shaken it so much. Will it do him any harm?
2) Is it correct that the instructions to make up 7fl oz (210 ml of water and 7 scoops) actually makes up 8fl oz
3) My little spoon thingy that comes with milk doesn't dislodge every last bit of powder so I am worried I am making his formula up slightly wrong?

Really tempted to go back to cartons and I may well do when he drops a bottle or two but we need to save some pennies!

xxxxxxxx

 

[kat1988]

Well I am hating powder, I knew there was a reason I've been using cartons!!

Again a few more questions:
1) I just gave James his last bottle and he refused the last oz, when I poured it away there were lumps in it!! I had shaken it so much. Will it do him any harm?
2) Is it correct that the instructions to make up 7fl oz (210 ml of water and 7 scoops) actually makes up 8fl oz
3) My little spoon thingy that comes with milk doesn't dislodge every last bit of powder so I am worried I am making his formula up slightly wrong?

Really tempted to go back to cartons and I may well do when he drops a bottle or two but we need to save some pennies!

xxxxxxxx

don't worry about the little grainy bits that's normal, but if there's proper lumps like bigger than half a grain of rice shake it more before u give it to him

when u make it up u measure the water (eg to 7oz) then add however many scoops of formula, by adding powder to it it will measure a bit more after being shaken and don't worry about getting every grain out of te scoop, just tap the scoop on the side of te bottle if a bit gets stuck


it's a nightmare when u first start but with anything baby related once u have a system it becomes 2nd nature, and don't worry about all the questions I think I asked all these and more, but I bugged people at 2-4am to make sure I was getting it right!

 

[Lynds77]

Well I am hating powder, I knew there was a reason I've been using cartons!!

Again a few more questions:
1) I just gave James his last bottle and he refused the last oz, when I poured it away there were lumps in it!! I had shaken it so much. Will it do him any harm?
2) Is it correct that the instructions to make up 7fl oz (210 ml of water and 7 scoops) actually makes up 8fl oz
3) My little spoon thingy that comes with milk doesn't dislodge every last bit of powder so I am worried I am making his formula up slightly wrong?

Really tempted to go back to cartons and I may well do when he drops a bottle or two but we need to save some pennies!

xxxxxxxx

all normal Nat! we use a sterile weaning spoon to stir the formula, so that we dont introduce too much air (and we use Dr Browns bottles, so cant shake them anyway!)

we use the flask technique too. And before bed just pour boiling hot water into the flask, then by morning its the right temp!

 

[HopesDreams]

As for the scoop, the steam causes the formula to start sticking. It drives me mental. I've bought some wee teeny baby food pots & I measure a feed into each one. I make up 6 wee pots in the morning & then when I'm making up a bottle I just need to tip it in. I find it less annoying & quicker!
Once powder is added it does make a bit more than the actual feed.

 

[HopesDreams]

How are you getting on with the formula powder Nat?

 

[Ella1979]

Lumps were the bane of my life when we were using powder!!! Even more annoying than sticking in the bottom of the bottle is when they block the teat! Absolute nightmare. We found that if the water was too hot or too cold then we'd get lumps. It was really difficult to judge the exact temperature that would result in minimum lumps.

The scoop thing can easily be solved by rinsing it with boiling water and drying it each time you use it.

Slightly less formula to water is better than slightly more (in my, non-medical, opinion) as the risk with too much powder is the salt content is higher.

The answer to number 2 is yes. The powder displaces the water slightly so it will look more when you've put the powder into the water.