Bottle feeding correctly

Lola92

pwurple wrote: »

I don't think so Hannibal. Making with hot water and cooling afterwards is safer than using the dispensers. It says it on the tin of formula to do it that way (hot water), the hospital advises it that way in the babycare classes before the birth, and again at the hospital in the nursery.

The only place that seems to advise the use of the those dispensers with cold water, is the place that sells them.

We sterilse the bottles, the water and the formula. If you do it the other way, you don't sterilse the formula.


I'm not judging anyone who does it the other way, we all take calculated risks, otherwise we wouldn't step outside the door of our bedroom. But that is the lowest risk method at the moment, so it's no harm to be at least aware of it.

You are correct that batch making is advised over the other method pwurple, except in the event that the bottle would be out of the fridge for 2 hours. After this there is a chance that bacteria will grow so they recommend you make up the bottle with boiled cooled water and formula powder.

I used to do this for my daughter if we were going out for the day. Say we left at 9.30 and she would have her morning bottle at 10.30 - I would have this made up and left in the thermal pocket of her change bag. But for her 3pm bottle I would bring a bottle of boiled cooled water and formula.

pwurple

Lola, I tried it when we stopped sterilising the bottles when she got older... I put the coiled water water into bottles and put in the powder when needed. I found it didn't dissolve properly in cold water even with some vigorous shaking. Clumps of powder would sink to the bottom. I was using SMA, maybe it's just that powder?

Hannibal Smith

Hi pwuple, I understand what you're saying and it makes sense that the water sterilises the food when put in at 70 degrees, but we were always told, if you're not going to do it the way they say on the tin, you have to store the bottles of water in the fridge and add the formula as you go. Everyone told us that, from gp to phn. They made it clear that in no way were we to make up batches of bottles and leave them in the fridge with the formula on them. This thread is the first place I've heard people are still doing this.

I never add formula to cold water. We obviously heat the bottles as we go and put the formula into heated water that way though. Otherwise it doesn't mix properly.
I swear, head out to Avoca some day, you'll see everyone with their dispensers

Lola92

I used Aptamil and Cow and gate 1st infant formula that way and never had any lumps at all. We just gave it a vigorous shake and that seemed to do the job for us!

I had been told no to batch making too and then read a brand new HSE formula making guideline that came out which put them as I said in my last post. I have it on my other laptop which I won't have access to for another week or so but I will post it up when I can.

pwurple

Different powder must make the difference Lola. The SMA is clumpy as heck in cold water. It kinda floats in it!

Hannibal, I'm naturally a cynic. I don't believe anything anyone says unless I know the reasons for it, see it for myself or double check elsewhere. I take nothing as a given and question every tiny thing in life. (Driving the other half utterly mad with my constant Why Why Why Why. )

So, as the reason for the hot water is sterilisation of formula, loads of mammies not sterilising tells me lots of people either have the out of date information... or have made the choice, like we did, to stop sterilising at some point.

I reckon we were told different things because the instructions were updated recently enough. My small one is 13 months.

Hannibal Smith

I know Pwurple...I'm just at pains to point out that the reason I do it the way I do it, is because I was told it was perfectly safe to do it that way, not because I think 'ah to hell with it sure he needs a few germs' lol I wouldn't take those kind of risks with his food, or do anything with his food unless I was sure it was safe to do so. So I asked the phn and the doc when my first was born, and double checked when the second was born in October and they told me the same thing again.

The easiest way to do it would be to make a batch up with formula and all, I would have loved to do it that way, so I'll definitely double check next time I'm with the GP.

Just goes to prove the point the OP was making though and kind of explains why they're so confused about the whole thing, when we're all given different information

bionic.laura

I think you're both right. According to this document from the food safety authority you can do it both ways. http://www.fsai.ie/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=764

The recommended way is to make up the formula using water that has been boiled and left to cool to 70 degrees for half an hour. Using boiling water isnt recommend as it damages nutrients in the formula. The bottles should then be cooled quickly. This kills any bacteria as formula isn't sterile. They worry is about e sakazakii in the formula. That document says storing the formula made up in the back of the fridge for 24 hours is ok. if it's stored below 4 degrees in the back of the fridge and used within 24 hours you should be ok as bacterial growth will be very slow at that temperature. They say to store at the back of the fridge as it is the coldest part.

Adding the powder to a sterilised bottle with cooled boiled water is seen as ok for when youre out. There's no need for storing the bottles of water in the fridge as you hear some people doing. It should be fine left out as there shouldn't be anything in the boiled water that will grow. When you add the powder you should use the bottle as quickly as possible. At room temperature bacteria will start to grow but if you use the bottle quickly it should be ok. The container for the powder should be clean. In this case the formula hasn't been sterilised but using it quickly means that colonies of bacteria won't have time to grow to harmful amounts.

When the powder and the water are mixed once it's above fridge temperature bacteria can grow. Bacteria can even grow in the fridge that's why they don't recommend storing it too long. So that's why they recommend using a bottle that is out of the fridge too within two hours.

What I do is make up bottles for the day and store them in the back of the fridge and heat them up as needed. I make up a sterilised bottle with water and add the powder for the first bottle of the day as if I had one in the fridge it would have been there 20 hours or so. Anyway hope that helps. I knew doing microbiology in work would come in useful one day...