boiling kettle for bottles - and measuring formula.

have2flushtwice

the routine here is that the kettle is emptied, filled with fresh tap water and boiled. when boiled its left sit for exactly 30 minutes to cool, and then transferred to a sterilized bottle, where it is ok to sit for 24 hours before formula (aptimal) is added, wait for 7 minutes, and then that has to be drank within 2 hours or it goes off.
I'm fine with the two hour mixed formula part...but the kettle....

the step to boil the water is fine, I totally get that.
waiting 30 minutes to pour the kettle - why not wait an hour? less than 30 minutes may damage the bottles structural material compound, (my own theory) but how is it dangerous to leave it for longer than 30 minutes in the kettle?
the kettle is descaled as often as the sterilizer.

As for the formula, it had to be 4 scoops per 4 oz of water. we are now giving
7 scoops per 8 oz and it is working well for constipation.
however when measuring the formula I found an error.
if scooping from the top of the tub and its full and fluffy, lets say 8 scoops will get to almost the top of the measuring tub.
but if scooping from deep in the tub the scoop pushes into the formula to get full a scoop, resulting in a more compacted and dense scoop, and a fuller measuring tub. the difference is about a half scoop. anyone else see this? we were told the measurements had to be bang on or our baby would have serious trouble. no trouble of that kind so far thank god.
any opinions on the above?
thanks for reading

moving_home

You are making your bottles incorrectly according to the latest HSE guidelines.

The guidelines are make every bottle fresh but this isn't practical so this the next recommended way:
- boil 1L of water
- leave to sit for 30mins as this will result in the water being around 70 degrees which is hot enough to kill bacteria in formula but not hot enough to damage the nutrients.
- Add formula and mix.
- Cool quickly with cold water and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Macha

moving_home wrote: »

You are making your bottles incorrectly according to the latest HSE guidelines.

The guidelines are make every bottle fresh but this isn't practical so this the next recommended way:
- boil 1L of water
- leave to sit for 30mins as this will result in the water being around 70 degrees which is hot enough to kill bacteria in formula but not hot enough to damage the nutrients.
- Add formula and mix.
- Cool quickly with cold water and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

I don't think it's advisible to use mixed refrigerated formula after 4 hours, let alone 24 hours.

Every evening we boil the kettle, sterilize the bottles, fill them up (yes sometimes after just 10 minutes) with the required amount of water. We then have a supply of bottles that we just have to add formula to and warm up during the day. It also means we have the bottles ready to pack in a bag if we're going out for more than an hour or two.

OP, I try to mix the powder up with the little scoop so it isn't so densely packed. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

pwurple

You're not sterilising the powdered formula that way.

Formula is not required to be manufactured sterile. That's what the hot water is about. Hot enough to make safe, while not too hot to break down the proteins.


I don't see what's wrong with storing sterile mixed formula in the fridge?

moving_home

Macha wrote: »

I don't think it's advisible to use mixed refrigerated formula after 4 hours, let alone 24 hours.

Every evening we boil the kettle, sterilize the bottles, fill them up (yes sometimes after just 10 minutes) with the required amount of water. We then have a supply of bottles that we just have to add formula to and warm up during the day. It also means we have the bottles ready to pack in a bag if we're going out for more than an hour or two.

OP, I try to mix the powder up with the little scoop so it isn't so densely packed. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&rct=j&q=hse%20bottle%20making%20guidelines&ved=0ahUKEwjw4K3_v4zLAhUH2RoKHeT8AAsQFggaMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hse.ie%2Feng%2Fservices%2Fpublications%2FChildren%2FHow_to_prepare_your_baby%27s_bottle_feed.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGkqMHrYk4k2QvxCBFl8q-c0cxBog&sig2=PDAiT3S15btV2-pqXEkq_Q

Hse guidelines. You aren't sterilising the formula and it could potentially have bacteria that could make your baby sick. It's your choice how to make your bottles but the method I posted is the recommended way.

mdwexford

Don't over think it OP, just follow moving_homes instructions and relax.

mirrorwall14

Definitely add formula to the bottle for the fridge. Our lad was in hospital at 5 days old in Tallaght and that's the way they did them. 24hrs of bottles in the fridge. Once I saw that I stopped faffing about trying to make individual bottles etc

Macha

moving_home wrote: »

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&rct=j&q=hse%20bottle%20making%20guidelines&ved=0ahUKEwjw4K3_v4zLAhUH2RoKHeT8AAsQFggaMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hse.ie%2Feng%2Fservices%2Fpublications%2FChildren%2FHow_to_prepare_your_baby%27s_bottle_feed.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGkqMHrYk4k2QvxCBFl8q-c0cxBog&sig2=PDAiT3S15btV2-pqXEkq_Q

Hse guidelines. You aren't sterilising the formula and it could potentially have bacteria that could make your baby sick. It's your choice how to make your bottles but the method I posted is the recommended way.

I live in another EU country and the guidelines are different here as far as I can tell. But thanks for the link, I'll take a look. What you say makes sense.

I have to say, the lack of information on bottle feeding can be frustrating. They seem to spend more time telling you breast is best than helping you do it properly, at least where I live.

Edit: I just checked the packaging of the milk we use and it says to allow the water to cool to 37° before mixing the fomula? Grrrr...

farmchoice

ah making up bottles, how i fcuking hate it!! on to our third now so standards have slipped dramatically!!

for the first one we went with the guidelines as stated above, sterilize boil add formula cool and refrigerate ( we sterilized dummy's spoons for feeding the lot).

for the second we abandoned that and sterilized then just boiled let the water cool put it in the bottles and then add the formula when needed.

now on number 3 i just do it as quick as i can i will happily poor the boiling the water straight into the bottle i use boiled water that is 36 hours or more old etc etc, i haven't descaled the sterilizer in 8 months.

im coming to the conclusion that most of it is nonsense. as long as the bottles are sterilized and the water is boiled then it makes damn all difference.

i wouldn't stress too much about it. i often think its stressing about this kind of thing that can make parenting hard for some new parents.

if you read all the guide lines and heed all the different advice you can find your self under such pressure to try and do everything right that it becomes overwhelming.

LegacyUser

We sterilised the bottles, boiled the water, poured the water in the bottles, sat them in a basin of cold water to cool for a bit, then all into the fridge. Meant sterilising, pouring etc all done in one batch then there were a load of bottles in the fridge. Just added formula to each bottle as needed.

Mind you, we were using a heater to warm the bottles up but as she got older, we started emptying a bit of the cold boiled water out and just re-boiling the kettle on the spot and adding a small amount of the new boiled water directly to the bottle with the formula, to heat it up a bit.

Much quicker, but it did seem like an awful waste of water, there's probably slightly more efficient ways to do that!!

tinkerbell

farmchoice - your post is incredibly irresponsible. The instructions are there for a reason - you are making up formula all wrong and you could have made your babies seriously ill - you are lucky you haven't by now. The reason you boil the water and cool it a little and then add formula to the hot water is to kill all the bacteria in the formula. Formula is not sterile. It needs to be sterilised before your baby can drink it. Ignoring these instructions is just insane.

January

While we accept that sometimes parents do things differently, we advise the only way bottles should be made is to the HSE guidelines.

tinkerbell

It is scary that a third of replies on this thread talk about making up formula the wrong way. Something which could make an infant seriously ill.

Lady is a tramp

Sterilise bottles. Boil 1L of tapwater in kettle. Allow cool for 30 minutes. (Note - I was told by the SMA helpline that anywhere between 10-30 minutes is fine, I usually went with 30 minutes anyways.)

Pour water into enough bottles to last next 24 hours. (Again I checked with helpline that this was OK.) Add formula. It is NOT OK to add formula to cold previously boiled water as you will not kill bacteria in the formula.

Cool bottles quickly (ie in a large basin of cold water.) Place in back of fridge when cold. Use within 24 hours.

Heat as required - we used a microwave, again I ran that by an SMA rep first, only danger is to be very careful of hotspots.

That's how I did it - mostly following instructions on the tin, with clarification from the helpline provided on the tin when required (I found them very good!)

She said the only reason they recommend not to make bottles 24 hours in advance is to take into consideration eejits who might leave made up bottles sitting on a warm sideboard for 24 hours - if you cool them quickly and then into the fridge, it's fine.

Main mistake people seem to make is thinking it's OK to use cold boiled water - it's not. The reason for adding formula to 1L of water which has been cooled for 30 minutes is that this will ensure the germs in the powder are destroyed, but without damaging the vitamins in the formula.

Woden

Is one of these things sufficient to eliminate all this faffing about?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BG6304A/ref=s9_simh_gw_p75_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0E2DWXT5238VBWM4KB5C&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=577049067&pf_rd_i=desktop

Lady is a tramp

Woden wrote: »

Is one of these things sufficient to eliminate all this faffing about?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BG6304A/ref=s9_simh_gw_p75_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0E2DWXT5238VBWM4KB5C&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=577049067&pf_rd_i=desktop

Some people swear by them, I managed grand without. Meh. I can see how they'd be handy sometimes, not worth the money to me though, and you still have the "faffing" of washing and sterilising ... and you still have to know how to make up bottles correctly for when you're not at home.

Then of course you could end up with a baby who needs a special formula that needs to be made up with cold water or whatever. And it would be completely useless.

So personally no, it's not something I'd bother with.

tinkerbell

Woden wrote: »

Is one of these things sufficient to eliminate all this faffing about?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BG6304A/ref=s9_simh_gw_p75_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0E2DWXT5238VBWM4KB5C&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=577049067&pf_rd_i=desktop

Or just breastfeed no faffing needed then.

Lady is a tramp

tinkerbell wrote: »

Or just breastfeed no faffing needed then.

The brief period I spent attempting to breastfeed required waaaay more faffing than making up bottles, between the latch assist, nipple shields, breast pads, pump, oversupply and resultant constant changes of clothes, etc. It's not for everyone!

runawaybishop

tinkerbell wrote: »

Or just breastfeed no faffing needed then.

What if you don't have breasts? Still a fair bit of faffing either way.

The_Chap

Found it much easier to make a days worth of bottles up the night before and stick in the fridge

As said before, boil kettle and leave for 20 mins, make bottles up and shove in fridge, take out when needed and warm up

Sterilise all equipment before making next batch

Daughter doing great now at 2 1/2

tinkerbell

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

The brief period I spent attempting to breastfeed required waaaay more faffing than making up bottles, between the latch assist, nipple shields, breast pads, pump, oversupply and resultant constant changes of clothes, etc. It's not for everyone!

Sorry to hear you had a hard time with it and weren't able to get support All those problems you mentioned can be rectified with the proper support (which can unfortunately be difficult to get sometimes as many PHNs etc do not have enough knowledge on breastfeeding to help those who are struggling with it). But once you get past those problems and have established breastfeeding (after 6 weeks) then it gets so much easier, you just feed and go, no need to worry about sterilising or washing or correct temperatures, etc.

Macha

tinkerbell wrote: »

It is scary that a third of replies on this thread talk about making up formula the wrong way. Something which could make an infant seriously ill.

I'm genuinely concerned and confused as the tin of my formula says to allow the water to cool to at least 37° before mixing in the powder and says nothing about 70°. It's not a brand sold in Ireland but it's Nestle so not some random small company that doesn't know what it's talking about.

tinkerbell wrote: »

Or just breastfeed no faffing needed then.

I couldn't breastfeed even though I really, really wanted to. My baby couldn't eat for 2 weeks and was in neonatal care for that time, I had a caesarean and my iron levels went right down. It just wasn't physically possible for me and to be honest it broke my heart. Not everyone chooses to bottle feed.

Lady is a tramp

Macha wrote: »

I'm genuinely concerned and confused as the tin of my formula says to allow the water to cool to at least 37° before mixing in the powder and says nothing about 70°. It's not a brand sold in Ireland but it's Nestle so not some random small company that doesn't know what it's talking about.

Could be that that particular formula is ensured to be sterile during manufacture ... I'd go by the instructions on the tin.

tinkerbell

Macha wrote: »

I'm genuinely concerned and confused as the tin of my formula says to allow the water to cool to at least 37° before mixing in the powder and says nothing about 70°. It's not a brand sold in Ireland but it's Nestle so not some random small company that doesn't know what it's talking about.


I couldn't breastfeed even though I really, really wanted to. My baby couldn't eat for 2 weeks and was in neonatal care for that time, I had a caesarean and lost a lot of blood. It just wasn't physically possible for me and to be honest it broke my heart. Not everyone chooses to bottle feed.

Honestly, I don't know why it says 37 degrees on your tin of formula but I will say that I wouldn't be taking Nestle's word as gospel if that differs from the HSE guidelines. They don't exactly have the best track record for putting babies health top of their priorities (Google nestle boycott and you'll be able to read for yourself their awful practices in developing countries regarding formula). Since you're abroad, contact your local GP or paediatrician and ask them.

And sorry to hear about your trouble too

Macha

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

Could be that that particular formula is ensured to be sterile during manufacture ... I'd go by the instructions on the tin.

Yeah, I'll have to call someone tomorrow. Thank god I'm half way to giving him normal milk. I absolutely hate formula milk (although he seems to love it..)

Sorry, I totally hijacked this thread but I'm really glad I did! I had no idea.

cyning

Macha wrote: »

Yeah, I'll have to call someone tomorrow. Thank god I'm half way to giving him normal milk. I absolutely hate formula milk (although he seems to love it..)

Sorry, I totally hijacked this thread but I'm really glad I did! I had no idea.

It's not an anti reflux milk by any chance? Some reflux milks can't be made with hot water it renders them ineffective.

January

cyning wrote: »

It's not an anti reflux milk by any chance? Some reflux milks can't be made with hot water it renders them ineffective.

Ours had to be made with fridge cold water.

Macha

cyning wrote: »

It's not an anti reflux milk by any chance? Some reflux milks can't be made with hot water it renders them ineffective.

Yes, it is actually. Mystery solved and I can stop panicking. Thanks a lot.

cyning

Macha wrote: »

Yes, it is actually. Mystery solved and I can stop panicking. Thanks a lot.

I thought that. Most anti reflux milks can't be made with 70 degree water.

angeldelight

Woden wrote: »

Is one of these things sufficient to eliminate all this faffing about?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BG6304A/ref=s9_simh_gw_p75_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0E2DWXT5238VBWM4KB5C&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=577049067&pf_rd_i=desktop

This is our star buy to be honest. Baby is almost 10 months and it's been absolutely brilliant. We use the mam bottles so they go in the dishwasher then can be sterilised in the microwave directly without using a steriliser and the combination just made everything so easy.

mirrorwall14

angeldelight wrote: »

This is our star buy to be honest. Baby is almost 10 months and it's been absolutely brilliant. We use the mam bottles so they go in the dishwasher then can be sterilised in the microwave directly without using a steriliser and the combination just made everything so easy.

Agreed. We are just finished using it (baby is 1) and it has gone straight to my sister to be used again. Invaluable