# Bottle preparation



## 1981LM (Dec 28, 2010)

Hi,
My daughter is 12 weeks and is breastfeed but we have started topping up her feeds with some formula for various reasons and the guidance to make up every bottle fresh isn't very realistic. I have heard of 3 ways of preparing in advance and I wondered what the safest of these was? And also, how serious is the risk of infection? 
I've heard you can: add boiled water to sterilised bottle, refrigerate then heat water and add formula at feed. 
Or prepare bottle with boiled water and formula together and store in fridge for up to 24 hours
Or add part of the boiled water then cool and at feed time make up to full volume with a little more fresh boiled water and add powder. 
I know you probably have to recommend freshly preparing all bottles but it's just not realistic and I wondered which of the methods above is least risky. Thanks xx


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## nichub (Sep 2, 2010)

A couple of your ways that people have told you are incorrect so here is the easiest way I think and the safest, when all of your bottles have been sterilised, pour the amount of water in each of them eg, 5 oz then leave them on the side whilst they cool, then put them in the fridge, when you need to make a feed up, take the bottle, add the scoops of powder (5 if your making up 5oz) and shake, you can then warm the feed in a bowl of warm water if you wish, hope this helps

Nic
Xx


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## nichub (Sep 2, 2010)

Hi, I have just received a message from one of the moderators on here and I'm really sorry but I seem to have given you the wrong advice as things change so quickly so here is her message

Hi Nic,
Just read your post on the bottle prep and I don't want to step on any toes, but your way is no longer recommended by the NHS - it used to be but not now. There is a really difficulty in getting the message out there as many people use the old method.

New way is that the powder has to be added to water of >70 degrees to kill dangerous bacteria found in formula powder.

You are advised to make and cool each feed at the time of feeding but that is not practical - even taking hot water out with you in a flask - but in my experience this leads to a screaming baby while it cools.

If you need to transport a feed, they recommend making it up hot and then rapidly cooling in the back of a fridge for at least one hour. It can then be transported at room temp for 2 hours, in an ice pack bag for 4 hours or kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours. This bit of information is at the bottom of the FAQ and hard to find.

What I used to do is make the feed up hot shaking for a minute and rapidly cool standing in a bowl of water in the back of the fridge to which I had added an ice pack. I then would warm that in the microwave before feeding (I know you are supposed to use a hot water bowl to warm, but I always was careful not to over heat and stand/shake it well and test. I would then make up the next feed and cool so it was never kept for more than 4-6 hours at a time.

Hope you don't take what I am saying as criticism - it is just that the birth to 5 book changed 3 years ago and my HV says people have not seen and still using old methods.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/making-up-infant-formula.aspx#close

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/infant-formula-questions.aspx

Lots of love, hope you are OK,
Hazel x


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## 1981LM (Dec 28, 2010)

Ladies - thank you both for your reply! I have been very stressed about what's safest for my princess!! I think the advice posted by you hazel seems to be the most up to date as I had read that the hot water is required to kill any bacteria in the powder. I will go with your advice, it's pretty much the conclusion I had come to anyway. 
One more question if that's ok: 

If I am preparing a bottle at a time, do I need to steralise the bottle right before use? This would mean having the steriliser on right before each feed or is it ok to steralise all bottles and put cap and teat on until used? Maybe do say 3 at a time? Then store empty sterilised bottle in fridge? Thanks again. Major gap in the market for clean, risk free, easy to use formula!!! Xx


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## Mistletoe (Holly) (Jan 1, 2007)

You can keep sterilised bottles for 24 hours. Just make sure that you sterilise the little tweezer things that you have with it all, wash your hands before assembly and use the inside of the sterile lid to put everything on. Use a non touch technique to pull the teats through and only turn the bottle right way up just as you screw the lid on so no bacteria can drop into it. Make sure you sterilise the lids and put these on straight away. If you use a cold water sterilising method keep the bottles submerged up until you need them and change the solution every 24 hours.
If you do not use the bottles within 24 hours then you have to resterilise them for a young baby.


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## nichub (Sep 2, 2010)

Thanks hazel x


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## 1981LM (Dec 28, 2010)

Thank you both x


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