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making up formula? Advice!

Fudge1980 profile image
35 Replies

so I’ve heard mixed things about waiting 30mins after boiling fresh kettle.

some say wait the 30mins because using straight away kills the nutrients but others say it’s no issue using it pretty much straight away?

what do you do?

Ps I couldn’t carry on breast feeding and formula was the option for us both 💗

Anyone got easier ways than waiting 30mins. I have the Nuby rapids but I only use them when out and about. Plus using the Nuby your pretty much using boiling water to firstly mix with the powder?!?!

ive tried the small amount of boiled water then top up with cooled boiled water out the fridge to make right temp bottle but is using the boiling water straight away ok?!?!?

TIA for any tips and advice

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Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980
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35 Replies
Jonesy84 profile image
Jonesy84

The Tommee Tipee prep machine is amazing!! We bought one when I moved over to formula and I can’t speak highly enough about it xx

When out and about I use boiling water from a flask eg if I want 6oz I poor in 2 oz of hot and then top up with cold xx

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toJonesy84

We bought one but it has so many bubbles and when I checked without adding powder it was way over 5oz for a 4oz bottle (without bubbles) I just felt uncomfortable using it but I’ve kept it to use in a couple of months. Although it would be so much easier 😩

Jonesy84 profile image
Jonesy84 in reply toFudge1980

Ah fair enough…for the bottles we made we started by shaking them and I know what you mean it gets a lot of air bubbles so we stirred it with a spoon and then once the cold water was in we would crush the air bubbles or spoon them out. A bit annoying but for us it was just so much easier. Hope you find a way that works better xx

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toJonesy84

Yeah I might use it later down the road 🤗

Millbanks profile image
Millbanks in reply toFudge1980

We use the prep machine too. Literally a life saver xx

Positivechangeplease profile image
Positivechangeplease in reply toFudge1980

We also use the perfect prep and it’s a game changer. I understand what you’re saying about the bubbles but I think it’s unfounded. Firstly if you drink something with natural bubbles in, it doesn’t give you wind - so that’s unlikely in the baby. Secondly, it’s just froth, it’s making it to the right amount so don’t worry about that. We’ve used it from day one and never boiled the kettle. We take one bottle out and use that and if we run out we use pre made formula in our sterilised bottles and we also have the small aptamil bottles with the teats for emergencies.

NicoJono profile image
NicoJono

Hi,Using fresh boiled water is exactly how formulas meant to be used to kill any bacteria.

I use Nuby rapid cool every day for every feed instead of TT prep machine.

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toNicoJono

I mean not waiting 30mins and using straight after boiled. I know lots who do this but am not sure it’s recommended x

NicoJono profile image
NicoJono in reply toFudge1980

I understand what you mean. NHS website states leave it no longer than 30 mins so it’s no cooler than 70 degrees. And to boil a minimum of 1 litre. To ensure that volume stays that hot for that long. I think the “wait” is purely due to the expansion in the bottles if you try and make one up straight once boiled and then is a scalding hazard.

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toNicoJono

Ah ok as long as it doesn’t harm her that’s all I care about 💗

Purpledoggy profile image
Purpledoggy

I have given formula a couple of times and found waiting 30 mins cools it to below 70C, which is the min temp it should be to kill bugs. It depends on how much you boil as to how fast it cools so IMHO the 30 min rule is pretty nonsensical without specifying a volume. With our kettle, boiling about 400mL, we wait 10 mins then make it up. There isn’t much that would be labile at 100C that isn’t labile at 70C so I can’t see it would make a big difference nutritionally using it immediately (not looked into this though) but it does make the bottle take longer to cool! Xx

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toPurpledoggy

Thanks lovely! Need to look into it more I think. Makes sense boiling less though when needed xx

Randomuser2 profile image
Randomuser2

I have always used water straight away from the kettle, like others have said I think it’s mainly to do with safety and scalding yourself, which I am not going to lie, has happened a to me a few times. My little one is nearly 2 and the big one is 8 and that’s how I done bottles. I did have a tippee machine which was good but never made the bottles quite hot enough, my baby liked her bottles a bit warmer.

Bella_Bee profile image
Bella_Bee

Get the tommee tippee formula making machine. LIFE SAVER!!!!!

Chiefy profile image
Chiefy

Get a perfect prep machine. It is a game changer. I don't know how anyone manages without one! We have the nubys for out and about too and they are great, but a bit more of a faff because of the washing and sterilising each time. Honestly, get a perfect prep and you'll wonder how anyone makes a bottle any other way!

Chiefy profile image
Chiefy in reply toChiefy

Just seen you already have one. You can change the machine to ml from oz so you might find the quantities better matched? Also re the bubbles, we tried to anticipate when baby would want a bottle and made them up ready so it gave time for bubbles to settle.

We've been using ours since he was 3 days old and he's 11 months next week and I couldn't be without it.

Bigblueskies profile image
Bigblueskies

Hi I always understood that you can wait “up to” 30mins rather than a minimum of 30mins. I make formula with hot but not boiling water. Usually we wait 5 mins after it boils and then just make it and stick it in the freezer for 15min to rapid-cool. Our baby had bad reflux and other medical issues so he is still seen by a dietitian and his growth and health are monitored. He is totally fine and not deprived of any nutrients just because we don’t wait 30mins, in case it reassures you.

There is a lot of good advice on the NHS website for formula prep.

Good luck with bottle feeding! It’s a lot more hassle than breastfeeding but quite liberating in other ways, it’s good that you’re being kind to yourself. Don’t let anyone guilt-trip you (including yourself). ☺️

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toBigblueskies

That’s makes so much sense! Thankyou 💗The guilt has passed and baby is very happy and gaining weight beautifully xx

Bigblueskies profile image
Bigblueskies in reply toFudge1980

I do not recommend this website but I personally find it extremely useful when I need to take some calculated shortcuts with formula prep.

feeduk.org/making-a-bottle

It has enabled us to travel and keep our very hungry baby happy without being stuck at home all the time. It also saved us having to buy lots of formula prep gadgets.

July2020baby profile image
July2020baby

I used a small amount of boiling water to dissolve the powder and topped up with cooled boiled water. Midwives advised I do this so never had an issue. Midwives also said mix straight from cooled boiled water when out and about of middle of the night when in a hurry for a bottle. I used the ready mixed cow and gate whilst out for ease (didn’t need a lot due to COVID restrictions).

My baby was prem and didn’t take to breastfeeding despite spending a week trying. It got us out of hospital quicker and she is fine, no problems and at two she has caught up growth wise with her peers.

I felt awful for not breastfeeding but it worked out best for us. She had expressed milk for a week but didn’t carry on this as I felt at the time it would be too much.

Good luck whatever you do, I am sure your little one will thrive. At least you know what little one is actually drinking with a bottle.

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toJuly2020baby

Thankyou 💗 yes I’ve done the method of boiling water to mix with powder then cooled boiled water from the fridge that works quite well xx

Dreamama profile image
Dreamama

Those recommendations are so confusing, aren’t they? Specially being FTP we just want to make sure we do everything right.From my experience, for my daughter (she is 2 years now), she was just formula fed and we used to boil the water and use straightaway and then we changed to the Perfect Prep. With both ways my daughter never had a bad reaction and grew healthy.

I now have a son and I mix feed so have to make a top up bottle of 2oz which is too little for the machine, so I put 1oz of boiling water and 1oz of cooled boiled water. He is also perfectly fine with that.

It’s funny how second child we telex so much more but I completely understand the worries of getting everything absolutely right.

You are doing great! Xx

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toDreamama

What a lovely response thank you! There is so much conflicting information 🥴. With my son (24yrs ago) we made bottles up straight away,cooled and put in the fridge. Think I will continue to premake some bottles especially for night time.

I may give the prep machine another go once her gas gets better.

Have a good day 💗

Cheekymonkey85 profile image
Cheekymonkey85 in reply toFudge1980

Advice can vary depending on who you speak to regarding this. A midwife told my sister 10 years ago that it’s fine to premake, just store them at the back of the fridge where it’s the coldest x

Dreamama profile image
Dreamama in reply toFudge1980

I also recently find on the NHS website that you can premake bottles which I never did with my daughter but am doing now for my son on night feeds. They say is preferable to do fresh but advise that you can store it in the fridge for you to 24hrs. I make them with boiling water, cool them down in a bowl of cold water and put them on the fridge. Again, he’s been fine and if it gives me an extra 15min sleep I think is worth it 😉 Have a great day too xx

New tip for using the perfect prep that will ease your concerns two fold! We just added infacol to her feed, it dissipated all the bubbles and shows that the measure of feed is completely correct. Perfect prep gets the feed right, it’s just the bubbles that push it up. Hoping the infacol helps the wind too!

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toPositivechangeplease

Oh that’s good to know! We use infacol or dentinox 👌🏽 Just started using the prep machine yesterday in the daytime. Seems ok upto now!

Positivechangeplease profile image
Positivechangeplease in reply toFudge1980

We just thought it might be easier to remember if she didn’t mind it in the bottle. (She didn’t mind it) and I was amazed that the bubbles just disappeared completely!

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toPositivechangeplease

Didn’t know you could put infacol in the bottle. We’ve been putting dentinox in her bottle and giving infacol via mouth when she doesn’t have dentinox xx

Positivechangeplease profile image
Positivechangeplease in reply toFudge1980

Well apparently lots of parents do so we decided to try it,

XOXO13 profile image
XOXO13

All of the advice above is great… and I thought I’d add that I also use the Perfect Prep machine and I can’t live without it! I’ve just been away for a couple of nights and felt lost without it. I boil the kettle and fill a sterilised thermal flask with water to take out with me. I then have sterilised water (cow&gate do small bottles, or you can just cool your water down) and use the hot water as the “hot shot” and the cooled water as the top up. I also have instant made bottles (Kendamil) for emergency back up.

So far, my two have been fine on how I prep the bottles. The only time I leave the kettle to cool down is when I want the cool shot of water xx

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toXOXO13

Thanks lovely 💗 hope your doing ok xx

Lizzieb87 profile image
Lizzieb87

I rang aptamil 😂 they said don’t use the water straight from the kettle when it’s boiling as it kills off some of the nutrients… I also tried the nuby and that seemed good as waiting for 30 mins for the kettle is just ridiculous - but then I got all stressed that it was cooling the water too quickly… so I’m now using the pre prepared formula and spending a fortune 😂😂 (baby was prem so didn’t want to take the risk! I’m mental…. Be less like me 😂)

Lizzieb87 profile image
Lizzieb87

Also the issue with the perfect prep machine is that it uses a shot of cold water to get the boiled water to the right temp… which the NHS says is bad… so I didn’t want to use that either 🙄 Morale of the story is just so whatever you want and do no research into why you should/shouldn’t do that… as then you can be blissfully unaware & let’s face it your child will prob be absolutely fine whatever you do 😂

Fudge1980 profile image
Fudge1980 in reply toLizzieb87

Just tried the prep machine again and it’s given her really bad trapped wind! So that’s a no go for us. So it’s back to pre making bottles and letting the kettle cool for 15-20mins and the Nuby at night & when we are out. It’s lots of trial and error 🥴. I miss breast feeding 😭 don’t miss the agony though xx

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