Sterilising
Before we get to the formula I just want to cover some sterilising first.
- Wash our hands and all surfaces that the bottles will come in contact with.
- You must with ALL the bottles wash them with soap and hot water. If they come apart clean every part.
- Then place them into either a microwavable steriliser or a cold water steriliser.
- Next follow the manufactures instructions for the microwave settings or on the sterling tablets which you'll find on the packaging.
- Piece the bottle back together, and your ready to go!
Bottle maker machine can only be used only at home.
I found this Video that better explains how to use the perfect prep.
Great at home, easy to use and ready with in minutes.
Making up one bottle at a time
Guidelines from midwifes and health visitors, I found this on the NHS website and summarised it for you:
Peparing a formula feed
- Fill the kettle with at least 1 litre of fresh tap water (don’t use water that has been boiled before).
- Boil the water. Then leave the water to cool for no more than 30 minutes, so that it remains at a temperature of at least 70C.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and pour the amount of water you need into the bottle. Double check that the water level is correct. Always put the water in the bottle first, while it is still hot, before adding the powdered infant formula.
- Loosely fill the scoop with formula, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and level it off. Make sure you only use the scoop that is enclosed with the powdered infant formula you are using.
- Cover the teat with the cap and shake the bottle until the powder is dissolved.
- It's important to cool the formula so it's not too hot to drink. Do this by holding the bottom half of the bottle under cold running water. Make sure the water does not touch the cap covering the teat.
- Test the temperature of the formula on the inside of your wrist before giving it to your baby. It should be body temperature, which means it should feel warm or cool, but not hot.
- If there is any made-up formula left after a feed, throw it away.
Pretty much impossible unless you have a miracle baby who doesn't cry when it's hungry and you don't go out for a year. However a good set of instructions for first time parents if like didn't have a clue about...anything. Find the full guide here:
Ready made bottles
- Sayes it on the label really, just pour the contents into a sterilised bottle.
So super easy. Great if your out for the day. But only serves 7oz, so not ideal if your big babys drink 9oz, but perfect in those early days.
Cooled water
Generally used when your out.
- The process is pretty straight forward, you fill your bottle with the desired amount of water.
- Scoop out your formula into a separate container. Avent sell a container which has three compartments to put the powder in.
- When your baby needs feeding you simply poor the formula powder into the bottle and shake.
There was some research however that has suggested it could be dangerous to make bottles this way. The main concern is a bacteria called enterbacter sakazakii, an outbreak in France in 2004, found nine babies fell ill (most of them premature babies), and two died. Powdered baby formula was thought to be the cause.
Easy to do, but be aware of the risks. Check out this awesome blogger Lind Geddes http://www.lindageddes.com/133/pouring-cold-water-on-baby-formula for more information on the subject.
Making up a Batch
Used for home and away.
.
- Make a batch of the number of bottles you need within 24hours. I used to make 8 bottles and always an ounce more than he'd need, in case he wanted more.
- Once they have cooled down, refrigerate them. Put them as far to the back as you can to keep them super cool.
- Ensure exactly 24 hours later you discard ANY bottles that are left.
- Simply heat them up as and when you need them. Don't reheat.
- You can also transport formula in a cool bag, but it should be used within 2 hours.
- Also be aware when you ask kitchens in restaurants to heat up your milk. The microwaves are much stronger. So I ask for 10 seconds first and then ask them for more if needed.
In my opinion the safest and easiest. It's the method I used with both the boys and saved my sanity.
