Storing babys milk

[Psychick]

7 years ago when I had my first daughter, it was perfectly fine for you to make up feeds in advance and store them in the fridge til needed so long as they were used within 24 hours. As I have never heard/read anything to the contrary, I have been doing the same with my 2nd daughter.

However, I was reading various baby forums yesterday, looking for peoples experiences of dream feeds. Doing this, I came across feeding advice that states it is no longer considered safe to make feeds in advance and store them. The reason being is that the milk isnt steralised.

Is anyone else aware of this? Ive not seen it mentioned in previous threads where feeding and steralising have been mentioned. Also, I have to do my babys feeds in advance as she has colief drops in her bottles. The instructions are to put the drops in the milk and store in fridge for four hours! Luckily she is currently being weaned off the colief drops so another week or so and I will be able to do her feeds as she needs them. Another thing though, I also make sure I have more than one feed stored as sometimes she will drink more than what is in her bottle, but doesnt do it often enough for me to make her bottles bigger. ie she has 5oz bottles now but sometimes has an extra ounce or two.

So I really have no choice but to store it until she is off the coleif drops. Do I?

[natalie_1982]

Psy, I was always lead to believe that it is ok to use feed up within 24 hours as long as it is stored in the fridge - the leaflet that came with the steriliser I use suggests this, I have looked on the formula tin for advice but there is nothing on there. However, a midwife told us on my first visit after leaving hospital that we should be making each feed as and when we need it as opposed to two or three at a time (which is what I do).

Do you think Emilia is really going to understand when she wakes hungry at at 5am that she will have to wait for the kettle to boil, then cool, then for me to make the feed, then cool the bottle so that it is an ok temperature for her to drink? If you intend to go out for the day they suggest that you take a flask of hot water and make the feeds up as you go as opposed to making as many as you need and taking them with you. I bought Colief drops but didn't have to use them in the end and the very same thought crossed my mind. By the time you have another baby (haha) they will have changed the rules again! Emilia, like Holly, is doing brilliantly so I wouldn't worry about it atall xx

[Psychick]

Exactly! Its bad enough keeping them waiting to have the milk warmed at 5am! lol

I was never offered any advice by the midwife but that may be because I was breastfeeding so maybe she didnt feel it was necessary to tell me about it.

Whenever my mum suggests something and I say that "they" tell you not to do that now, she always says "well it never hurt any of you lot" lol

Im just relieved Im not the only one who has been doing this, and like you say, our babies are doing brilliantly :)

[ethanryan]

i always made the bottles up in the moring for the whole day, never done my boys any harm.
the best advice you can listen to is your mothers, after all they normally know best

[Psychick]

Actually thats one thing I havent spoken to my mum about, I know what she would say anyway lol

I agree about listening to her although I do understand why some things change and why they change, for example, she said to give my baby sugar water recently when she had a bit of trapped wind. Thats something I personally wouldnt use and luckily baby did a nice big burp and was all happy again lol

I will continue to make them in advance, I normally only do 2-3 feeds in advance anyway.

[coweyes30]

My baby is a year old now and i was told by my midwife that you should add the powder as needed, the water is fine left in the fridge but not made up.
I tried this although i was my 3rd child i'd thought give it a go.
It was a nightmare as she was 9lbs and a very hungry baby, not only took longer to make feed up, the powder didn't mix with the cold water giving her colic so i quickly went back to making up feeds for the day sometimes 12 and she was much better.
The guidelines they use are changing all the time and they advise you on what someone who probably has never had baby has written!
My theory is what works best for you and and makes baby happy is good.

[redcrx]

you cant make a bottle up with cold water as the powdered milk is not sterile.

I used to put cold boiled water in bottle to halfway (ish) then top up with boiling wtare when needed and add powder but been told not to now.

The current guide i was given was
make with boiling water (or just off boil)
cool rapidly if wanting to store in fridge.
Keep in main part of fridge (not on door)
use oldest bottle first and do not keep for more than 12 hours.

I then microwave it when needed in night, ensuring that its not too hot and is thoroughl;y mixed to avoid scalding.

[Psychick]

It seems that even with the current guidelines, there are variations. On the formula milk box it says to use boiled water that has been left to cool for half an hour. Im terrible for timing it though lol

I will be glad when shes off the colief drops but having said that, I will probably still make them up in advance!

I have more important things to be concerned with now like her having a cold :(

Is it wrong that I found it cute shes had her very first runny nose? lol

[redcrx]

what a bad bad mummy you are lol. I hope she feels better soon though

(baby sneezes are so cute arent they, but finding baby snot on your shoulder isnt so fuuny ive found)

Amelia has not slept for more than 2 mins a time all day and is so out of sorts so i know how you feel.

TBH re baby milk I have made them as i said i was told, and then added coleif drops when weve had a bout of bad eves. I never had any problems before with making them half hot and half cold when needed so will probably go back to that when shes a bit older.

its amazing how much the guidance from midwiives and HVs changes over such a short space of time.

Did you try the dream feed? Ive got a feeling that Amelia is waking up at 4.40 because the birds start at that time and the sunrise. Im going to get blackout blinds for that room soon and see if that gets her to go through.

[Psychick]

I have done the dream feeds for the past two nights but as yet, it hasnt made any difference. But I think thats due to her coming down with this cold as shes been really snuffling during the nights and I think her throat is getting dried out and sore while she sleeps.Tonight Im going to take a bottle of cooled boiled water up with us so I can keep offering her a little drink to keep her throat moist.

We have tried to getting some carvel capsules today but had no luck with only a couple of shops being open on a Sunday so it could be a long and stressful night! Shes sleeping at the moment but has only been managing catnaps today and I feel the night will be the same.

Shes due her 3rd jabs on Tuesday, will they still do it if she has a cold?

Is Amelia poorly too? Or just being awkward lol

[redcrx]

we used snufflebabe for amelia when she had her cold at birth, also try raising the head end of her cot as that may help her too.

Amelia has the sniffles, this she has hayfever or the like but it doesnt usually get her down., Her belly button is almost clear now. Its dried up and the growth has turned black so im taking her to GP tuesday for him to confirm that she is getting better. The antibiotics are a sod to get into her so shes not had as much as she should im sure.

Matthew is coming down with a cold though (isnt it great when they start preschool, all the little 'gifts' they come home with) so no doubt we'll all get that lol

but thats kids for you :)

[coweyes30]

Hi
Didn't make myself clear i didn't mean cold water but cool boiled water then that left in the fridge without the powder,Then the powder added as bottles needed.
Hope that sounds better should have read it back before posting.

[redcrx]

sorry coweyes, i know what you meant but cold water wont kill the bugs that may be present in the milk powder. its the powder thats not sterile. Thats why my method of half cool boiled water and half boiling water is not advised.

you need the water to be over 70 degrees, not left for more than 30 mins after boiling.

there have been too many differing bits of info given over the years that now we all get confused

[lnknprkbabe]

i did the same make the milk and store in fridge, when i found about this though i changed a little i used to put the water in the fridge in the bottle, heat the water up then add the milk powder. tada easy to warm up and still doing to the new ways of doing it,

[elaine33]

I used to make up the feeds with the boiled water but only use half the water to powder, and put in the fridge. then when the baby was due to be fed top the bottle up with freshly boiled water, this made the bottle the right temperature. My babies did fine on this. Babies get colic and tummy upset if milk is kept at room temp as it goes sour. If you are going out for the day keep the bottles cold with ice packs and take a flask of hot water to top up the bottle when ready to feed. It saves the use of ridiculousl bottle warmers. throw away any unused milk, do not give to baby later as it will be sour and make baby sick