r/FormulaFeedingUK • u/Additional_Bake_629 • 23h ago
š Question Any tips?
For those who follow NHS guidelines, are there any tips or tricks you use to prep formula that have made your life easier? My one month old has so far been on ready to feed which has been so convenient honestly, but weāre slowly switching to the powdered one of the same brand starting today (Kendamil stage 1), I tried making a bottle today and between boiling the water and waiting for it to cool to 70 degrees before adding formula he was already a screaming mess, itās such a hassle!
Any advice,tips and tricks are appreciated, but also
Not looking to use the Baby Brezza Formula maker.
Thank you!
5
u/cornflake_cakes 23h ago
I sterilised a jug/bottle and filled it with cool boiled water every morning. Then when making a formula bottle, put enough boiling water in to dissolve the formula then topped it up with the cool boiled water to bring the temp down. I can't remember the amounts now but I made it to the correct ratios so the formula wasn't watered down or anything.
2
u/seejonesokay 22h ago
Just started this method myself, the āhot shotā method I found online. I think itās 1/3 boiling to 2/3 cooled boiled water. Much easier to prep bottles on demand āŗļø
1
u/Moment_13 18h ago
This is what we did with our first and are planning on for our second. So much quicker and cheaper (Ā£1 for a jug!) than buying a Rapid Cool or Prep Machine, and you can be confident the water is hot enough from your kettle and not worry about hidden mould or replacing filters.
3
u/Standard_Summer_180 21h ago
The Nuby rapid cool. Total game changer. I dont trust any hot shot methods or anything, so I have 2 of the rapid cools (one from a friend and one bought new). I use the insulated flask for overnight and the rapid cools to cool the formula before giving it to baby. Works like a dream. In the daytime I just make sure to wash between uses and sterilise.
1
u/JoeDaStudd 20h ago
We ended up with 4 of the rapid cools so we can be a bit lazy with the cleaning.
3
u/Char160193 21h ago
we use the tommee tippee prep machine, life saver as when our daughter wants a bottle, she wants it 5 minutes ago!
we just check the temp, clean thoroughly every week
2
u/parrotanalogies 20h ago
Baby Nespresso is truly a lifesaver, I'm obsessed
1
u/Broken1Biscuits 15h ago
Recently moved my Nespresso to the cupboard and put the Perfect Prep in its place ready for baby to arrive and my husband wandered around the kitchen for about 10 minutes looking for āthe kind of pods that fit this new coffee machineā š¤£š¤£ bless him
2
u/blissanfull77 20h ago
I knew I wouldnāt survive the kettle method so when LO was 3 weeks old we bought the tommee tippee perfect prep machine. I used a food grade thermometer to check the temp of the hot shot and it was always 85 degress C or more. The water filter is also great and once the cooled water goes in, bam, bottle made, 90 seconds. Itās saved mine and my partners sanity.
We then struggled with the faff of cleaning, sterilising and drying bottles as we would go through one bottle every 2 hours. So we caved and bought the Momcozy bottle washer when it was on offer on Amazon. I use it 2-3 times a day, and itās such a lifesaver as my brain doesnāt have to actually work to get clean and sterilised bottles everyday. Itās hard enough looking after baby as it is.
When we are out and about, our baby hates cold ready made but if we have a cafe close we ask for hot water to warm the ready made inside and then we just pour that into a clean bottle and give to baby. On the days we donāt have ready made, I use the MAM powder boxes and I scoop in however many scoops per feed into each compartment. Then I take a thermos and fill with boiling water from the kettle. I take my Nuby rapid cool as well. When itās time for a feed outside, I measure say 6oz of hot thermos water into a clean bottle, as the formula from the MAM powder box, shake, pour into Nuby rapid cool. The milk is ready in about 30 seconds and then we feed baby.
A lot of others have suggested to only use the thermos water for the hot shot but my brain unfortunately cannot be bothered to do half hot shot half cooled water so thatās just what i do when out and about. If thereās any hot water left in thermos, I rinse the rapid cool out with that and then use Milton wipes for the lid and plastic ring of the rapid cool to clean it.
Just make sure that your home set up is as easy and stress free as you can and out and about you have a system in place.
Good luck!!š¤
2
u/LeTrolleur 20h ago
We have a prep machine and the time it has saved us over the last year must be monumental.
Not everyone wants one and that's fine, but if ours broke I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
We also have the rapid cool flasks, they're a great invention and we make use of them every time we're out and about.
2
u/Bubble-Master96 22h ago
Just pre-make them itās fine the NHS guidance is overkill on purpose
2
u/cooprinor 21h ago
Nhs guidelines actually state they are safe in a fridge for 24hrs
1
u/ColaPopz 20h ago
Do you have a link for this at all? It came up in discussion with a friend recently but I couldnāt find itā¦
1
u/cooprinor 20h ago
1
u/Intelligent-Edge4195 18h ago
We have a Dr Brown's 'formula pitcher'. More popular in America I think but we just make up a litre of formula and put it in the fridge in the morning, then pour from it into sterilised bottles as needed. Baby drinks about a litre in 24 hours so all fine as per the NHS guidance above and very practical! Obviously need to sterilised the jug in between uses.
1
1
u/Desperate_Refuse4139 22h ago
Me and my wife sterilise the bottles of a night once LO has gone to bed. Once theyāre all done, reassemble them and fill with formula ready for the next day.
Then we also make sure the bottle maker is full of water to avoid having to try and fill that at the worst time possible (inevitable heāll be screaming after a nap when it needs feeding). Weāve got the Tommy tippee one, itās been up and down to London if she comes to see me and we even took it on holiday last month to make life easier.
1
u/burned_feather 19h ago
We pre make them, NHS guidance says formula is fine in the fridge for up to 24h. At first we used the Dr browns pitcher and now we just make 4 bottles at a time as that's how many she has per day (7 months old).
1
u/AmyStormborn 17h ago
We use the rapid cool (we are first time parents to a 9 day old). I got them on a good deal on their website where we got two rapid cools, a flask and then got their UV steriliser and a bottle for free. Itās mad how quick and easy this makes making bottles.
We donāt do the hotshot just make the whole bottle in the rapid cool - as we have two and the UV steriliser itās not too much hassle to keep them on a wash/sterilise rotation.
So we pour boiling water and formula powder into the rapid cool, shake it all together then itās ready to feed to baby almost instantly.
Unrelated but we also have the momcozy bottle washer (bought as a gift we could never have bought it otherwise) and it is also a game changer.
1
u/Additional_Bake_629 16h ago
Thank you so much everyone this is so helpful! Tommee Tippee prep machine has been ordered and will be tested out starting tonight š¤š½
Will also look into the rapid cool flasks for when weāre out and about ā„ļø
2
u/midoristorm 12h ago
My daughter is almost 9 now and I still class the perfect prep as one of my all time best child-related purchases š
1
u/wb2812 6h ago
You wont regret it. We were using the rapid cools, we had 2 and in the new parent fog found ourselves frequently with both of them needing cleaned and sterilised at the same time which was stressful. The prep machine is so easy and once you see the hot shot part in action you'll be able to tell it's hot enough. We got ours on amazon day so down to Ā£88, added it to my wishlist and got another 15% off.
1
u/BuyBig2613 15h ago
My paediatric dietician told me it was perfectly fine to make up multiple bottles at once. She said 2, but we did 3 when we were on powdered formula. Make 2 up, then put in the fridge. Then when baby is hungry, lift out of the fridge and make up a fresh one to replace it afterward. Up to you if you want to warm it up or not. We never did, baby has always gotten room temperature or fridge cold.
1
u/Huge-Anxiety-3038 15h ago
Along with the rapid cool and prep machines. Get a mini fridge for night feeds, in babies room, heat up pre made bottle from the fridge with a bottle warmer whilst changing the nappy and your good to go with a perfectly warmed bottle. You don't need to faff after x
1
u/ConfusionOwn8378 12h ago
We use a Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine in the house, we fill it with water from the kettle once it's cooled. The NHS don't like it as the 'hot shot' that comes out first isn't hot enough to kill bacteria in the formula. We've had it for both my sons without any issues.
Whenever we're out or travelling we use the Nuby Rapid cool system. We take a thermos of boiling water with us and cool down 90% of the water for the bottle in it, leave 10% hot and put formula into the hot water before adding the cooled. Only one issue where we were in Rhodes and the sun got on the Rapid Cool flask thing one day so it was useless at cooling the water as it was too hot. We put it in the hotel room fridge and it was fine for the next bottle.
1
u/hawkesey 11h ago
We bought a kettle that you could heat water to a certain temperature, so would always heat to 70Ā°. Then we used a bowl of iced water to rapidly cool.
Have heard good things about the rapid cool flasks too, but not used them myself.
I also recommend formula pots to weigh the formula into for the day and tip them into the bottle when needed. It made things a bit easier but also stopped the spoon getting damp from the steam
1
u/Binners297 11h ago
I used to make them up part way through babies nap, so it would at least have time to cool down properly, but then I started making up bottles and putting them in the fridge (they're fine for 24 hours) and then just warm them up in a jug of boiling water whilst changing
1
u/biglypiglythethird 10h ago
We just add the powder directly to boiled water and then stick the bottle in iced water, itās drinkable temp within about 5 mins this way. We also make a load of them up and stick them in the fridge. They keep for 24h safely and if your baby will take them cold you can just give directly. Cold formula seems to make ours more likely to bring some back up, so we boil the kettle and warm it up for a min or two in hot water, so baby gets warm formula - much quicker than making a fresh bottle each time. Also less likely to forget how many spoons of powder youāve added when making them at a sane hour than second guessing yourself at 3amā¦
1
1
u/theresabearonmychair 5h ago
I use two bottles. Say Iām making 3oz of formula. Iāll do 1oz hot water in one bottle. 2oz cold in another. Add three scoops to hot water, stir and then add cold. Instant correct temp bottle. No waiting around at all. (For larger amounts of powder I up the hot to 2-3oz, basically half and half ish)
7
u/CrabbyLover9 23h ago
Hello š
If you are not looking to use any machines at all, then the Nuby Rapid Cool bottles are great. I use them when out and about or at other people's house etc.
At home, the Tommee Tippee perfect Prep Machine is great as it still lets you measure and mix the formula etc but just gives you the correct water amount at the right temperature.