Formula Preparation Question

[SW20 MR2]

Normally, I prepare formula for my newborn 12 hours in advance (make 2 batches every day). When we need to feed him, we take it out of the fridge and warm it up via putting the bottle in hot water. It generally takes a bit of time, and when you have a wailing baby, it seems like an eternity.

I've read some posts on this forum about people using concentrate, and when you mix refridgerated concentrate with hot water, it comes out at the perfect temperature. I'm just too cheap to buy concentrate!

Is it possible to make my own "concentrate". For example, typically one scoop of powder mixes with 60ml of water. Can I mix one scoop of powder into 30ml of water, put it in the fridge, and when I need the formula, put another 30ml of hot water into the "concentrate"?

[Emajj]

I was really put out with waiting on the powder formula too, especially in the middle of the night. What I would do was put the required scoops of formula into the bottles and have one thermos of boiled water and one thermos of cool water and just do an instant mix. I'd use a spoon to mix in the hot water with the powder first and then add the cool water. Of course, you have to find the right mix of hot water to cool....but once you do, it'll work every time and save you a lot of time! Hope this helps, good luck!

[Menace]

Not necessary. You still need to check the temperature and make sure it isn't too hot for the baby.

We only use concentrated for our daughter and we may be cheap on other stuff (such as $$ stroller :cheesygri:D), but not on her formula ;)


I've read some posts on this forum about people using concentrate, and when you mix refridgerated concentrate with hot water, it comes out at the perfect temperature. I'm just too cheap to buy concentrate!

[B0000rt]

Our guy takes 4oz of formula (2 scoops of powder at a time)

So what we do is throw two scoops into each compartment of this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IDQ2TQ/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Then we have a couple of 'mixing' (Gerber Nuk (http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Orthodontic-10-2doz-2e-Bottles-3-2dpk-2e/dp/B000KWDYRE) these come with a cap lid for mixing or transporting) bottles where we pour preboiled water thats cooled down to room temperature, 4oz (120mL for you canucks) of water into those, then dump one of the premeasured compartments into the Nuk bottle, and shake shake shake.. About 30secs to a min later all the lumps are gone, and from there it's poured into the Dr Brown bottles for him....

The bubbles in the formula are pretty minimal as Nestle Good Start doesn't seem to foam that much..

All he feeds on now is room temperature water, which is perfectly fine. We used to fill up about 3 bottles of water at night and leave it in his room for overnight feedings, but lately he's been sleeping through the night so we only ever need 1 or even none of them. We practice the same method when going out, but pack the smaller 5oz Nuk bottles instead of the 10oz (it's harder to mix with but takes up much less room)

[angels2009]

I would double check the labels, I use the powder and once prepared it says to use within an hour, so read the labels carefully.

[Menace]

It's same as our girl. She is fed with a 6oz before midnight and she usually sleeps through. We don't know how old is OP's baby. You definitely do not want to mixing/preparing formula in the middle of the night.

but lately he's been sleeping through the night so we only ever need 1 or even none of them.

[zeddy]

Talk to your doctor or health nurse. Lots of them will tell you it is okay to use straight tap water if you are on a municipal system. We used lukewarm tap water, added the powder and shook it up.

If using concentrate or making ahead and you want to boil the water - boil the water and let it cool. Mix with concentrate/powder and store in either a glass pitcher or the individual bottles. I always used the microwave for heating. Just take the time to find out how long it takes to make the formula warm and not too hot - 15-20sec at a time until you know. Once you take it out shake it well and then check the temp. You can store the formula in the fridge according to directions on the package. I thought it was 24 hours not 12 like someone mentioned. It shouldn't be left at room temp for more than an hour.

[SW20 MR2]

Our baby is 4 weeks old, so he has at least 2 feedings every night - hopefully down to 1 starting in a few weeks. I guess the next best option right now is to cool down a pitcher of water and mix it with hot water when we actually need the formula. We've got a hot water pitcher, so it's not an issue to do that.

[S U]

I have twins and that's what I used to do.

They never really went beyond wanting 6 oz at a time. So, I would fill their bottles with 4 oz of water and I'd have hot water in a thermos. I would also have the formula pre-measure in one of these:
http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=2686197&kw=&origkw=&parentPage=search&f=Taxonomy/TRUSCA/2567316
(although I've seen different kinds and cheaper at WalMart)
When it was time for a bottle, I'd add 2 oz of hot water to the bottle and then shake in the powder.
I would then shake the bottle and give it to them. It was always at the perfect temperature for them like this.

[Phat_Farm]

Have you tried buying distill water (or pre-boiled water and let it cool to room temperature) and warming it up in a bottle warmer?

When my daughter was born and my milk had not come in yet, I used concentrate for her. I would premix the concentrate, leave it in the fridge, and whenever she needed to be fed, pour the desired amount into a bottle, warm in the bottle warmer, checked the temp and fed it. This would all be done in about 3-4 minutes (depending on how fast you can move during the night, how far your room is from the fridge, and the bottle warmer instruction).

[SW20 MR2]

Currently, I'm already pre-mixing the formula and refridgerating it. It's good for 24 hours, so I'll typically make two batches each day. We don't use a bottle warmer, but we have hot water ready to go at all times, so it takes a few minutes to warm things up. I'm just looking for a 30 second solution instead of a 3-5 minute solution. :)

Have you tried buying distill water (or pre-boiled water and let it cool to room temperature) and warming it up in a bottle warmer?

When my daughter was born and my milk had not come in yet, I used concentrate for her. I would premix the concentrate, leave it in the fridge, and whenever she needed to be fed, pour the desired amount into a bottle, warm in the bottle warmer, checked the temp and fed it. This would all be done in about 3-4 minutes (depending on how fast you can move during the night, how far your room is from the fridge, and the bottle warmer instruction).

[Whiplash7828]

I would double check the labels, I use the powder and once prepared it says to use within an hour, so read the labels carefully.
really?

When our son was a baby (he's 3 now) we always prepared a batch and kept it for no more than 24h. Never had a problem. 1 hour just doesn't seem right. :confused:

[SW20 MR2]

If you leave it at room temperature, it's only good for an hour. If your baby has already drank from the bottle, it's only good for an hour. If you refridgerate immediately after making it, it's good for 24 hours.

really?

When our son was a baby (he's 3 now) we always prepared a batch and kept it for no more than 24h. Never had a problem. 1 hour just doesn't seem right. :confused:

[jeepers10]

Our guy takes 4oz of formula (2 scoops of powder at a time)

So what we do is throw two scoops into each compartment of this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IDQ2TQ/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Then we have a couple of 'mixing' (Gerber Nuk (http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Orthodontic-10-2doz-2e-Bottles-3-2dpk-2e/dp/B000KWDYRE) these come with a cap lid for mixing or transporting) bottles where we pour preboiled water thats cooled down to room temperature, 4oz (120mL for you canucks) of water into those, then dump one of the premeasured compartments into the Nuk bottle, and shake shake shake.. About 30secs to a min later all the lumps are gone, and from there it's poured into the Dr Brown bottles for him....

The bubbles in the formula are pretty minimal as Nestle Good Start doesn't seem to foam that much..

All he feeds on now is room temperature water, which is perfectly fine. We used to fill up about 3 bottles of water at night and leave it in his room for overnight feedings, but lately he's been sleeping through the night so we only ever need 1 or even none of them. We practice the same method when going out, but pack the smaller 5oz Nuk bottles instead of the 10oz (it's harder to mix with but takes up much less room)

i basically did the same thing and our daughter drank room temperature formula no problem. to reiterate, boil water and let it cool. then pour your desired amounts into bottles (i use to have various amounts, ie, 2-4oz bottles and 1 - 6oz). then i used the avent formula dispenser (or any other brand will do. munchkin makes one too) and would have the compartments filled with 2 scoops (for the 4 oz and 3 scoops for the 6oz). when the baby woke and was hungry i'd grab a bottle, unscrew the cap and pour the formula in. shake, squeeze the nipple to let any trapped air out from the shaking and serve. she was use to room temperature formula so didn't care that it wasn't warm. it was a peice of cake and i never had to worry about warming it in the middle of the night.

oh, and sometimes i would just have another bottle filled with the preboiled and cooled water and if she finished the 4oz but still seemed hungry, then i'd add another oz of water and pour another scoop from my pre-measured container. that formula dispensing container was a lifesaver and totally worth the money.

Good luck

[Whiplash7828]

If you leave it at room temperature, it's only good for an hour. If your baby has already drank from the bottle, it's only good for an hour. If you refridgerate immediately after making it, it's good for 24 hours.

thanks. we kept ours in the fridge of course :)

[SW20 MR2]

Since I created the thread, we've started to feed him room temperature formula in the middle of the night. Before bed every night, I give my wife two bottles with boiled water (just enough for 120ml each), two containers with pre-measured formula powder (2 scoops each), and a cooler with ice. When she needs it, she just mixes it, pours out what she needs, and feeds him. Once the baby is full, she'll put any unused (not the stuff that's in the bottle that the baby drank from) into the cooler so that we can use it later.

Doing this has saved me from going downstairs in middle of the night. I'm sleeping much better as a result of this. Thanks for the suggestions. :)