Tips for organising bottle feeds
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Topic: Tips for organising bottle feeds
Posted By: FionaO
Subject: Tips for organising bottle feeds
Date Posted: 28 November 2008 at 3:04pm
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Ok, so I am now doing all feeds via the bottle. Anyone got any tips on how they organise their day, at the mo he seems to want a feed and I have to hear him scream until the bottle is warm. Plus when you have started a feed with a bottle how long can you use the same bottle for, ie i started feeding at 10.30, he wanted some but not all how long can i give it before i have to throw that lot out??? ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 28 November 2008 at 3:37pm
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My DS was bottle feed from birth and from my experience and research everyone has a different way of doing things so its really about finding a way that works for you and that you are comfortable with.
You should only keep a used bottle of formula for an hour so if he starts a feed at 10.30, you should tip the milk out at 11.30 although after about 15 mins I would be putting it back in the fridge. I use to boil the jug in the morning, leave to cool and then fill my 6 sterilised bottles with the amount of water needed and then put in the fridge. I found this heaps easier. I would then get the bottle out of fridge and heat in microwave (I had a really good play with our microwave to work out the exact time it needed), add formula, shake really well and feed. That was the quickest way for me and meant it was only 1-2 mins of screaming rather than 5 or so waiting for the bottle to heat in water. I know lots of people say not to heat in the microwave but I was comfortable doing it as I had a really good play first and always shook well to avoid heat spots and tested on my wrist. When we went out I would heat the water in the bottle and put in a insulated bag and then take the formula in a travel dispenser and mix and shake when needed as the water was always at the right temp. Biggest tip though is to get your child to drink formula at any temp. Make life 10x easier as they get older! As I said at the top, everyone has their own way of what works and what they are comfortable with so just go with what works for you  -------------  
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 28 November 2008 at 7:34pm
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Hey,
Caden has been bottle fed since 4 weeks old. Took me a while to figure it all out aswell. But basicly this is what i do/did. I never give Caden a bottle thats been sitting longer than 10 mins after I have fed him, so if he doesnt want anymore of his bottle and hasnt finished the whole thing I will tip it out and make a fresh one when he wants more. I also heat his bottles in the microwave, but just the water, then i tip the powder in and shake it up and test it on my wrist. As for the screaming thing lol, thats just one of the sucky things about bottle feeding! Caden isnt so bad now but it is hard when they are like FOOOODD NOWWW MUMMM and you are trying your hardest to heat the bottle lol. What I found helped was that I have a jug of cooled boiled water on the bench and tip that water into the bottle nuke it for like 1 min(depending on the strength of your microwave) then pop the powder in shake it up, test it on my wrist and feed him. When going out, i sometimes take a flask of hot water with me incase I go somewhere where I cant heat the water, and have a little avents powder holder(has three compartments for the powder). i also streilised his bottles up until he was 4 months old. I agree with peanut though, you just do what workes best for you. ------------- |
Posted By: jaycee
Date Posted: 28 November 2008 at 8:42pm
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As Peanut said one of the best things you can do is get your baby used to having bottles at any temp. Finley is totally OK to have cool bottles - a friend of mine told me that in hospital they often give it cold!!
I have the powder measured out into my avent pot first thing in the morning (Sophie is only on 3 bottles a day so I can fit a whole day in now) This means that the powder is there when you need it and you don't have to faff around measuring it out. It also means that if you are heading out in a hurry the powder is already done. I also ALWAY refill and re-boil the jug as soon as I have used any water. Not the most enery wise thing but it is really bad to be stuck with no boiled water when you really need it. I also have an Avent expressing storage cup (Via??) on the bench with cooled boiled water. VERY handy. The insulated bags are good too. I also keep a sachet of powder in my nappy bag incase I forget the powder (have done that more than once  )-------------   
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Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 29 November 2008 at 7:59pm
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What we do to avoid screaming for food is have a jug of cold boiled water (fresh every day) and use that + fresh boiled water. I did the cold water warmed in a jug of hot water for a while and it was so irritating. Just another thing to make life easier. ------------- Alex, Thomas and Lily http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: McPloppy
Date Posted: 29 November 2008 at 8:32pm
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I do the exact same thing as peanut...have all the bottles filled to required amount to all i have to do is heat in microwave (we used glass bottles so no bpa) then put in powder. Also I get it ready JUST before she needs it so i do not have to go through the screaming thing....easier to see when she is awake however when she is asleep i leave her in her cot and get the bottle ready so I do not have to do it with one hand.
Hope that helps ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 29 November 2008 at 8:45pm
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Ohh yeah I do what jaycee does aswell, I always re fill and boil the jug once I have tipped the water into the jug we use. I have forgotten a few times and its SO annoying having to boil it and cool down the water before I can feed him. ------------- |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 01 December 2008 at 9:16am
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I always kept a sealed jug of boiled water in the fridge and just made the bottles from scratch.
When DS was little and was having weird amounts (and we couldn't afford to just keep chucking formula out) I would make up big batches, enough for the day, then pour them into the bottles and popped in the fridge. Obviously if you're out you can't do that though. Cos sometimes he would want say 160ml but normally you would have to make 120 or 200, so I made big batches and then divided them into the lots I knew he would drink. Saved us a lot of money in the long run. |
Posted By: Rackhell
Date Posted: 02 December 2008 at 9:53pm
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We do pretty much what everyone else does but we do everything the night before as I have usually had a cuppa sometime during the afternoon.
Boil the kettle, wait for it to cool. Put water in the bottles (we do about 6 bottles of 180ml). Two go in my nappy bag with a teat and formula dispenser. Two go in the fridge with formula in them (cos cath likes a bottle on waking and another one an hour later and for some reason we're horribly unco in the mornings) and two more go in the fridge as backups. Water not used gets thrown on the pot plants/garden. Have always used a microwave to heat the bottles up at home and most shopping centres have a parents room with microwave. If going somewhere where there is no microwave, put enough warmed water in a thermos for two bottles. Cath'll drink formula at any temperature if she's hungry enough. |