I was wondering how to make up a bottle for when I'm out and about. This week i am weaning Phoebe from breast to bottle. My Intention is to boil the water and put into a sterile bottle and take the powder with me to use when I'm ready to feed and then to warm the bottle. Is this right???

My friend has told me not to make the bottle up fully to take with me as bacteria can grow!

Any advise would help x

what we did when DS had formula is sterlise the bottle, add the cooled boiled water then have a pot with measured out formula, if it was due soon after we went out the water would still be warm enough to just add the powder and shake or warm the bottle then add the powder, i personally wouldnt make a fully made bottle unless i knew it would be used soon after going out x

We put the water in the sterile bottle and put the powder in a separate pot like you say and mix up when needed. Occasionally I make it fully - but only if I know I will be giving it to her very soon.

We are a bit strange in that Matilda takes the bottles at room temperature so we don't ever warm the water/milk before feeding.

Thanks ladies... wish me luck as tomorrow will be the first time that I have given her a bottle when out and about!

As the other ladies have said really.

Best of luck! Zxx

We use the cartons when out and about and they are brilliant - you don't need to worry about heating them up and are much more hygenic. I always carry a sterlised bottle and carton when we go out just in case.

Good luck x

My daughter was on Colief for her colic (she is currently being weaned off of it) and we had no choice but to make up her bottles in advance. The Colief has to be put into the milk 30 minutes before she can drink it if we use 4 drops, or 4 hours before if we use two drops. With Phoebe feeding through the night we couldnt physically make the bottles up 30 minutes in advance because we didnt know when she would wake up and once she did if we made her wait 30 minutes she would be in a full blown rage by the time it was ready. Also through the day she never fed 'on time'. Sometimes she would go 3 hours between feeds, sometimes 2 or 4 so trying to judge when she might get hungry and make the bottle up 30 minutes in advance was a nightmare. I tried to follow the advice on the packet but with the colief I just couldnt and ended up in a bit of a mess. The HV told me to make 4 bottles up in advance and keep them in the fridge. She said not to keep them for anymore than 12 hours and we bought a thermos bag to keep them cold when out and about. Phoebe has had no ill effects from drinking milk that has been made up in advance. According to my HV the new advice to make up as you need the bottles was introduced because there were certain groups of women who were making a weeks worth of bottles up at once, or giving their child a bottle that had been left out on the windowsill all day. The milk companies introduced the new advice as it is a fool proof way of ensuring that no baby every gets an old bottle and therefore prevents them from getting sued!! Once Phoebe is off the Colief I will make up the bottles as I need them, but mostly because it will avoid wastage. If you need to make a bottle in advance and you are sensible about it you wont do her any harm xx