Do u prepare the bottles in advance or as needed?

just curious

mods can u plz make this a poll?

I was always told not to make up the formula in advance so I always made it fresh. I had a formula measuring container and would have the formula already measured out so that all I had to do was grab a bottle of water (I would fill the bottles with cooled boiled water and seal and set aside to use when needed (this was better than refrigerating because otherwise I would have to heat it from cold).

I honestly think its alot easier this way than having cold formula that takes longer to reheat.

I did the same thing as Cailin - had all the bottles filled with cooled boiled water and made them up as I went. The forula dispenser I got was about $4 at coles and you could have 3 feeds worth of formula in there in the different sections

LMAO dispenser ;) Thank you my vocabulary decided it was going to have lunch.

I do same as above...it's so much easier when you are out as you don't have to take hot water to heat the bottle or find somewhere to heat it. Bubs doesn't get used to it always being heated either. Also when you go out if you cant keep it in the fridge it's not good after a couple hours. So easier to make up as you need them. I wash all my bottles, boil the water, fill them all up & pop them in the pantry...then they are ready to go when needed, just have to be mixed. Also if you use a thickened formula it's not recommended to leave it as it thickens up as it stands.....so best to prepare just as needed.

My dh and I worked out how much we needed for a 24hr period (give or take) and we'd make up a 1L container and just put it in the fridge. If we needed more, we also always had a bottle of cool boiled water in fridge and we'd heat that and add formula. We found this a life saver at nights. You didn't have to think and measure, you just pour and heat gently. If we went out, we'd take along a small esky with the sterile bottles in it, and the bottle of formula. We'd also take along some extra cooled boiled water JIC and a small container of formula (or a small sachet) JIC. It worked well for us, but I can see how what u guys did worked well for you! I started out like that, but Jess and Kat were both impatient feeders and they'd scream non stop till u fed them so we used the quickest mode we could.....
We made sure we steralised everything and boiled everything as u must. I think it's 6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other IYKWIM? Whatever works best for you, do!

When going out I take the bottles of water and the dispenser with the formula in it, and make it up as needed.

But at home I make it up about 12 hours in advance. I've been told it's safe to use up until 24 hours, so I do 12 to be sure it's okay. It works well for us because I BF as well, so our usual routine is - boil kettle, BF, put bottle in water, change nappy, then bottle is ready to give!

I used to make them up enough for a day bu I have found that since Phoebe only has 4 a day now I just make them as I go.

I do exactly the same as Cailin... I have some little Tommee Tippee formula dispensers that hold enough for 1 bottle each that I have the formula in for when we're out... it is much easier for me to bring along a bottle of water or even an empty bottle rather than the milk and worry about it leaking

I did not vote, because I'm not sure :redface: I put everything out at night just before bed. Fill the bottels with water and measure out the formula powder, but I mix as I need the following day.
:dunno:
Then probably as needed?

I have a jug of cool boiled water that sits on the bench, and make the bottles up as I go. I used to make it up about 1L at a time but found it was actually more time consuming.

I sterilise bottles and fill with boiled water, and refrigerate them - then heat them up and add the formula when they're hot enuf. The 180mls takes 30 secs to heat, the 210mls 40 secs (in my microwave) and I don't have to worry about nuking the actual formula.

Hi Alisando

I only make the overnight bottles up in advance. When I'm home I'll make them up as I go so I'm 50/50 on the voting. I use the dispenser if I'm out. Sometimes I'll put boiled water directly into the bottle if I go shopping and it's usually cooled to feeding temp by the time I use it.

When I'm out for the whole day I've been taking a thermos of boiling water and a bottle of cold boiled water and mixing the two to feeding temp with powder from the dispenser. Takes a few more minutes to get organised before going out but is quick to put together and makes a fresh warm bottle for DS when we are out for the whole day.

With Kimberley i would make it up in advance but with Alex and Eleanor i would just leave the water in the bottle and the add formula when needed. It's helped me a awful lot with Eleanor as she's always been fussy in how much she takes so i am able to cut the bottle size down when needed.

I'm also a 50/50 person. If I'm going out I take one made up and the others just water - in case she starts screaming and I need to get that bottle in pronto!!! At home I always have 4 made up and 2 with just water but then our little angel is pretty erratic with how many bottles she has per day!

I normally make up 2 bottles at a time, mainly because DS was on an odd amount, but now he is on an amount with normal scoops I seem to be making it up as I go, the formula seems to mix better when the water is warm. When we go out we use the dispensers as well, they are a great invention!!!!

I have 5 bottles for milk, I fill them with boiled water and pop them in the fridge, when needed I microwave the water, for 50 secs add the formula and it's perfect temp. I used to make the bottles up but then it took longer to heat and bubs didn't like the wait!!!

I never microwave milk, it's not good for the bubs. When i travel I take 2 bottles filling them with boiling water, by the time feeding comes it's cool enough for monster to drink!

Just out of curiosity, do bottles have to be put in the fridge if it's just water in them? I'm putting cooled boiled water in sterilsed bottles and then leaving them on the bench and making them up as I go but I thought this is too easy and maybe there is a health reason why people put them in the fridge? Just thought I'd check :)

I filled my bottles with cooled boiled water & let them on the bench then made them up as needed.

I too just have the bottles filled with water on the bench and use them when needed!

I actually don't think it would matter, it's just water. I don't have much bench space, but plenty in the fridge. Maybe it depends on how long the bottles sit there? If it's just one feed then there shouldn't be a problem. I suppose it's something we should look into! But it is just water.... lol

I thought it best to refridgerate as the hossie said that sterilised bottles last 24 hours in the fridge.

I have 6 bottles of boiled water in the fridge, then take them out, warm the water and add the formula. If I go out I make sure he gets a feed before we go out and heat up one bottle pretty hot as in 3hrs time I've found it cools to a luke warm and have a container with a scoop in it that has formula in it. I was told to keep them in the fridge, I also like the thought of the water being boiled then cooled rapidly as not many bugs and germs can survive going one extreme to the other, not sure if that's all that scientific lol that's just what I tell myself

That's what I do too CM - today I nuked 2 bottles and put one in a stubby cooler (perfect temp in an hour) and the other I nuked to boiling and that was perfect temp after 4 hours. Then added powder.

Avent and other squat bottles will fit in a standard neoprene stubby cooler (which is a lot cheaper than the bottle ones!) and tall pigeon bottles will fit in coolers for breezers etc.

Kazbah I would do that too when I went out in the winter. Just heat the water & pop the bottle in a stubby cooler as it would keep nice & warm. I had to be careful what cooler I put it in, he,he...some bns one's prob not appropriate. I did find one on ebay for $8 that says "drink milk", cute.