🚨 Advance warning 🚨 This forum will be closing on 1st May – please see our pinned thread for more information.
Switching to bottle feeding - questions/advice?
I have been breast feeding for 4 weeks and finding it so hard as my baby never seems satisfied after feeding. I started giving him formula feeds during the night (Aptamil carton) and then expressing my milk and giving him that from a bottle during the day. Overnight he was like a different baby and finally started putting on weight and sleeping - hooray! All the expressing is exhausting so, much to the dismay of my health visitor and midwives, I have decided to switch to bottles and formula completely. Could you please answer a few (possibly simple) questions I have?
- I have a cold water steriliser that I use Milton tablets with. I know it says things submerged will be sterile for 24hrs, however does that only apply to things added at the start of the 24 hour period or can you add washed items throughout? ie if you add a washed bottle to the water after 6 hours, will it be sterile 30 mins later and remain so for the next 17 hours?
- The leaflet I have from the hospital says that powder formula can only be made up at 70 degrees therefore you must use freshly boiled water that has been left to cool for no longer than 30mins. How do you make up night feeds then? Or any feeds in advance for that matter? Use a flask?
- I currently use Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles which don't seem to have the 'disc' which is referred to for mixing formula before adding the teat to the bottle. I assume, I just mix it up in the bottle with the teat and lid on?
Apologies if these seem like stupid questions, but when everyone seems against you switching to bottles, there's not many people you can ask...thanks!
![:\](https://forum.madeformums.com/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
?
- I have a cold water steriliser that I use Milton tablets with. I know it says things submerged will be sterile for 24hrs, however does that only apply to things added at the start of the 24 hour period or can you add washed items throughout? ie if you add a washed bottle to the water after 6 hours, will it be sterile 30 mins later and remain so for the next 17 hours?
- The leaflet I have from the hospital says that powder formula can only be made up at 70 degrees therefore you must use freshly boiled water that has been left to cool for no longer than 30mins. How do you make up night feeds then? Or any feeds in advance for that matter? Use a flask?
- I currently use Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles which don't seem to have the 'disc' which is referred to for mixing formula before adding the teat to the bottle. I assume, I just mix it up in the bottle with the teat and lid on?
Apologies if these seem like stupid questions, but when everyone seems against you switching to bottles, there's not many people you can ask...thanks!
? 0
Replies
I use Milton too and change the solution every 24 hours. It only takes 15 minutes to sterilise stuff and I just leave things in until I need them.
Since bottlefeeding I have always made up bottles in advance. I boil the water, wait 30 mins, take out the bottles from the steriliser and make the milk and chuck them in the fridge. He is 8 months now and never had any problems.
I gradually reduced the amount of milk from me and would express or give a top up if they were getting sore. In a couple of days I didnt need to express at all and the milk dried up.
I wish you luck and well done for breastfeeding but at the end of the day, a happy baby is a happy mummy so dont beat yourself up about stopping.
xx
I found it saved a lot of faffing about and left more playtime! xxXxx
PS try not to feel too guilty about it. I had to stop at 8 weeks from severe mastitis and absesses and it really is the best thing ive ever done for him! I felt so selfish by keeping going so long, but Harry ended up losing nearly a lb in weight so its all for the best!
xXx