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Problems with bottle preparation for feeds- Dr Brown's

Ok I have a load of questions as we're having real issues with feeding at the moment which I think is having a knock on effect on sleep and behaviour generally. LO will be 12 weeks on Saturday.



I used to make a few bottles up with boiled water, allow to cool and add powder when necessary, shake and feed- easy day or night. Then LO was ill before xmas went off food and has since then fussed over most bottles. A week or so ago I discovered I should be adding the powder (Aptimal Comfort) to hot water so it dissolves properly (i know the instructions say this but I was told by friends for convenience just make it up with boiled cool water and it's still fine) and also not shaking the Dr Brown's bottles. This has left me really confused as to how I deal with feeds now.



Does anyone else use comfort milk and Dr Brown's? If so how do you go about making up feeds so baby is not waiting for the feed to cool before eating- especially at night? The instructions for the powder say to shake vigourously- how do you do this if you're using Dr Brown's. Stirring, even in hot water doesn't seem to completely dissolve all the powder.



Also should the bottle drip formula when I turn it upside down? Sometimes mine do but often they don't (even when I've made them with hot water) and i'm not sure if LO is having to suck too hard to get the formula out and this is why he's fussing and gives up rather than being full? I make sure I clean then really thoroughly and the end of the teat seems clear. We currently use a level 2 teat, I tried a level 3 the other day and he did manage with it but had 180ml in 4 minutes- WAY too fast I know!



It's starting to get me really down as I feel like my whole life revolves around worrying about having formula ready to feed him when he needs it. I haven't even dared go out recently as I don't know what to do when I'm not at home. I'm struggling to sleep as I'm always trying to second guess when he might be close-ish to waking so I get up, make a bottle with hot water and stick in a pan of cold water to cool (which takes about 20-30 mins). Several times I've got up and made a bottle only to find he was just stirring, has fallen back to sleep and I now have to go through the whole process again a hour or so later. For any feed in the night i'm up for a couple of hours from start of the process to finally getting him settled again (which is a whole other issue at the moment). I'm exhausted.....

Replies

  • oh my goodness hon, what a time you're having! I don't use Comfort Milk, but DD has been FF on Aptimal First since 3 weeks old always using Dr B's bottle, and for a long time with Gaviscon which thickens the milk, so hopefully I can at least tell you what we do.

    Dr B's bottles are buggers for leaking and it's all because of the vent system (but that's also what makes them so great!). If you find they are leaking once the milk's made up, you can unscrew the top then screw it back on again, and check the vent bits are all put together properly. Also if you fill over 8oz, they leak a bit. Never leave a Dr B bottle with warm milk or hot water with the lid fully screwed on - leave the lid and teat slightly unscrewed until you are ready to feed, and it won't leak. do the same if you are heating milk in a Dr B's in a bottle warmer or a beaker of hot water, leave the lid and teat loose and it won't leak. It's fine to have the lid on while they're cooling.

    Re: making up feeds - we make ours up 'kind of' as required. We are in a feeding routine of sorts which makes it a bit easier, but basically we make up bottles of boiled water that has cooled for 30 minutes, then put the water into an Avent Thermal bag which retains heat for an hour or two, then we add the milk when it's needed and shake. If it's still a bit hot, it takes no time at all to cool in a beaker of iced water after we do all that (literally 1 minute).

    Overnight and when out and about we use ready made cartons, we have them and a kettle and sterile bottles all ready on a bedside table and if she does want a feed (which is rare now) then I pour a carton in, boil the kettle which takes no time a we chose a fast boil kettle, and quickly heat the milk in a beaker. Out and about we either do the same, OR we take a milk powder dispenser, a flask of cooled boiled water at about the right temperature and make the milk up as req. If it's a bit too hot, we go to a cafe, and get some cold water in a beaker to cool it in.

    RE: shaking the formula - just make up the milk and swirl the bottle really really hard without the lid and teat, or vent on. I promise it does work! (and it does work with Comfort too because I made up some practice bottles once but DD hated it!) xxx
  • I use these storage lids, so I can merrily shake the living daylights out of my daughter's bottles & no worry about it leaking. Don't know what I would've done without them!

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000I6C6YO
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