Formula Milk Preparation and Storage

New mothers often get worried about the nourishment and nursing of their newborns. Though the best source of baby nourishment is breastfeeding, still many moms decide to feed formula milk to their baby. Irrespective of the reason for which you are shifting your baby to formula milk, you need to be very careful.

People often think that preparing formula milk is quite simple and easier. But you need to be very cautious to avoid any contamination or splitting of milk. Have you ever fed the left formula milk to your baby? If yes, stop doing so as it can spoil your baby’s metabolism. Don’t worry at all if you don’t know how to prepare, store, and feed formula milk to your newborn.

Here is a complete guide elaborating on the preparation and storage of formula milk. 

Need of Sterilization of Baby’s Bottle before making it

Before preparing formula milk, we suggest you sterilize bottles and nipples for almost 5 minutes. Instead of sterilization in the microwave, it’s better to sterilize it by warming it in boiling water. You are advised to sterilize your baby’s feeding accessories every time before giving them. Furthermore, there come heating countertops that you can use to sterilize and warm your bottle while traveling as well. 

Preparation of Baby’s Milk Formula

Before mixing water and powdered infant formula, wash your hands properly. Firstly, you should read all the instructions written on the formula’s packaging carefully. Are you worried about the type and quality of water to be used in formula milk? Well! Make sure to avoid contaminated water. 

You might be thinking about using tap water but we recommend you check its quality before using it. In order to use tap water, you should boil fresh tap water over a stove or in a kettle. Never use hot water for making formula milk. You need to cool the boiled water to room temperature or make it lukewarm. 

Here are some basic steps you need to follow while making formula milk from powdered infant formula. 

• Keep the quantity of water and powder the same as mentioned in the instructions.
• Pour the adequate amount of cool boiled water in the sterilized feeder or bottle. 
• Use the container scoop for measuring powdered formula. Level off each scoop with a sterilized spoon or knife before pouring it in water. 
• Shake the powder and water vigorously by sealing the bottle with a ring and cap to form homogenized formula milk. 

You are advised to check the temperature of formula milk before feeding it to your baby. You can check this by putting a few drops over your wrist. Make sure to feed lukewarm milk and not hot milk to your baby. 

Is it safe to use leftover used formula milk to feed your baby?

No! It’s a quite risky step as formula milk often gets contaminated by once suckling in. The germs and bacteria continue to grow over the bottle and surface of the milk. It often happens that babies fall asleep while feeding. After getting up, mothers pour the same leftover milk in their mouth which is not safe. We suggest you throw away the remaining milk within one hour if your baby doesn’t finish it. 

How to carry formula milk with you while traveling?

The best way is to carry the powdered formula and cool boiled water in separate bottles. But if you want to carry the bottle of prepared formula milk, chill it like ice-cold milk before leaving the house. Another way is to carry the formula milk bottle in a cool bag having ice packs. 

Storage of Formula Milk

Firstly, there is no need for storing formula milk. You should make it immediately before using it. According to Health experts, you can store formula milk only for 15 minutes ideally in normal conditions. But if you are a working woman or obliged to prepare your baby’s milk in advance, you should keep in mind the following storage tips.

• Formula milk must be kept in the refrigerator within one hour after its preparation to make it long-lasting.
• Store only freshly prepared milk. Discard away the milk left in your baby’s bottle.
• Don’t store any formula milk that is kept at room temperature for more than an hour.
• Never store any formula milk for more than 24 hours even in the fridge. It depicts that you can store formula milk only for 24 hours.

Despite following all these tips, you should check whether the stored formula milk is safe for your baby or not. Because there is a possibility of bacterial build-up or milk splitting in the 24 hours’ span. 

 

Furthermore, it’s the quality of powdered formula that matters as well for storage. To get the reliable, healthy, safe, and digestible powdered formula, visit our friso gold 3 here and make your baby’s feeding healthy