Bottle strategies

For those of you bottle feeding, what's your set-up? How many bottles do you have - just a few that you wash constantly or a enough for a full day so you only wash them once a day? Do you make them up in advance and put them in the fridge to warm up right before feeding?

We're using powdered formula with the playtex nurser bottles with the drop in liners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I know there is an easy way, I just haven't figured it out yet.

 

We have enough bottles for the entire day plus a couple, around 24 bottles.

I don't mix formula up ahead of time. I did but I decided for me it was easier and faster to just make the bottles when needed. I use tap water, so I can just get warm water out of the faucet. I hated *wasting* time by warming up the bottles out of the fridge.

It's all a personal choice and you will have to see what works best for you. Congrats on your babies!

 

Congratulations on your baby girls!! Welcome to FY!!

I had 18 bottles in the beginning. I put the scoops of formula in the clean bottles, and then added room temp water when it was time to feed. I put Mylicon drops in the bottles after shaking to get rid of the bubbles. I hated warming bottles, so this was the best solution for me.

 

We had enough bottles for 5 feedings. I figured that some time in there I would have enough time to wash bottles! I did not, and still don't, make bottles ahead of time. We just make them when it is time - that way they don't need to be heated up. When we go out I put the nursery water in the bottle and then carry a small container of formula (the sample size they give you free at the doctor's office).

Don't worry - you will figure out what works best for you. There is a lot of trial and error but somehow you find what works.

 

I used to make a big batch of formula and fill enough for four feedings (8 bottles) and then washed the bottles all at once, or if I found the time washed them in between. I would use the Pampered Chef pitcher (the one with the plunger) and a whisk and the formula mixed up real well. Unlike pps, I didn't want to make them each time, I would prefer to do the quick reheat in warm water or the micro when they got older.

 

I put the scoops of formula in the bottles (I used drop ins too) and then I had those little plastic bottles for nursing that I poured the exact amount of water in. I just shook it and gave it to them. I never warmed their bottles. My mom could not believe I was not going to warm them but they did not know the difference and it does not get any easier. Then when we took them out, I never had to worry about warming their bottle.

 

I boil a big jug of water and use it all day. Boiled water will remain sterile in a seal container at room temp. for 24 hours, or for 48 hours in the fridge. I did TONNES of research of all of this. I just pour water into the bottles as needed all day and then add the powder. This way I don't have to do any warming. Room temp. is fine for our boys.

 

We have 2 bottles and just wash them after every feeding and run them through the dishwasher at night (when I run the DW anyway). We had a full day's worth until about 3 months and I was SO sick of washing all these bottles so I just packed them all away and left 2 out. It works much better for me.

 

Congratulations on your girls!!! :itwins:
My situation is a little different than pps because we have been on Enfamil AR since they were 8 weeks due to severe spit up, so I can't just make a bottle at a time, it won't mix. I use a hand mixer and make a day-day and a half worth of formula and leave it in the pitchers until needed. We have enough bottles for a full day plus a few and I usually hand wash what I need first thing in the morning. If I time it right I can wash them with a load of dishes. When the girls were still taking bottles in the middle of the night I made sure I had those bottles ready in the fridge so all I had to to do was pop them in the micro.

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Jun 10 2007, 04:43 PM) [snapback]286795[/snapback]
I used to make a big batch of formula and fill enough for four feedings (8 bottles) and then washed the bottles all at once, or if I found the time washed them in between. I would use the Pampered Chef pitcher (the one with the plunger) and a whisk and the formula mixed up real well.


That is EXACTLY what I do!! It works for us. You will find what works the best for you. We have about 14 bottles, and make 5 each time (about 6/7 ounces in each bottle now)

jen

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Jun 10 2007, 12:43 PM) [snapback]286795[/snapback]
I used to make a big batch of formula and fill enough for four feedings (8 bottles) and then washed the bottles all at once, or if I found the time washed them in between. I would use the Pampered Chef pitcher (the one with the plunger) and a whisk and the formula mixed up real well. Unlike pps, I didn't want to make them each time, I would prefer to do the quick reheat in warm water or the micro when they got older.

I did the same thing. I found it easy to just grab and warm the bottle. Then I would do a batch of bottles at one time and sterilize them. Then make a new batch of formula. Even now I keep 4 feedings in the fridge.

 

I also use powder formula and add tap water as the twins need a bottle. With my first child, I pre-made bottles and warmed them as needed and it was a pain. Needless to say it didn't last long. It's much easier to carry empty bottles and formula upstairs at night in case they need a night feeding. No running downstairs in the middle of the night to get a bottle out of the fridge and waiting for it to warm up. I can't imagine trying to keep twins quiet while bottles are warming especially if you do not feedings by yourself! Same when we would go places, no more trying to keep bottles cold. We just carry a container with formula and I ask a waitress for warm water if needed or I take a couple bottles with water in them. I stick our dirty bottles in the dishwasher and run it once a day.

 

I use two bottles and was them after every feeding. We use warm tap water and add formula and shake it up. It seems to work best for us!

Good luck on finding what's best for you!

 

Looking back, I think, the smartest thing we did is we switched to drop-ins disposable system. Unfortunately it happened after we've tried everything else on the market from Dr. Browns to Avent. As soon as we made this switch - life became so much easier :0)) All we had is 2 8oz and 2 4oz holders and bunch of nipples. We used target brand liners which fitted perfectly (unlike walmart's parent's choice) and were much cheaper than the playtex ones. Mixing batches is easier. To eliminate the warming process you can fill 4 bottles out of the fridge for the first feeding and warm 2 for the immediate feeding and leave other two out. By the next feeding these other two will be the perfect temp. for the feeding, just fill the next two for the next feeding and leave them out again. Does it make any sense or I'm confusing everyone here? :0)
Mixing batches is easier in the blender. Just measure out the water and the powder and put the whole amount of powder in the blender and only about 1/3 of the water (otherwise blender will be too full). After you mixed it on the lowest speed, combine the mixture with the remaining water. Good luck!!!

 

I have way too many bottles! I have more than I need for 24 hours.

What I do is make a big batch of formula each evening and then prepare all the bottles for the next 24 hours and put them in the fridge. I make more than I will need and set it aside in case my girls want a little more at any given feeding. This might be wasteful, but for me its less stressful than listening to them cry while I mix another bottle, and since they usually only want an extra 1/2 ounce it would be difficult to mix that with the powdered formula.

My girls don't need their bottles warmed- they got used to room temperature bottles in the NICU so I just take out two bottles about an hour before each feeding. Now that we may switch to on-demand feedings overnight, I will have to rethink this strategy since I don't want to take out bottles and not use them. If DH and I forget to take out the bottles we just put them in our bathroom sink filled with hot water for a couple of minutes and it bring them to room temperature quickly. But this might not work so well if they are screaming at 3am for a bottle!!!

Each afternoon I run all the bottles and nipples in the dishwasher so they are ready when I prepare the next day's bottles that evening.

Hope this info helps! -Leighann

 

We use Dr Browns and love them, but if you try and shake up the formula and water in the bottle it sprays out or gets into the "straw". So we make up a days batch with a stick blender and keep the bottles in the fridge, just pulling them out to warm them up. DH runs the dishwasher every night after dinner and one of us makes the night's bottles as well as the next days. It works for us!

 

I had enough bottles for the entire day and I'd run them through the dishwasher at night. I made a big batch of formula in a pitcher/Rubbermaid container and it would last approximately 1 day (2 separate mixtures for 2 separate babies, different calories).

 

I have a ton of bottles but we really use 6 main ones. We have about a days worth of formula in the fridge and we wash throughout the day when we get a chance. I make up the formula the night before and than it is ready to go and can grab and warm it as needed. When they were younger I also had a pitcher ready to go of formula so that I could pour from there but now that they are older it is just ready to go in bottles.

 

I have way too many bottles- I think we have about 2 days' worth. I make batches enough for a day or day and a half as others have said...I use the blender method described above, I NEVER have lumps of formula left at the bottom. Usually I pour the first batch into bottles and have the second batch in the pitcher (got tired of having so much space in my fridge taken by about 14 bottles.) Each batch takes 2 cups powder to 46 oz water. As far as taking the time to warm bottles- I have found it easier to hold a baby and comfort him while I put a bottle in the microwave for xx seconds (depends on your microwave) than to pour water etc- I needed two hands for that and couldn't console the baby(ies).

You will figure out what is right for you...someone above said it doesn't get easier- really it will but that is because you will get to where you actually get to sleep again and it will be more difficult in waves...the actual work doesn't nec. get easier, it just gets different (and when they actually start reacting to you not just the bottle, it gets more rewarding and fun)

*Many of the ladies above have talked about using warm tap water. If your house is older you might rethink that, warm water can "leach" lead out of older pipes (even if your municiple water source is good- your pipes might not be) When DS #1 was born I was actually told to run cold tap water for a full minute to make sure the water that had been sitting in the pipes.*

 

We have 22-24 bottles. Everything gets washed in the dishwasher at night. I use RTF and powder. I use the powder when I have the time and use the RTF when I don't. I pre mix the powder in a tupperware type pitcher that has a mixer thingy built in. I think I got it at Target. I warm up the formula in the microwave. I don't warm it in the bottles. I use the little Corelle creamer pitcher that came with my dishes. I never thought I would use that little thing! I use the RTF little bottles or cans, or the tubes of powder with bottled water, when we're out. HTH. Good Luck!

 

We have enough bottles for a day, plus a couple of extra in case I don't get around to washing! Every night we make the formula in a big pitcher and pour all the bottles for the next day. I got in a routine so I'd run the dishwasher every afternoon so I'd always have enough. I think this was a great timesaver. Plus, my husband and I split the "counting duty" (we're up to 32 scoops--that's a lot!) and do it together. Though we've learned not to talk to the one doing the counting! I think organization is the key to twins!

 

I had 9 Podee bottles so I washed at lunch and at bedtime. Once the girls were done with a bottle, I took it apart and dropped the pieces in the pot of hot, soapy water I kept in the sink. This kept the milk from drying in the bottle and made cleaning time very simple.

I made formula one bottle at a time because I found it easier that way. By 2 months old, I had the girls drinking room temp formula so I just had to pour water in the bottle, add a couple scoops of formula, stir with a long spoon, and it'd be ready to go. When we were out of the house I put the water in the bottles to take with us and I also had a bottle of water just in case we needed more.

 

Congrats!!!
we had enough bottles for the whole day and night. We made the formula and bottles in advance and then warmed the bottles. We did not use the faucet b/c my husband thought filtered water was better (he's a water engineer so I went with that)...we also tried making the bottles as we went along but at 3am there was no way I could handle scooping half asleep..it was much easier to pull out a bottle from the fridge and stick it in the warmer. I still the do the same now. I make the bottles ahead of time put them in the fridge and pull them out and warm them as needed. We have 2 warmers b/c we burned through 1 so quickly...it's also quicker

 

I had tons of bottles and we used the liquid concentrate formula that you mix with water. So I usually had a day and half worth of bottles ready to go in the fridge.

My girls were on two different formulas so mixing them when they needed them was out of the question. Sarah was on Soy formula and Megan wasn't. So Sarah's bottles were either colored bottles or had colored nipples and Megan's were plain. I thought it was going to be a nightmare when we had to switch Sarah, but it worked out just fine. I didn't want to switch Megan to soy simply because her sister was having to change because she was fine on what she was on.

So there were always bottles ready to go when I needed them for feedings or outings. I feel like it made my life easier to only do bottles every couple of days. I used the plain Gerber bottles, nothing fancy, so having a lot of them was not too expensive, plus when I had to come up with a plan for differentiating between two formulas there were lots of color choices to help. Also, the collar for those bottles fit right onto the little juice bottles when we reached that stage...don't know if that works now though since they've changed so much since mine were babies.

 

I make 8 bottles each evening, enough for their 7pm feeding and their 7am,11am, and 3pm the next day. I have found it to be much easier this way. I just pop them in the microwave together, and get the boys set up while they warm.