Baby Formula Safety Tips

Baby formula safety tips and how-to's. In my household, I was in charge of breastfeeding while my husband was in charge of formula feeding. Until one day.... he went on a business trip and I had to prepare the formula. Oh my God! The work involved! If I was to give you one piece of advice, it would be this: get the formula prepared before Baby is screaming with hunger. This is what I learned in that one week of "business trip" which I think was more of a "business vacation":

• Baby formula safety tips #1: Opening Cans of Formula
• Baby formula safety tips #2: Wash & Sterilize Baby Bottles
• Baby formula safety tips #3:Prepare Formula
• Baby formula safety tips #4 Warming Formula
• Baby formula safety tips #5: Still Fresh?

Baby formula safety tips #1 Opening a Can of Formula

Sounds easy doesn't it? But here are some baby formula safety tips you should be aware of:

• You should wipe, rinse, or wash the top of the can before you open it so that dust & dirt from the top of the container does not fall into the formula. Baby formula is very rich in nutrients, so any germs that fall in will quickly multiply and ruin the entire batch.
  
  

• For powdered formula, always use the scoop that is provided in the canister. The scoop is designed to measure the proper amount of formula for the designated amount of water. Most scoops are for 2 ounces of water - read the label to be sure.

• Always mix the formula with the correct amount of water. If you use too much water, then Baby won’t get enough nutrients & energy to grow and develop. If you give too little water, it may cause diarrhea or dehydration.

• For liquid formulas, be sure to shake the container well before using.
  
  

Baby formula safety tips #2 How to Wash & Sterilize Baby Bottles

1. Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
2. Scrub the bottles, nipples, collars, and caps with soap and warm water.
3. Rinse well and allow them to drain dry on a dish rack.
4. Alternatively, you can wash the baby bottles and accessories in a dishwasher with a hot water cycle. Be sure that the nipples and collars are clean – these parts tend to have formula encrusted in the screw-top grooves.

• For pre-mature babies and newborns, some pediatricians will recommend that the bottles & water be sterilized. Killing the bacteria by sterilization will prevent the introduction of germs to Baby. Keeping the bottles & water sterile will also help keep the formula fresh longer.

• As Baby gets older, it may not be necessary to sterilize the bottles any more. By this time, Baby’s stomach has adjusted to the microorganisms that surround us. Clean bottles and clean water is often good enough. Check with your pediatrician to be sure.

• Generally speaking, if you live in a municipal area where the water is treated, then it is not necessary to sterilize the baby bottles & water. But if you use water from a well, then you should take the extra step of sterilizing the bottles & water.

• When using tap water without sterilization, be sure to use cold water and to let the water run for about 2 minutes before you use it. Some people feel that this will decrease the chances of lead in the water.

If you do want to sterilize water, simply boil it for one minute or longer. Once cooled, the sterile water can be used to make formula.

Baby formula safety tips #3: Sterilizing baby bottles:

• Boiling Water Method:
  Boil a large pot of water. Place the clean bottles, nipples, collars and caps in the pot and continue to boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the sterile items with tongs. Cap the bottles: they are sterile and ready to use.

• Sterilization Units:
  You can buy units which will sterilize baby bottle components by steam or by microwave. These units are fast, convenient, easy to use, and work well. See sterilization units here
  
  

  You simply load the clean baby bottles into the dome shaped unit, add some water into the base of the unit, and then microwave for a set amount of time (2 to 4 minutes).

Baby formula safety tips #4: How to Prepare Formula

General instructions on how to make baby formula is presented here but you should read the directions on the formula container to be sure. See instructions from Emfamile, Similac, or Good Start.

Making Formula from powder

1. Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
2. Fill a clean baby bottled with the desired amount of water (be sure to add the water before you add the powder).
3. Use the scoop provided in the formula canister to scoop formula powder into the baby bottle. Be sure to use a level scoop and not a heaping scoop. Usually, you need one scoop for every 2 ounces of water.
4. Shake to mix. Be sure that the powder is completely dissolved before you offer it to baby.

Making Formula from Concentrate

1. Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
2. Fill a clean baby bottled with the desired amount of water.
3. Add the correct amount of concentrate. Usually, you need one ounce of water for every ounce of concentrate.
4. Shake to mix.

"Shaking" is a bit of an art: you want to shake the bottle to mix and dissolve the powder. Yet, shaking too much will cause bubbles ... which will cause gas... which will cause crying & fussiness... which may cause spit-up and/or vomiting. One way to avoid a gassy, fussy baby is to let the formula sit for a while so the bubbles burst before you use it. (Remember what I said? Prepare formula before Baby is screaming with hunger).

Baby formula safety tips #5: How to Warm up Formula

All babies will drink warm formula. Most babies will drink room-temperature formula (not warm but also not cold). Some older babies will drink refrigerator-cold formula (it's like drinking a glass of cold milk).

If you wanted to or needed to warm up formula you should do so by:

• Place the bottle of formula in a pot of hot (not boiling) water. Swirl the formula around to help warm it through. The formula is ready when it feels warm (not hot) on your forearm.
  
  

• Place the bottle of formula under a running faucet of hot water – again swirl the formula to maintain evenness in temperature and check that it doesn't get too hot.
  
  

• You can buy baby formula warmers. These are compact, plug-in devices which will warm the bottle evenly without overheating. Some have adaptors so that it can be plugged into the cigarette lighter of a car. See baby formula warmers here.

• It is recommended that you do NOT heat formula with a microwave because microwaves cause uneven heating. Some regions are hotter while other are not hot enough. The hot spots can burn Baby’s mouth (and babies are so delicate).

  Microwaves are so prevalent and so convenient that many parents (myself included!) do heat formula with a microwave. If you do use a microwave to heat up formula, remember:
  - only microwave for a few seconds (30 seconds or so), and
  - invert the bottle many times to mix it thoroughly before offering it to Baby.

  There's a lot of talk about microwaves destroying the nutrients in formula. But that's not true. Research has shown that that heating baby formula in a microwave does not cause a significant loss of riboflavin or vitamin C. The key is to WARM the formula, don't BOIL the formula. Boiling will likely destroy the vitamins, but that will happen regardless if you use a microwave or stovetop.

  Please note: do not heat breast milk in a microwave becaues the hot spots will destroy the antibodies and enzymes. Antibodies and enzymes are active proteins and they are heat sensitive. Go hear to read about warming breast milk.

Baby formula safety tips #6: How Long does Formula Stay Fresh?

You should check the manufacturer's instructions to be sure, but generally: