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A Great Idea to make Formula work better for You

Writer's picture: NaomiNaomi

Updated: Feb 5

Batching Formula

One of the most important things to keep in mind about formula feeding is safety. You can check this CDC page to refresh your memory about all the safety guidelines. Some key points are that you always want to start with clean hands, a clean surface (so that if you put any components of the bottle of formula measuring pieces down, they don’t get contaminated with anything else), and clean bottles. You also need to make sure that formula is used within 2 hours of preparation at room temperature and within 1 hour of starting a feeding.


Every moment matters...Here is a time saver!
Every moment matters...Here is a time saver!


However, there’s a little loophole in there that can save you a bunch of time, considering how onerous formula preparation can be with all of those precautions. You can leave prepared formula in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours as long as it has not been started - for example, if the baby has already drunk out of the bottle, you can’t put the bottle back in the fridge and keep using it. But you CAN prepare a day’s worth of formula in one batch all at once, leave it in a pitcher, and pour it into each bottle as you need to use it, without having to go through the entire process each time! This is also helpful when you aren’t sure how much formula Baby is going to drink, which is often the case with newborns. You can start with a smaller amount and keep topping off if they are still hungry, rather than making bigger bottles that you have to toss with leftover milk.


One of the easy ways people do this is to get a formula pitcher. The advantage to the formula pitcher is that it has a little stirrer that will help do the initial mixing and then later, redistribute the solids, because you do need to give it all a little mix before you pour a new bottle, as the solution will have settled a bit. The Formula Mom suggests that the blade mixing method may create less gas in the formula than shaking (see her Instagram post here).


A more high-tech way to do formula bottles is the Baby Brezza or other formula making machines, and if you have one of those that you bought or had passed down to you, by all means go for it! But if you’re not ready to dedicate the counter space or the budget, the formula pitcher method works really well and will still save you a lot of time. Just remember, crucially, that it will still only last for 24 hours, and then you’ll need to dump whatever was not used, and clean out the pitcher. 


~ Naomi, Infant Feeding Expert*


*If you need help to schedule your bundled Infant Feeding session with Naomi…email Elizabeth Parish.

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