My daughter (8 months) has very erratic eating patterns. I feed her at the same times every day but I never know how much formula to fix. Sometimes she'll eat 3-4 oz sometime she'll take 8 oz. My question is this, if I fix her 8 oz and she only takes 4 oz do I have to throw the other 4 oz down the drain. This is what I've been doing and it kills me. I feel like I'm throwing money away. But I don't want my daughter to get sick eating spoiled formula either. The directions on the formula say that you can mix a big batch in the morning and keep it in the fridge to fill bottle throughout the day. So I'm wondering if I take it out and warm it up, offer it to my daughter, and then return it to the fridge immediately, will it still be good for the next feeding 4 hours later?
Also, does anyone know what we are in fear of? I mean what could happen if I serve a bottle that was contaminated by her saliva? What kind of sickness can she get from herself?
Let me know what you think or have done in the past.
Thanks Ladies
You really should throw it out. I recommend making formula in a large container/pitcher and then filling the bottle. Offer 4 oz, if still hungry add another 2oz. from the container.
What I do is mix the 8 ounces, but then take out a clean bottle and only pour 4 of those oz in it, and put the rest in the fridge so it is not contaminated. If he drinks all 4 and wants more, I just add more, but if he's full, then I still have a clean 4 oz bottle waiting in the fridge for next time. Once it's prepared, if the formula has not been drank from (ie, contaminated with saliva), it can stay in the fridge for 24 hours.
I'll probably be chastised for being a bad mommy, but I didn't throw it out. But then, I didn't warm it up either. Our ped said it wasn't necessary, it was just something people did b/c often the babies liked it better. Unless it was so cold it gave them a stomach ache/cramp, then there is no necessary reason to warm it up. We live in a hot climate in the deep south, and my kids always enjoyed it just fine cold right out of the fridge. So I made a container for each day and just refilled the bottle from the container in the fridge.
If we were going out for the day, I filled however many bottles I thought we would need and packed them in an insulated bag with cold packs, and gave it to them as needed... no need to find a way to warm it up. Without it going from cold to warm and then back again, I felt like it limited the amount of bacteria that would start growing. My kids were never sick.
In my parenting class when I was pregnant they told us to think of 5's.
5 minutes on the counter
5 hours in the fridge
5 months in the freezer
If she doesn't finish what you've made just put the left over in the fridge and give it to her at the next feeding. But, 5 hours after you first made it, even if in the fridge, toss it. My daughter ate ever 4 hours so it worked well for us.
Ok, here is the deal... I do understand your feelings of pouring the unconsummed formula down the drain and the bad feelings you have as you see the $$ just go down the drain. This is what I would suggest... Make up your 8 ounce bottle. Pour 4 of it into another bottle and if she wants more then pour the other four into the bottle and give it to her. If she ends up not wanting the other 4, it is good premixed in the fridge for 48 hours. Now the truth is.... We do not worry about bacteria once the baby has dranked the formula; this is a myth. The only time that is a big deal is if the formula has not been refrigerated and the baby dranks from an old bottle that has been at room temperature for a while. The truth is; when a baby drinks from a bottle the baby's saliva washes back into the bottle. After about 1 1/2 hours the saliva starts to break down the protien in the formula. So by the time the baby gets back to the bottle, it has no protien. So given your baby "backwashed" formula is like feeding them a meal without any protien which is essential for proper growth, development and muscle development. Not to mention protien helps balance the other nutrients so that the baby's bottle can utalized them all. So do not worry about the baby getting sick just from drinking a later consummed bottle; worry about the baby not getting proper nutrients. I once told one of my moms, if the protien and other vitamins have been broken down and are no longer there, you may as well be giving the baby water. So do not worry about her getting sick, worry about the long term effects. I sure hope this helps. Do know I understand as a mom though what you are feeling. Good luck.
I always put the bottle of leftover formula in the fridge to use at the next feeding. I hated wasting it, too! My child never got sick.
My suggestion is to start with a 4 oz. bottle. If your daughter is still hungry, make another one. That should cut down on the waste. I don't think I would be comfortable chilling and then reheating a bottle.
I honestly used to warm up a bottle and give it to my son and if he didn't finish it, I would put it into the fridge and give it to him later. I know this sounds bad but we never ended up having a problem. That's not to say that you or anyone else wouldn't either, but I hated throwing it too. Good luck!
I have no idea what the real answer is but I can tell you that with my first I did the same thing, I threw it out if she didn't finish it. With my second I thought what the heck (I guess you do that a lot with the second. lol) and started putting the left-over in the fridge and then heated it up later and served. Guess what happened...nothing. She's fine. Save your $ and use it all. =)
You are technically supposed to chunk the remaining formula. The deal is that breastmilk has antibodies that keep it from spoiling and formula doesn't have that. So bacteria forms and forms rather quickly. What I usually did was one of two things: A) You have an hour before it needs to be thrown out, I'd put it in the fridge for that hour and if my son acted hungry within the hour I'd offer it again. Or B) Grab a formula pitcher next time you go baby supplies shopping. You can mix a day's worth of formula in it (mix a bit conservatively so you don't waste if you're worried about that) and you can pour it into the bottle on the conservative side so you're only using 4oz or whatever you need at one time. You can always pour more if you need to.
I don't know what sicknesses can happen really, I think its more like an upset tummy because the formula is spoiled. Smell some that has gone bad sometime if you think to. Its absolutely disgusting.
It should be tossed away because of bacteria and contaminants. What you could do is start with 4 oz and make up another and warm it if your baby still seems hungry. This way you will not be wasting it all the time. As long as the second bottle is not drank out of or warmed you can put it in the frig for next time. Formula is very expensive so I see where you are coming from. You can make up a batch in the morning for all day but only as much as you use and only take out as much as you need. As long as your child has sucked out of the bottle it cannot be used for the next time. When my child got older (closer to a year) I gave her cold formula. The Dr. said it was ok to do. Just think they get cold milk at a year.
It depends on the TYPE of formula how long they last for. Enfamil Lipil would last, open, for a few hours at room temp... and over a day in the fridge. Other brands (especially ones that do the whole partially digested thing -aka gentle proteins/ etc) can go bad literally within half an hour. They're already decomposing... so add warmth... and bingo sour to rotting in no time.
I always taste tested ever single bottle... and let me tell you YUCK when they go bad. First it's just like drinking clumpy sour milk (ugh) and then it only gets worse. Some also ferment, which is disturbing. Highly highly disturbing (although I guess it makes sense from the sugars mixing with the enzymes from saliva).
It's not that she'd catch a disease... it's that she'd get the same kind of food poisoning we'd all get from eating rotting food. Most of us don't get sick from drinking sour milk (but yum yum :P), but once it starts to rot, we definitely get sick.
I do feedings 4 ounces, then two ounces like another poster said. It's a little extra work, but worth it to me because I'm not wasting. My understanding is the concern that bacteria from the baby's mouth (or anything else that comes into contact with the bottle) can get into the milk and then multiply there without the acidity and other natural defense of the mouth that slow bacteria reproduction. However, I have to admit I've reused bottles before (especially when my kids are older--I'm pretty picky when they're under 6 months).
