Ready to drink forumla milk

[chez]

Looking at guidelines regarding formula milk today again and realised that what we currently do is not acceptable.

I would therefore like to get all of my baby mindees drinking ready to go milk. My plan is that I will purchase the milk and charge it to the parents. Does this seem reasonable to you?

[tess1981]

I would not like this as a parent as it more expensive, but that is just my opinion, what did the guidelines suggest that you are not doing

[acorns]

You could do & i think it is reasonable, but I would prefer to have parents supply it as mine do

[catminder]

I would not be happy as a parent with this. As long as bottles are stored in the fridge straight away and used within 24 hours that is fine.
Are you concerned how the parents store the milk?

[rickysmiths]

It is very expensive and I ask parents to provide baby milk.

Why is the way we are doing it wrong?

My parents give me the powder each day in a divided container with the correct measurement for each bottle. They then give me sterilized bottles I put the boiled water in them and then add the powder when the bottle is required.

I find it very easy and it is following the guide lines to the letter.

I have had parents who have chosen to give me the cartons but I would never insist.

I keep a couple of cartons if I have a child on Formula and keep them in my emergency bag in the car.

[rickysmiths]

I would not be happy as a parent with this. As long as bottles are stored in the fridge straight away and used within 24 hours that is fine.
Are you concerned how the parents store the milk?

No this is not following the Guidelines on the cartons. You must not make up the milk until it is needed.

[chez]

Currently we have baby Bs bottles. We sterlise these each day and fill them with boiled water.

We go off to toddler group with them and his formula when bottle is needed I make them up.

He drinks them at room temp.

Reading current guidelines and the forumla needs to be added when the water is still over 70c the bottle then has to be warmed within 15 mins and drunk within 2 hrs.

Therefore I need to take the water out in a flask make the bottle while we are out then cool it to room temp which is alot of extra work.

[tess1981]

i have to make up bottles as i go along it's just part of the job... it is a little extra hassle but parents need us to work with them somewhere along the line... sometimes i take a step back and look at things from a parents pov...

[chez]

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pd...laguidance.pdf is where I got my info from.

[nikki thomson]

i wouldn't worry to much i have been making up babies bottles for 20yrs and the guidlines change quicker than you can change your underwear.
when my son was born 8 yrs ago i would makeup 24hrs worth of bottles with the formula in and store them in the fridge and re-heat them in the microwave when i needed one, over the years it goes from one thing to another but i have never had one of my own babys become ill due to wrongly made up milk, its common sense.
if i had my own baby now i'd make them up as i always did but it is different with other peoples children.
i think people worry to much sometimes.

[loocyloo]

i wouldn't worry to much i have been making up babies bottles for 20yrs and the guidlines change quicker than you can change your underwear.
when my son was born 8 yrs ago i would makeup 24hrs worth of bottles with the formula in and store them in the fridge and re-heat them in the microwave when i needed one, over the years it goes from one thing to another but i have never had one of my own babys become ill due to wrongly made up milk, its common sense.
if i had my own baby now i'd make them up as i always did but it is different with other peoples children.
i think people worry to much sometimes.

i agree with you !

[chez]

hmm I understand that its been done that way for years but Im about to start my level 3 and feel that I will be picked up for not following recent guidelines.

[jumpinjen]

Chez, i understand your conerns, but if you read further on in that document down to page four, there are guidelines for when making up a fresh bottle for immediate use is not possible. I think if you wrote to your parents and gave them that sheet and asked that the guidelines be followed for their children's safety and you kept to them also when going out to playgroups etc then you are covering yourself and the children. You could add in the letter that cartons of milk for such outings might be preferable and start a discussion with parents about whether it would suit them rather than telling them what they must pay for or provide. if you keep evidence of all of it then you have things to show to ofsted about working with parents too!

Jen x

[jumpinjen]

I'm meaning the bit about keeping for up to 24 hours, I know you've read the bit about the vacuum flask!

Would the places you go have facilities for making up bottles - children's centres are usually very facilitating?

Jen x

[acorns]

My Mums all provide milk in cartons (I have 2 under 1). They know from the outset that this is what i ask for. It's far easier to manage than having a baby wait for a bottle to cool down & make sure the kettle is boiled at the right times = less crying & happier baby. I use max 2 cartons per day per baby (both 10mo) any left over can be stored in fridge & used within 24hrs, so it's not actually that expensive, unless you have a very young baby. If a baby needed a special formula though I would of course, use the powder.

[snufflepuff]

I haven't had to do bottles for a while, but when I did, if we are at home I made the bottles up as needed. If we were going out I took a little flask of hot water and a pot with the correct amount of powder in, then made the bottle up when needed. I've always been really careful about formula milk, the bacteria can be really nasty.

[rickysmiths]

Currently we have baby Bs bottles. We sterlise these each day and fill them with boiled water.

We go off to toddler group with them and his formula when bottle is needed I make them up.

He drinks them at room temp.

Reading current guidelines and the forumla needs to be added when the water is still over 70c the bottle then has to be warmed within 15 mins and drunk within 2 hrs.

Therefore I need to take the water out in a flask make the bottle while we are out then cool it to room temp which is alot of extra work.

Could you not make the bottle up just before you go out and then it will be cool enough and used within 2 hours?

[rickysmiths]

i wouldn't worry to much i have been making up babies bottles for 20yrs and the guidlines change quicker than you can change your underwear.
when my son was born 8 yrs ago i would makeup 24hrs worth of bottles with the formula in and store them in the fridge and re-heat them in the microwave when i needed one, over the years it goes from one thing to another but i have never had one of my own babys become ill due to wrongly made up milk, its common sense.
if i had my own baby now i'd make them up as i always did but it is different with other peoples children.
i think people worry to much sometimes.

That is right and my children survived this way as well. However we must follow current guidelines or if something does go wrong you may find you are not covered by your insurance and Ofsted would not be very impressed. As irritating as it may seem.

[chez]

Could you not make the bottle up just before you go out and then it will be cool enough and used within 2 hours?

but it has to be cooled down within 15 mins.

[rickysmiths]

but it has to be cooled down within 15 mins.

Well cool it down before you go out and then you have 2 hours before it needs to be used.