Step-By-Step Guide To Making Baby Formula

Preparing baby formula is a simple process that involves mixing the formula powder of your choice with water. However, you may still wonder how to make baby formula or if there are any tips and safety recommendations.

When preparing baby formula, it is important to mix it correctly with safe drinking water. It's also important to follow the directions on the formula's packaging. As you are learning how to prepare baby formula, it helps to know the guidelines and recommended preparation methods, generally and for your specific formula brand, to ensure your baby's safety.

Also keep in mind that recommendations can vary depending on your location and access to safe drinking water, as well as the type of formula you use.

How To Prepare Infant Formula

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines for the safe preparation, storage, and handling of powdered infant formula.

The WHO recommends cleaning and sterilizing feeding and preparation equipment, plus making a fresh bottle of powdered infant formula for each feed. The recommended steps for preparing formula are:

1. Clean and disinfect all of the surfaces that you will be using, and wash your hands properly.
2. Boil water.
3. Let the water cool (for no more than 30 minutes) and pour it into a cleaned and sterilized bottle.
4. Add the exact recommended amount of powdered formula to the water. Do not dilute or concentrate the formula unless instructed by your pediatrician.
5. Assemble the bottle and mix the powdered formula thoroughly.
6. Quickly cool the bottle by holding it under running tap water or by placing it in a container of cold water or iced water.
7. Dry the outside of the bottle with a clean cloth.
8. Check the temperature of the formula so that it doesn't burn your baby's mouth.

Baby Formula Safety

After you prepare your baby's formula, you should follow some simple rules to keep your baby safe:

• Unless you refrigerate the prepared formula, feed it to your baby within two hours.
• If you do put the prepared formula in the refrigerator, be sure to use it within 24 hours.
• Don't warm baby bottles in the microwave. Heating formula in the microwave will scald the liwuid, making it too hot to drink. Instead, use a baby bottle warmer or place the bottles in a container of warm water.
• Once your baby starts drinking from a bottle, discard any formula that isn't finished within two hours and don't put the bottle back in the refrigerator. The unused formula should not be saved for later.
• If you find yourself throwing away large amounts of formula, consider preparing a smaller amount next time so that you don't have so much left over.

Safe Drinking Water

It is vitally important that you use safe drinking water in your baby's formula. However, the term safe drinking water is so general that you may question whether your tap water is safe and whether it should be boiled before using. The answer depends largely on if there is a chance that the water you are using could be contaminated with infectious microorganisms.

Using cold tap water to avoid lead contamination

When using tap water for baby formula, always use cold tap water that has run for 15 to 20 seconds rather than warm or hot tap water. The reason for this is that many homes still incorporate plumbing with lead. Hot water can concentrate the lead which is a risk factor for lead poisoning.

Unless you have an inline hot water heater, your hot water has sat in a hot water tank and may be contaminated with lead. Running the water to ensure a fresh flow and only using cold water can help reduce your baby's exposure to lead from tap water.

Boiling water doesn't get rid of lead. Many home water filters, including pitcher and faucet filters, do remove lead from drinking water, so you might want to purchase one before your baby arrives if you are worried about lead.

Boiling water to avoid infection

The advice to boil water is based on the idea that hot temperatures can kill most microorganisms. Here's a better understanding of those concerns:

• Tap water: For those using tap water from public water supplies, there is little danger, as the water supply is constantly monitored and warnings are issued if there is a risk of contamination. But because babies have weaker immune systems, many parents choose to boil tap water.
• Bacteria in formula: Using freshly boiled water can kill any bacteria that may be in the formula itself. This is beneficial, unless the formula contains added probiotics. Boiling water will kill the probiotics.
• How long to boil: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends if you have any concerns about whether your tap water is safe, you should boil it for up one minute and then use the boiled water within 30 minutes to mix the formula. The AAP recommends checking the safety of your water with your local health department if you're unsure of this step.
• Outside the U.S.: It's important to boil water if you are traveling out of the country where your baby can be exposed to unfamiliar microorganisms through the water.
• Well water: If you are using well water, boiling will not remove impurities and chemicals, and you should have your water tested for contaminants before using it.

Sterile Water

Purified, filtered, or bottled water should have fewer impurities and contaminants than tap water, including lead. It could still have bacteria, which may be killed by boiling.

Generally, breastfeeding is recommended for infants in high-risk situations, especially for premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. If you are using formula to feed your premature or sick baby, a sterile liquid baby formula or powdered formula mixed with sterile water is recommended.

Fluoride and Preparing Baby Formula

Experts often recommend that children should get fluoridated water to help prevent cavities. However, powdered formula is often fortified with fluoride too, so infants who are fed powdered or concentrated liquid formula which is mixed with fluoridated water can get too much fluoride.

Getting too much fluoride when your child's teeth are still forming can lead to enamel fluorosis, which can cause tooth staining. This staining may appear as faint white markings on your child's baby teeth, but it is not harmful to your baby.

Fortunately, fluorosis is usually very mild when it is caused by fluoridated water and baby formula and the staining is barely noticeable. You don't have to be concerned about fluorosis if you're breastfeeding your baby or using a ready-to-feed baby formula, or supplementing breastmilk with powdered formula.