Formula - Malvern, PA

M., Our ped told us that it is ok to put un used formula in the fridge as long as we use it within 24 hours. Now that my son is eating cereal I use it for that if there is any leftover. Just be careful when re-heating the formula in micro. We only reheat to get the chill off. Good luck

Sometimes I put warmed formula back in the fridge. It depends how long it's been out and how much it was heated. I just make a judgment call, but if I'm unsure I always throw out. I stick to the rule of letting it sit out of the fridge no longer than 2 hours and no longer than 24 hours in the fridge. If it's been warmed and then put back in the fridge I pretty much try to use it right away next time I pull it out of the fridge.

I use to put heated formula back in the fridge alot with my last daughter she was always waking up and then falling back to sleep

hi M.. sometimes my daughter would do this with her milk or formula also. sometimes she would wake again and drink it within the "hour." othertimes she would drink half of it and fall asleep. i wouldnt throw it out right away even though her mouth was on it, just incase she didnt sleep long and would be able to finish it later. however, if she slept for 2 hours, i would toss it out and start fresh. i think as long as your little one doesnt sleep for more than an hour or so... it should be safe to give them that same bottle. i, personally, never put it back in the fridge after already heating it up. i would just try to use it within an hour and a half or so. my daughter never got a belly ache or anything but we just tried to use the heated milk with in 2 hours. if she slept longer than that, we just called it a loss and made fresh. hope this helps you.

I was told that the reason you throw the bottle away is because when the babys mouth touches the nipple it produces enzymes and that is why it needs to be thrown away. However, if a bottle is sitting out too long it would also need to be tossed. Your situation of the baby not using it and it not sitting long means that it would be perfectly safe to put back in the fridge until the morning.

yes, put the bottle in the fridge if it right after you make it so you do not waste formula. it should stay good for a day or two. open the bottle and smell it. you will know if it is good or not.

I wouldn't keep it. I used to fear bacteria would accumulate in the formula. I know it seems like you're waisting it, but I'd rather waste a little formula then have a sick baby.

put it right back in the fridge. Only reheat it once though.

actually shouldn't even make it warm, just take little chill out.

Some doctors still on the old ways, just like you don;t have to sterilize nipples and bottles anymore.

As far as I know, the reason that formula needs to be thrown away after a feeding starts or after an hour is because of the possiblity of bacterial contamination after your baby starts to feed. There's always a little bit of "backwash" when your baby sucks, and the normal bacteria in your son's mouth will multiply in the sweet environment of formula (or breast milk). If you're just heating the bottle and he's never touched it, it should be fine to put back in the fridge for one time. Hope this helps!!

Are you talking about feeding during the night? I would say, instead of making him a bottle...see if he will fall back asleep without it. I don't know how old your son is, but they reach a point where they may wake a little at night, but aren't truly hungry. I had to learn that one with my daughter...just because she woke up, I didn't necessarily have to feed her. In fact, if I didn't bother her, she would go back to sleep on her own. If your son is back asleep before the bottle is made, this may be the case. Just a thought to save yourself some sleep and formula!

For my kids what i always did was have bottled water(at room temp)and waited to make the bottle until i knew for sure that they where hungry...
I never heated bottles up just used room temp water

I never kept formula after it had been heated. If you make it and can get it in the fridge before heating, its ok, but if you heat it, my personal opinion is I wouldn't keep it.

I wouldn't put heated milk back in the fridge...as for me, it depended on how long the baby was goig to be asleep. Either I'd wake him up and feed him or if I knew he was waking up in an hour I'd keep it at room temp for him. I had no problem with that, some might- it's up to you.

I too, believe that the only reason to trow it out is because the baby has drank from the bottle. If it wasn't drank from at all, then there should be no problem with putting it back in the fridge and using it for the next feeding. Just double check with your doctor to make sure that there is no problem with formula changing temperatures so many times, warm-cold-warm again. It shouldn't be a problem but its worth checking. You could probably call your peds office and just ask over the phone, that is a simple question to answer for them. Jennifer

I make a bottle, put it in the fridge after 2 hrs or less(if they won't finish it) and reheat only one more time. I have 4 kids, never had a problem with it.

you should be fine putting it back in the fridge as long as it hasnt sat out more than 1 hour. its milk with the same principle as the milk we drink when it sits out and gets all nasty yuk, and if baby hasnt drank from it it can go back in the fridge. when baby drinks from it you get the bacteria from inside babies mouth inside it,like backwash . formula is so expensive but a needed item. why couldnt i come up with a gold mine like that!!LOL M.

If it's been heated, you won't want to put it back in the fridge. However, you can keep it warm and if he wakes up again soon then you can use it.

Are you talking about night feeding? I don't know how old your baby is - but if it is a night you may consider not feeding him (unless he has special feeding needs). Especially if he wakes up and is sometimes going back to sleep.

Also - I never heated the bottles for my babies. I always served them cold! I guess parly becuase I don't like heated drinks - but I could never find a good explination why they had to be heated. I always thought it would be safer not to heat up plus easier and more portable. The doctors agreed when I discussed it with them so I just kept to it.

Good luck!

Hi M.,

Unfortunately formula is prone to bacterial growth, so I think it would be on the safer side not to reuse, esp after the baby already made contact with the contents. I might not be too worried to just put it in the fridge until the next feeding like you are saying, but I don't think I would keep it for more than a day. Also, you know about not microwaving the bottle, right? The plastic leaches into the formula when it's microwaved in the bottle. The best way is to let it sit in a warm pot of heated up water. If you want more info on this, you can google "phlalates" & "bisphenols" that are in plastics, which there have been numerous studies on the neurological effects on infants. Buying glass bottles helps to eliminate this problem...

GL,

Meg

I know, I was told the same thing about formula when I was using it for my son, but I hatted throwing it out if there was a lot left. Formula is expensive enough as it is. Your fine putting it back in the fridge as long as you use it for the next feeding.