Is There an Easier Way?? Wasting Formula

My kids liked the formula warm so I kept a thermos of warm water easily accessible and used powder. I would pre-fill the powder into a bottle and put it next to the thermos.

HI Y.!
Could you try breast feeding him? No preparing bottles, keeping them cold, and it's always ready. I guess I'm just lazy and selfish, but I found it too work well. Let me know what you think!
smiles,
L., Brianna 21m & still bf'ing, and baby
butterflylindamarie at yahoo dot com

Have you tried making a bottle before you go to bed that way you have at least one to get started and if he needs more maybe he will be a little settled while you make the next one. does that formula come in a powder that way you can have the water in the bottles and just have to add the powder and shake real well to have his bottle.Good luck

I hope my advice is helpful. My partner thought of this one when i shifted to night shifts and my breast milk started drying out. I don't know if it will work for newborn baby. We make a caraffe like the kind that closes or a thermo will do. It keeps the water warm. Then we bring up the formula. So at your bedside you have your bottles, thermo and formula right next to it. Don't mix it until he wakes up. Make sure that you don't put the water in the thermo too hot because then you have to cool it down, put it warm enough for the baby to drink. Hold him with one hand, or if the daddy can help hold him, poor the water into bottle and add formula. Thats what i used to do but my partner he puts water in the bottle, which eventually gets cool, so he usually justs add two more ounces or so of the hot water from the thermo and it makes the whole thing warmer and then adds the formula. close bottle and shake. I guess you can start with two or four ounces and then see what he really drinks during the night so u dont waste it. I know the kind of formula you are using is really expensive. Wait i just realized does Alimentum come in powder. This only works with powder. I think powder is the way to go because when you open the ready-to-use it then you need to use it. I think powder is more for your money.

tell me if it works or you can't use powder.

boil your water (or do whatever youre going to do with it), fill bottles with enough water (2 or 3 oz, whatever your child will drink) and leave the water out. By the time you need it, it'll be room temperature, just add in however much powder you need.

Hi Y.,
Congratulations on your new arrival! I used the pre-mixed ready to feed formula for the entire year my son was on formula. It was a little (not much when I actually figured it out the cost ounce per ounce) more expensive and much easier. But at this point, when he's eating so little, you will find a quart will expire before you finish it.
Call the hospital where you delivered and ask them if you can get some extra small bottles llike they use there. I found them very willing to give out extra supplies and with my son, who was bottle fed, they have LOTS of samples as there are more breastfed babies. It couldn't hurt to call & ask--I remember those little 2 ounce bottles being SO convenient with a newborn.
When I tried using the powder, what I would do was mix a days worth in a jar or pitcher and warm it from there bottle by bottle. It won't be long til he's using up more and more ounces each day and you will see the waste will decrease. I think there are also bedside bottle warmers you can use through the night--like make up 2 or 3 little bottles and warm each O. up in a minute or so as needed. I never used O. but I heard they are great. Good luck!

Has your 3 year old actually ever woken up? If so, have you ever tried using white noise at night?
We have a 2 1/2 yr old and a 1 yr old and live in a small ranch house with the kids rooms right next to each other. Each child has a small cd player with a white noise cd (bought it at Babies R US) that is on repeat. This seemed to do the trick with helping to block out all other noises.
Good luck!
M.

Hi there.I had the same problem with my son at night. I just used powdered formula. He liked his bottles at room temperature, so I just kept some distilled water, bottles and powder upstairs at night. That way you can just use a few ounces and make more if your baby wants it. Good luck.

In regards to some of the advice; I have read that it is not safe to use warm tap water to make formula. Compared with cold tap water, warm water is far more likely to carry lead that has leached out from the plumbing. This is why formula prep directions state to use cold water :) Sorry to be a downer! Congrats on your new son and Good luck, Y.!

Typically formule is good for 24 hours, so if you prepare, say, 10 oz or so before bed, you should have plenty to make it through the night but not too much that it goes bad before getting used. I make one batch of formula every day...altho my son is pretty predictable as to how much he will eat in a day. I would think a typical one week old would be consuming 2 or 3 ounces in a feeding, about 6 or 7 bottles a day. Does that sound about right?

Hi! I know what you mean. What I did was make bottles in 2oz or 4 oz and then it helps to cut down on the cost and you can make sure he is getting enough.

I don't know if Alimentum (isn't that the stinky stuff?) is powder or ready to feed, but I'd keep one measured bottle of water, and another of powder, when the baby woke up I'd just mix it. Maybe I'm a bad Mom, but I never warmed a bottle. And my kids didn't know any better! It made life much easier! Your kiddo is only 5 days old, I'm sure he'd get used to it fast.

Good luck!

Hi Y.. I am not sure about the Alimentum, but I used Good Start and you can make enough formula for two days and keep it in the frig. It won't go bad. So in the middle of the night you can just put a couple of ounces in the bottle and go. Also, at five days old, the baby probably won't drink any more that three ounces, so I would say that's a safe bet. I would think he's probably drinking about two ounces a feeding? So when you make the formula batch just figure how many bottles a day you would need and then make enough formula for two days and then start all over. I hope this helps...as for in the middle of the night, my husband would actually go get the formula and heat it up while I changed the baby's diaper. If that isn't possible for you then I would say you have to take him with you to get it...sorry.

Will your son take a pacifier for the few minutes until the bottle is ready? My son still loves his soothie pacifier from the hospital. I went out and bought more for him. He is almost 1 now.

Every day will get easier and your son will survive for a few minutes and I also doubt your older child will wake up.

try using the ready to feed Alimentum forumla. The ready to use kind is soo much easier for night feedings. Or even get a bottle warmer.

I used to keep hot water in a thermos and premeasured the formula into the bottles and set everything out ready to go. Then when he wakes, all you have to do is pour the water and mix. Hope this helps.

We also went through many trials with feeding. My duaghter was a preemie and we had many problems. I know how hard it is to throw away expensice formula. We tried Alimentum. Does your baby need to be on that? Not sure of your circumstance as to why your baby needs special formula. Does it come in powder now? I remember it did not when we tried it. DO you have a small microwave in your room? You Could heat it just enough to get the chill out. I wouldn't worry about your older child. They get use to the noise and sleep through it. This phase will pass quickly and soon you will have him on a schedule. Is there someone that can help you at night? That may make things go quicker. I wouldn't worry about the little you may be wasting at this point. If he stays on it for the long term wiat till they are drinking more than a full can a day and you are having to pay for that. Maybe call the company and see if you can get premade bottles for the short term in the small 2 or 4 ounce size. I did that with the particular formula we had to buy. Hope som of this helps L.

Hi Y.,

My son is 8 days old and we waste formula as well. I bring a thermos of hot water up with me and make 2oz bottles at a time. He doesn't take any more than that right now. The thermos stays warm for most of the night. The morning bottle is a bit cold, but baby doesn't seem to mind. Everything is right there, so I can get the bottle made fast and then pick my son up. Your older child may sleep through the crying, so far my two year old has.

Good luck, right now it is just trial and error!

D.

The best trick I know is to fill a couple bottles with just the water portion and keep them warm or room temperature by setting them on a heating pad on your night stand. Then when he is ready to eat add the powder, shake it up and its ready!

Hello Y.:
How much will only depend on the individual baby. You will have to look at how much he of the formula he drinks. If he drinks, 8 oz. during the day then try making 4 oz. bottles and even have one 8 oz. available that you can transfer some of this to his bottle, just make sure you warm us his formula. Have you tried using a bottle warmer? It will keep the formula warm. Hope this helps.

I used to make a pitcher full at night for the entire next day, usually 16-24 ounces. I used one you can shake with a pour spout and measurements on the side. You can keep premixed formula in the pitcher for 24 hours instead of throwing away unused formula in the bottle.

My daughter was on Alimentum so I know what you mean when you say PRICEY!

I never warmed her bottles up, as she drank room temp water from the start. At night I would have a bottle filled with water and a little container that held 3 servings of formula (with 3 different compartments - you can find them at Target). When she would wake up - I would simply pour a serving into the bottle (with water already in it) shake it up and serve! It took 2 seconds. It was perfect. You should try it!

I think having the formula pre-measured and then adding warm water sounds good, but must admit I never did it that way. We usually pre-mixed enough formula for a day and then warmed.

I always used the playtex bottles with disposable liners and think that they heat faster than regular bottles.

For my daughter in the middle of the night, I would place the playtex bottle with disposable liner into a large cup of Hot tap water. By the time I changed her diaper, it was warm enough. During the day we would microwave a mug of water to warm the bottle in - slower but doesn't waste a bunch of water like the other method.

I must confess though for my son (the younger of the two), we just started microwaving the formula. This was the fastest of all the methods we used.

S.

Hi Y.,
I'm not sure what kind of formula Alimentum is. I used Enfamil powder. Since it was powder and I mixed it with water, I used to fill the bottles with water at night ( 4 oz or whatever amt my daughter was drinking at the time) I would also measure out the powder formula and put it in a container and take both water and powder upstairs. When my baby cried, all I had to do was dump the powder into the bottle filled with the water and shake. I never heated bottles. From what I read, there is no reason to heat a bottle. If you get your baby used to heating, then that it what he will want, so I never started that habit. I don't know if this helps. If Alimentum is ready mixed, that is a different story. Do you have to use that brand?

I dont understand why you are wasting formula. If the formula is in the little fridge it will be fine. If you make 3 2oz. bottles and he only drinks 2 bottles the other bottle will still be OK to use later in the day as long it stays cool.
I always use a bottle warmer at night. I make up 2 bottles, place them in the cooler part of the warmer with an ice pack. Then when the baby needs them I warm them with the warmer. If there is a bottle left over in the morning, I use that bottle for the first feeding of the day.
Dont feel like you have to throw away formula becuuse it isnt used right away. As long as it is kept cool it is fine, just like regular milk. In fact, I mix my formula up in large quanities and keep it in the fridge. That way I only fill bottles with as much formula as the baby needs. This way you can just put 3 oz. in a bottle if that is all he is drinking at one time. Look on your formula container. Usually it is 1 cup of formula to 23 oz of water. Go to the store and buy a water bottle that has oz. markings on it and you are set to go.
Hopefully you will find this way the easiest with the least waste.

hi Y.. congrats on your new son. hope you both are doing well. i would also sugguest getting the ready to feed bottles for at night time. they are great. they are much too expensive to use all day long though. but most formula companies have web sites that you can order ready to feed bottles and nipples to fit them right online. i think it comes in 2 ounce bottles if i remember correctly. sometimes i had to use 2 bottles at a time once my little girl started eating more. but you will get the hang of it. the ready to feed are great as long as your baby will eat it room tempurature. good luck!

Y.,
I used to formula feed my kids when they were infants after i couldn't breast feed them anymore, so I know what you are going through. My suggestion is to start him off on 4 to 6 ounces of formula at first, that way you can figure out how much he will drink in a feeding. If the 4 ounces don't fill him up, then go on to 6 ounces and see how that works. You can still continue to make it in advance, and keep the bottles in the mini fridge in your room, and if he needs more than 4 then give him another bottle, or you could just skip the 4 and start on the 6. My other suggestion to you is to get a bottle warmer and keep it plugged into a receptacle in your room. That way you can keep him with you while the bottle is warming, and that frees up your hands. The formula keeps in the refrigerater for at least a couple of days and maybe up to a week if it is kept cooled. It should tell you on the canister about how long it keeps once it is made. I used to make up a pitcher of it at a time so I didnt have to worry about making it every time my children needed to be fed. It was a lot easier for me, and a little quicker too because all I had to do is pour it into a bottle and warm it up. I hope that these suggestions help you. At least that way if he doesnt drink all of it not much would be wasted at a time.
A.

According to my pediatricians, it is actually best to feed your baby formula that is room temperature. This way you don't have to worry about heating it all the time and their bellies get used to having it at room temperature. Double check with your doctors to see if this is okay with them for your son. I don't know if he has a medical conditions that necessitates you warming it.

As for night feedings, we used the powder formula. We weren't on the Alimentum but I know that the Alimentum does come in a powder variety. Since we aren't heating the bottles, I would simply prepare bottles that were ready with the water all premeasured out and put them on my bedside table along with the can of powdered formula. When the baby woke up, I would add the formula and comfort the baby while I gently shook the bottle to mix the formula. The baby still fusses a little but prep time is cut way back and you get to the feeding part a bit quicker.

Like I said, check with your doctor. If you don't have to heat the bottles, you can prepare everything before hand except the mixing. This also means less wasting of formula.

I also bought a formula container. It is a small compartmentalized container. The lid spins so that each section can hold the premeasured amount of formula for one bottle. I use it in my diaper bag but also use it at night now instead of taking the can to bed with us. This way I don't even have to measure the formula powder. I just open the bottle, lift the lead of the formula container, dump in the formula, replace the caps and shake the bottle.

Anyhow, hope this helps. Good luck with your little guy. Oh, one last thought. My son (7 months old) will take a pacifier sometimes while I am fixing the bottle. It doesn't last for long but sometimes keeps him quiet long enough to get the bottle ready.

Hi Y.

Is alimentum available in powder form or is a concentrated liquid? If it's powder, premake the bottles without adding the water. Add warm water so you don't have to heat it up. I actually used to make a bunch of 2 oz bottles and if they finished one, I'd just use another.

Also, I think you might find your 3 year old oblivious to the new baby cries. Mine was, and still is. He has never once woken up when the baby did overnight, so try to relax a little. In a few weeks ( so far away I know) things will be more organized and it won't be so daunting.

Congratulations on your new arrival!

I used powdered formula, and kept water at room temp. in the bottle. I also kept the powder pre-measured for night so when the baby woke up i just tossed the formula in the bottle of room temp water and shook it up and gave it to him. hope this helps.

2-3 ounces at each feeding for newborns is usually enough. Their stomachs are only as big as their fists, so if you look at your little ones hands you can see that he really can't eat much at a feeding right now. My baby was drinking 2 ounces per feeding for the first two weeks then we started bumping him up a 1/2 ounce at a time as we noticed him getting hungry sooner. Usually newborn get hungry every 2-3 hours. Once he starts getting hungry sooner in between, it is time to bump him up a 1/2 once. My mother-in-law has been a great help teaching me how much to feed and how often he should eat. Maybe your partner could make the bottle while you soothe your little one, or vice versa. Hope this helps.

I did what another poster also did. We would prefill the bottles with room temp water. Then we would premeasure the powder into one of the little plastic holders that is divided up specifically to hold formula powder. Then in the middle of the night, we would just dump the formula in an shake. We never heated up the bottles for my son and he never cared.

2-3 ounces at most in bottle

I would make the bottles in advance. But, only the amount of ounces in the bottle that I knew my kids would each. At 5 days old, I would only have to make 4 oz of formula in each bottle. Then when my child started crying in the middle of the night. I would get quickly place a bottle in the bottle warmer. This way the bottle was warming up while I was changing my child's diaper. When I was finished changing the diaper, the bottle was ready.

I have a lot of customers that use the Pampered Chef quick stir pitcher for formula. It's very easy to mix & store and when you need to pour another bottle, you can do a quick mix before pouring. No messy spoons or anything. It comes in a 2 qt and gal size & would fit in the door of your fridge to save space. Let me know if you need more info on how to get one.

Could you use warm water to make the formula? It would cut out a step.

Ps. For tips on calming him in the middle of the night, I highly recommend the Happiest Baby on the Block video, by Harvey Karp MD, we got it when our 2nd child was born, it's amazingly effective. You can get it at any book store and the library. http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/

My SIL would measure out powder into a bottle and add room temp bottled or nursery water when it was time. All she had to do was shake it, no warming or anything.

Try tracking when he wakes up and how much he eats. Then you can try to get to him before he is screaming. Also I have found using the concentrated liquid easer. You can keep that in your mini fridge and use very hot tap water to warm it and constitute it. Or if you have a kettle you can heat the water in that. Since the formula is going to be cold it will counter the heat of the water.
And as the liquid mixes half and half it can be easer if you want odd amounts. I would use a separate bottle for measuring the water so you don’t over dilute, and then pour it into the formula bottle to serve.

One idea is keep making your bottles ahead of time, then when it's time to feed him fill a small pot up with hot tap water. Put the bottle in the pot and while you change his diaper let the bottle warm up. This is what I used to do. The other idea is to use powder formula until you get a feel for what he needs.

Hello Y...my advice would be to make 2 ounces and give him that and if he is hungry for more make him 2 more. I would just make 2 ounce bottles for your mini fridge at first though..hope this helps..good luck!

C. :)

All the suggestions you got are good, you'll get the swing soon. Just thought I would let you know though that many insurance companies will cover the Alimentum. I had to use it with my son and I paid 20 dollars for thirty bottles of liquid formula a month. Got it through the pharmacy like any other prescription. Just have your ped. write a prescription for it and bring it to your pharmacy. They may have to order it, but at 10 bucks a bottle a little foot work is well worth it!! Good luck.

HI Y.!

I bottle fed all 3 of my babies and it is very trying at first. 2 of 3 were also on very expnsive formula's so I bought the same kind of bottles they gave them in the hospital. They were 4 oz bottles and it was so easy for the first few weeks just to grab it and heat it up. My babies would drink 2 oz at first then move onto 4 oz. Then it was time to fill a regular bottle. I used the kind with the drop ins and made them every night before bed and put them in the frige. Trust me, it will get easier! It is hard to try not to wake up your 3 year old but you will see to that he will probably become used to it and will sleep right through it. Hope this helps and hang in there. Take Care! L.

My first two boys were very large babies and was almost eating a full bottle right away. With my triplets, they were preemies and came home 3 weeks after birth. They ate just a few ounces. With triplets, you keep them on a schedule with feeding and stuff. You have to. With a singleton, you can feed on demand. But one thing we had to do as well was chart everything so the doc would know what was going on because I was too sleep deprived to remember who pooped when, lol. You could try charting to help you track how much your son eats and how often. Then you'd have a better idea, on average, of what her ate. Some babies are screamers when it's time to eat, lol. That's not uncommon and many of us with singletons have carried our new baby and did things with one hand, even using our feet to shut doors, lol. Some triplets moms keep crock pots in their room on low with water in them and it only takes a bit to warm. Your son should be eating about the same amount after 5 days. Maybe try powder formula and mix a bottle as you need it. If he needs another once or two, just mix it at the sink.

K. B
mom of 5 including triplets

Sweetie, I hope youre using the 4 oz bottles, and he only needs approx. 2 oz and youre going to waste some formula on the newborns.. Powder formula,doesnt have to be warm-room temp is ok, and you know to change his diaper first so he can eat comfortably and right back to bed.