| Bottle Feeding (see also Allergy, Equipment for Babies and Toddlers, First Aid, Home Safety) Most mothers offer a bottle feed to their baby at some time. Even those who breast feed may use bottles and teats for expressed milk. Bottles and teats must be scrupulously clean. It is best to reserve a bottle brush solely for the use of cleaning baby's bottles, and the teat should be turned inside out when it is washed to make sure it is clean. Then they should be sterilised thoroughly. There are several methods of achieving this such as the chemical method (immersing the equipment in water which has been chemically treated by tablet or liquid), the electric method (with a steam steriliser) or the microwave method (using a special steriliser). All these methods work well as long as the instructions are followed. For instance, do not sterilise bottles in the microwave without a special steriliser, as there may be cold spots that are not properly sterile. Make sure you store sterilising liquids, powders and tablets away from children. Feeding with Expressed Milk Breast milk can be stored in sterilised bottles in the fridge for up to 24 hours. It can also be frozen for a maximum of 3 months. Leave it to thaw in the fridge before using and warm it when you are ready to feed. Heating feeds in the microwave is not considered safe because the feed can feel cool on the outside while being very hot in the middle. The safest option is to put the full bottle in a jug of hot water and leave for a few minutes. Making up Formula Feeds
Do not keep feeds warm for any length of time. If you need to take a feed out with you take hot water in a flask and add the milk powder at feeding time. For further information contact: www.childalert.co.uk does not take responsibility or liability for any loss damage costs claim or expense arising as a result of relying on information contained on this web site. The advice given is based on recommendations from independent experts. |