How to prepare a bottlefeed

The following will give you guidance on how to prepare a formula feed. If you are using a special milk please check the pack carefully as the instructions may be different.

• Wash your hands and sterilise all utensils according to manufacturers’ instructions
• Boil 1 litre of freshly-run water. Leave the kettle to cool for 30 minutes, but no longer. Do not use artificially softened or repeatedly boiled water.
• Measure the right amount of water (refer to your pack) into a sterilised bottle. Do not add powder to boiling water due to the risk of scalding.
• Always use the scoop provided – level off the powder with the built-in leveller. Do not press or heap the powder.
• Add one scoop to every 30ml (1fl oz) of cooled boiled water. Add the correct number of scoops to the water. Adding too many or too few scoops can be harmful.
• Securely replace the seal on the bottle and shake well (for 10 seconds) to dissolve the powder. Remove the seal and replace with a sterilised teat.
• Cool the bottle under a running tap and then check the temperature of the feed against your wrist. Feed immediately.
• Discard unfinished feeds within 2 hours.

We've made a short video to help guide you through the process:

It is safest to prepare a fresh feed each time you need one. However, sometimes you may need to make a batch of feeds that will last you 24 hours.

To safely store a batch of made-up bottles:

• Make up the number of feeds required following the steps above.
• Place the cooled bottles in the back of the fridge (not in the door of the fridge, to make sure the temperature of the feeds are kept stable).
• Make sure the temperature of the fridge is set to 5°C or less.
• The feeds stored at the back of the fridge will be fine to use for up to 24hours, throw away any feed not used after this.

Using a feed stored in the back of the fridge:

• Remove the bottle from the fridge just before you need it.
• You can feed it cold or if you prefer to warm it, place the bottle in a bowl of warm water, making sure the level of the water is below the neck of the bottle. You can also use a bottle-warmer.
• Do not warm the feed for more than 15 minutes.
• Check the temperature of the milk by dripping a little onto the inside of your wrist. It should feel lukewarm, not hot.

• Once you take a feed out of the fridge the same 2 hour rule mentioned above applies. So once out of the fridge, use the feed within 2 hours.