Formula + Boiled water

nesf

How long do you need to keep doing this? I know there are very good reasons for sterilising etc before 3-6 months but after 12 months is this still necessary?

embee

No need once your child is 12 months +, nesf. In fact, I stopped sterilising on Rhiannons 1st birthday, and I started introducing full fat cows milk over a 2 week period. I went

Days 1-4 : Formula mixed with cows milk (half and half)
Days 5-8 : Gradually reduced it to 1 part formula to 3 parts cows milk
Days 9-11 : Watered down cows milk (about 60% milk, 40% water)
Days 12-14 : Gradually reduced amount of water until Day 14 was full cows milk.

She took to it grand. I used the wee cartons of ready-made formula instead of messing around with powder. So much handier.

Her bottles just get thrown into the dishwasher twice a week to stop them getting grimy looking, but I handwash them the rest of the time in soapy water.

HTH.

nesf

Thanks embee. (tried to respond yesterday but boards didn't seem to want to leave me for some reason).

We do the soapy water + dishwasher thing too and he's happy enough to drink cow's milk from a cup etc. I just looked around and couldn't see anything about having to use boiled water to make formula for anyone over 6 months. There just seems to be little information about it.

crosstownk

After 12 months we switched to cows milk and stopped sterilising. Our youngest (7mo) currently has bottles sterilised but I fail to see the point given he rolls about the floor and puts all manners of toys/objects into his gob. We still boil the water, simply because that's the instructions on the formula tin.

On a related subject - does anyone know why the boiled water must be left stand for 30 mins? (it was 45 mins on the same brand of formula 3 years ago).

Crea

The water has to cool down before adding the formula otherwise the heat can kill certain vitamins and nutrients.
OP - i'd advise to keep boiling the water for the formula because that's what is recommended and to do otherwise may make your child sick. Best to err on the side of caution.

loyatemu

drop the formula after 1st birthday - you can switch to one of the "growing-up" milks, but these are expensive. If the child eats well enough then ordinary full fat milk from a cup will be fine (most sources recommend dropping the bottle at this age as well, but I see plenty of kids of 3 or 4 going around in buggies with bottles in their hands, so I suppose this is up to you...).