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Infant Formula 95

Making up and storing infant formula and allowed to cool, covered, for up to 30 minutes.
This ensures it is still above 70°C. Each bottle
To reduce the risk of bacterial contamination, up should be made up according to the instructions
until an infant is 12 months old all bottles and teats on the packaging. Ideally each bottle should be
must be washed in hot soapy water and then made up just before feeding to the infant and
sterilized before formula milk is added to them. discarded if not consumed within two hours. To
make up a feed outside the home, parents should
All formula milks are offered in two formats: take the powdered milk and a vacuum flask of
dry powder and liquid ready-to-feed. They are water that has been boiled and poured into the
compared in Table 4.1.4. vacuum flask within 30 minutes of boiling. The
feed can then be made up in a sterilized bottle
Making up powdered formula when needed.
Current guidelines for making up powdered infant
formula can be accessed on the Food Standards Care should be taken not to over- or under-
Agency website (www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/ concentrate the feed:
pdfs/formulaguidance.pdf). Only safe water
should be used for making up formula feeds: ●● the scoop supplied with the milk powder should
always be used
Safe water sources Unsafe water
●● 1 level scoop of powder should be added for each
in the UK sources 30 mL boiled water

• Freshly drawn cold tap • Water from the hot ●● care should be taken not to overpack the milk
powder in the scoop as this will over-concentrate
water tap the feed.

• Bottled water that • Spring or mineral Over-concentration of feeds can result in
complies with tap water that does not constipation, vomiting and excess weight gain.
water regulations – it comply with tap water Under-concentrating feeds will not provide the
may be labelled as regulations infant with sufficient calories or nutrients for
‘suitable for making growth and development.
up infant formula’. • Carbonated water
The sodium content Making up formula feeds while travelling
should be less than • Water that has been or on holiday outside the UK
that allowed in tap softened with a The customer care line of each formula milk
water which is sodium exchange company can advise on a suitable formula milk
200 mg/L pump

• Well water

Water for feeds, whether freshly drawn tap water
or bottled water, should be boiled, but only once,

Table 4.1.4 Ready-to-feed and powdered formulas compared

Liquid ready-to-feed formula Powdered formula

Sterile Yes – until opened No – because it cannot be manufactured and packaged
Making up without the chance of some bacterial contamination
Storage Ready-to-feed
Must be made up with boiled water as per instructions on
Cost Once opened it can be stored in a the packaging
refrigerator kept at 5°C or below
for up to 24 hours Keep tin in cool dry cupboard
Once made up it can be stored in a refrigerator kept at 5°C
More expensive or below for up to 24 hours
Ideally it should be made up just before feeding to the
infant

Less expensive