Making up a bottle

Different infant formulas can have slightly different instructions but there are guidelines that parents should be aware of regardless of the brand of infant formula that they are using.

Each feed given to baby should be freshly made. Bottles should only be prepared as they are needed after first making sure that work surfaces are clean, hands are thoroughly washed and the bottle and other equipment is sterilized.

1. Fresh water must be thoroughly boiled and left to cool. Ideally, this cooled water should be at 70°C. It may be a good idea to only boil as much water as is needed to reduce cooling time. 500ml should cool to 70°C in 15 minutes.

2. Pour the required amount of cooled water into the bottle, and using the scoop provided, add only the amount of infant milk powder recommended on the product packaging. Do not use heaped scoops of powder. Use a dry, clean knife to level the powder in the scoop. Do not compress it.

3. The sterilized teat and cap should then be put on the bottle before shaking it thoroughly. The bottle should then be held under running cold water to cool the contents. Shake a few drops onto the inside of your wrist to test the temperature before feeding baby. The milk should be lukewarm.

4. The contents of a bottle that has been only partially drunk should be thrown away after one hour. After 2 hours, the contents of the bottle should be thrown away even if it has not been used.