Bottle feeding while out and about
If you are away from home - travelling abroad or out on a day trip, for example - it's important to follow careful guidelines to ensure you feed your baby safely.
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Transporting formula milk can cause harmful bacteria to grow so it's important to prepare and store your baby's feeds carefully by following these guidelines from the Department of Health and Food Standards Agency.
Before you leave
- Because of the potential for growth of harmful bacteria during transport, guidelines now state that the bottles should not be made up before you leave
- Prepare the correct quantity of sterilised water in your bottle
- Transport boiled water in a cool bag containing a frozen ice brick
- Add the correct amount of formula powder when the feed is required. Read our advice on preparing formula here
Re-warming stored feeds
- Re-warm using a bottle warmer, or by placing in a container of warm water
- Microwaves should never be used for re-warming a feed
- Never leave a feed warming for more than 15 minutes
- Shake the bottle to ensure the feed has heated evenly
- Check the feeding temperature by shaking a few drops onto the inside of the wrist - it should be lukewarm, not hot
Need advice?
Our health visitors and nursery nurses are on line Monday to Friday evenings to answer your queries on feeding, sleep and child health.
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Using ready-made formula
Many mums find it easier to use small cartons of ready prepared formula when they are out of about as although they are expensive, they can be less restrictive and offer more peace of mind when it comes to feeding your baby while travelling and out and about.
Need advice?
Our health visitors and nursery nurses are on line Monday to Friday evenings to answer your queries on feeding, sleep and child health.
