Let the water cool down to a safe temperature – lukewarm or around room temperature. This will take at least 30 minutes. You can put cooled, boiled water in sterilised bottles and store them sealed with a ring and cap in the fridge until needed. Use these bottles within 24 hours.
Store boiled water in a tightly sealed, sterilized container for 1 day (24 hours) at room temperature or up to 3 days (72 hours) in the fridge. Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
Measure the water after boiling. Let cool for five minutes. Prepare the formula. Put the bottle under cold running water or in an ice bath to cool.
If you are boiling water in a pot on the stove, let the water come to a rolling boil. Once the water is boiled, leave it to cool, then pour into a sterilised container, cover and put into the fridge. This is your supply of cooled, boiled water to use for the whole day. Keep only for 24 hours.
Boil the water when needed.
For infants under 3 months of age, those who were born prematurely and those who have a weakened immune system, hot water should be used to prepare formula to kill any microbes. To do this, boil the water and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
Boil water, even if it is bottled water. Let the water cool (for no more than 30 minutes) and pour it into a cleaned and sterilized bottle. Add the exact recommended amount of powdered formula to the water. Assemble the bottle and mix the powdered formula thoroughly.
When learning how to prepare bottles for night feeds, the NHS recommends boiling a litre of fresh tap water and pouring it into a previously sterilised bottle. Next, add the correct amount of formula and shake to dissolve the milk powder before cooling the milk to the correct temperature.
Water that hasn't been boiled can also contain bacteria. Formula therefore needs to be made up with water hot enough to kill the bacteria, which is at least 70 degrees C. This means boiling the kettle and leaving it to cool for no longer than 30 minutes, so that it remains at a temperature of at least 70 degrees C.
Take it out of the fridge just before you leave and carry it in a cool bag with an ice pack, and use it within 4 hours.
For a bottle of formula, prepared at 70°C to cool to a safe temperature of approximately 37°C, it will need to sit for at least 30 minutes, possibly longer. This may allow bacteria time to multiply and is contradictory to usual safety advice for any other foods.
Can you mix formula with cold water straight from the tap or bottle? The Mayo Clinic stated that you can absolutely make the formula with cold water, and feed your baby cold formula.
Can babies drink cold formula? Baby formula doesn't have to be warm. It's fine to feed your baby cool or even cold formula. It's all up to your baby's preference – they may prefer it warm, at room temperature, or even chilled, and all of those options are just fine.
From 0 to 6 months
Fully breastfed babies do not need any water until they've started eating solid foods. During hot weather they may want to breastfeed more than usual. If you're bottle feeding, as well as their usual milk feeds, you can give your baby a little cooled boiled water.
Water. Once your baby has started to eat solid foods (from around 6 months) you can offer them sips of water from a cup or beaker with meals. Drinking water for babies over 6 months does not need to be boiled first. Fully breastfed babies do not need any water until they've started eating solid foods.
If you need to make up formula in advance, it should be used within: 24 hours if stored in a fridge. four hours in a cool bag with an ice pack. two hours at room temperature.
The safest way to pre-prepare bottles is to make the bottles in the evening in the normal way, ensuring the powder is added to freshly boiled water. Then immediately cool the milk under running cold water or in a bowl of cold water.
If it's a short trip, pack your prepared formula in a cooler or insulated bag with lots of ice packs. This can be done with prepared powdered, concentrate, or ready-to-feed formulas. Prepared formula can be stored within a cooler bag with ice packs for as long as the temperature inside remains cold enough.
Always add the powder to the water that is in the bottle, not the other way around. Boil the water when needed. For infants under 3 months of age, those who were born prematurely and those who have a weakened immune system, hot water should be used to prepare formula to kill any microbes.
Boil the water for one minute and let it cool no longer than 30 minutes. The water must be no cooler than 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) to kill the bacteria in the formula.
By 9 months, almost all formula fed babies should be sleeping through the night. If night wakings are still occurring it's not likely due to hunger. The first time your baby sleeps through the night without needing to eat is a milestone to be celebrated.
Prepare powdered formula with hot water (at least 158 F/70 C) to kill any germs. Boil water and let it cool for about five minutes before making a bottle. Refrigerate the bottle right away or cool it and give it to your baby.
It's unlikely your baby would sleep better with formula milk, though there are some differences between breast-fed and formula-fed babies when it comes to sleep. Breast-fed babies are more likely to sleep in shorter bursts, sleep less deeply and take longer to sleep through the night .
Formula powder is not sterile and when made up it provides an ideal medium for bacteria to grow. Using boiled water of at least 70°C to make up the feed will reduce the risk of your baby becoming unwell with infections like sickness or diarrhoea. Any harmful bacteria present will be killed at this temperature.
Herbal helpers
Pour on boiling water and let it steep for 10 to 20 minutes until it's cooled. Give your baby one tablespoon to one ounce, in a bottle or on a spoon, two to four times a day. “If it's going to work for your baby,” says Kemper, “you will see results in a day or two.”