Parenting is a task with steep learning curves where you get to learn new things everyday. From taking care of your baby’s hygiene to feeding them with care, you learn a lot.
When feeding your baby with bottled milk, you may warm it up as per the taste, but when your baby takes the first few sips, they suddenly lose interest. Now, what will be your next step, will you save the formula for later or pour it down the drain?
Here you will learn some essential tips about warming baby bottles and how long to keep the formula bottle.
How Long Can You Safely Use a Heated Formula Bottle?
Once a formula is warmed it should be used within one hour. The leftovers of that formula should not be heated again or put in use. It is because if you warm the formula again it will lose all the essential nutrients and also expose the risk of bacterial contamination.
If you reuse the formula for your baby, the bacteria can lead multiply quickly and lead to potential health risks such as stomach indigestion.
General Guidelines for Storing Heated Formula Bottles
Here is how you can store heated formulas,
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Fresh formula – You can place the freshly made formula at the room temperature setting of 77°F or 25°C for not more than two hours.
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Partially fed – The warm formula which is partially taken by the baby, should be used within an hour.
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Reuse – Do not reheat the formula that your baby has half taken already.
You can also rely on Ultra-Fast Baby Bottle Warmer to warm your baby bottles without compromising safety.
Signs That Heated Formula Bottles Have Gone Bad
Well, you cannot always rely on one sign only, so here is how you can tell if the formula has gone bad,
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Pungent Smell – Just by smelling the formula you will realize that it is no longer in use.
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Clumps – The curdled texture highlights that the formula has gone bad.
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Discoloration – Well, this is the highly unsafe point where you will observe different coloured formula.
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Refusal – If your baby does not take the formula, do check if it is spoiled or not.
Factors That Affect the Shelf Life of Heated Formula
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Handling – If you take proper care of bottle sanitization and cleanliness then that adds to the shelf life.
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Temperature – If your house is warm and the temperature is set to grow bacteria quickly then cut down the time of keeping formulas.
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Type – The different types of formulas vary differently when it comes to using it for an hour or so.
You can opt for bottle sterilizers to keep your baby bottles clean and bacteria-free.
Best Practices for Storing and Reusing Heated Formula
While you are looking for ways to store and reuse heated formulas, it comes with proper care as well.
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You need proper storage area to keep the formula bottle.
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Make sure the temperature is not too warm.
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Keep away from unhygienic environment to avoid bacterial growth.
How long can you keep a heated but unfed bottle?
If you are taking a freshly made formula bottle then it should not be stored for more than two hours. But if you have already fed half the formula and warming the baby bottle again then use it within an hour.
To make life easier for you, you can opt for Papablic NutriWarm™ Swirlable Bottle Warmer that gently warms the baby bottle for extended period without the risk of destroying essential nutrients.
Can you reheat a previously heated formula bottle?
No, do not reheat a formula once you have already heated it once. The point of feeding formula milk at first go is to preserve the nutrients while avoiding the risk of bacterial attack all at once.
So, instead of heating it again and again, try using bottle warmers so that you do not feel the pressure of reheating leftovers.
Tips for safe handling to extend the shelf life of formula
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Prepare fresh formulas, just when it is time to feed.
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Or you can store formulas in the fridge and warm it before use.
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Do not microwave the bottled formulas, instead use bottler warmers.
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Sterilize the baby bottles thoroughly.
Faqs for Parents About Expired Heated Formula
Parents always have some unanswered questions about baby’s feeding routine and formula feed handling. Here are some of the frequently asked questions that you may find helpful.
Can heated formula be refrigerated before use?
No, you can keep the already prepared formula in the fridge before it is heated. But once it is heated then there is no chance you can store it and warm it again.
How to tell if formula is still effective after it has been sitting for a while?
If it is less than two hours time stamp, you can look for the following points in the formula,
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Smell – If it does not smell bad then it is okay to use.
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Texture – If it does not appear curdy, and looks like a normal formula then it is alright.
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Colour – Check for consistency and coloration.
What to do if your baby doesn’t finish a heated bottle?
Well, if you have warmed a bottled formula and your baby has taken a few sips out of it, you can keep it for not more than one hour. Otherwise, you have to discard it since the bacteria grow faster and it will no longer be good for your baby’s health.
Try using small amounts of formulas instead of warming all at once.
Conclusion
Baby bottle formula’s pre-heating and warming is a routine task. Parents often find it hectic since most of the time babies refuse to drink the formula all at once and then you have to pour the rest down the drain.
Use proper tools like baby bottler warmers and bottle sterilizers to make this whole process easy, faster and less hectic for you. Also, use your instinct to better understand which options is best for your baby and which formula suits your baby the most.
