How to prepare infant formula safely

Making formula for your baby is simple, but you need to do it the right way. Here's a step-by-step guide: 

Start clean to keep them safe from germs: 

• Clean hands: Always wash your hands with soap, then dry them well 
• Clean tools: Clean all feeding items - bottles, teats a knife to measure formula 
• To sterilise: you can boil them for 5 minutes, or use anti-bacterial sterilising agents, steam sterilisers or microwave steam sterilisers. 

For using the boiling method, watch the following video by Raising Children Network 

https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/videos/bottle-formula-prep-dads 

Make the formula: 

One bottle at a time: It's best to just make what your baby will drink right away 

1. Boil then cool water 

• Use tap water that has been boiled and cooled down to room temperature. 
• Don't boil the same water many times. It can increase the amount of salt in the water. 
• Pour the right amount of water into the bottle first, before adding the formula powder. 

2. Add the formula powder 

• Only use the scoop that came with the formula tin. 
• Follow the formula tin instructions to see how many scoops are needed for the amount of water . 
• Gently tap the scoop, and then level it off or smooth out the extra powder at the top with a clean knife. Don't pack it down. 
• Close the formula tin tightly and keep it in a cool, dry place. 
• Do not add extra formula powder or foods, such as honey, cereal or biscuits, into the bottle. 
• Do not dip bottle teats in honey or other sweet foods. 

3. Mix it up 

• Put the lid on the bottle and shake it. Keep shaking until the powder is all dissolved. 

4. Before feeding 

• Check the temperature: Put a little bit of formula on your wrist. It should feel warm, not hot. 
• Never use a microwave to warm the bottle. It can heat unevenly and burn your baby. 

5. After feeding 

• After a feed, throw away any remaining made up formula that has been kept at room temperature for 1 hour or more. 

Safety tips 

Making sure your baby's formula is safe is important so your baby does not get sick. Here are some tips: 

Check dates: Always look at the "use by" date on the formula tin. 

Keep it fresh: If a formula tin has been open for more than a month, it's time to throw it away. 

Follow instructions: Always prepare the formula just like it says on the tin 

• If you use too much or too little water or formula powder, this can affect your baby’s growth. 
• Bottles that haven’t been sterilised properly or tap water that has not been boiled, can have germs that make your baby sick.