Cleaning Bottles & Buying Formula

[Christina72684]

I'm still in the process of opening, but I know so far I'll have my daughter, 3 months, and another girl, 6 months. In August I'll get another baby. I breastfeed so I'm not familiar with bottles and the whole process. Do you clean them as soon as you're done using them, or at the end of the day? What's the best, easiest way to clean them? Do you ask parents to supply their own bottles, or do you have a supply that all babies use? Is it safe to let different babies use the same bottles?

I've never bought formula before and I know there are several options. I've received samples of Simulac in the mail and they've been the powder kind. I know there is also the pre-mixed liquid Enfamil as well. What do you use? Do you ask parents to supply this or just have your own? Does either need refrigerated? If you make a bottle ahead of time, how long is it good for?

Sorry for the numerous questions

[Meeko]

I'm still in the process of opening, but I know so far I'll have my daughter, 3 months, and another girl, 6 months. In August I'll get another baby. I breastfeed so I'm not familiar with bottles and the whole process. Do you clean them as soon as you're done using them, or at the end of the day? What's the best, easiest way to clean them? Do you ask parents to supply their own bottles, or do you have a supply that all babies use? Is it safe to let different babies use the same bottles?

I've never bought formula before and I know there are several options. I've received samples of Simulac in the mail and they've been the powder kind. I know there is also the pre-mixed liquid Enfamil as well. What do you use? Do you ask parents to supply this or just have your own? Does either need refrigerated? If you make a bottle ahead of time, how long is it good for?

Sorry for the numerous questions

I provide the bottles. I got tired of parents forgetting them in the mornings! I provide the formula (food program pays me back) I buy the Walmart brand or Sams Club brand. I wash the bottles as soon as I can after use. I do not have one bottle per baby. They are washed and sanitized and fine to use with all the babies.

[cheerfuldom]

I have parents bring enough formula and bottles for each day. I don't wash, just send them home dirty for parents to wash. I don't have a problem with parents forgetting but I do check all the bags first thing in the morning and call the parents if they forgot something. It a big pain to come back with one item so most parents learn to check the bag themselves.

[wdmmom]

All of your questions about preparation and refrigeration can be answered by reading the label of the formula container. Next time you are at the grocery, take a look.

As for washing bottles, here's a question for you...

Do you eat off the same plate for lunch that you ate off of for breakfast without washing it? There's your answer to cleaning the bottles.

I have parents supply it because there are way too many kinds on the market.

Have the parents either bring you a can of powder formula and a couple bottles to leave at your house or have them bring you already prepared bottles for the day.

I don't mean to be so harsh but these are fundamental questions you should know the answer to before providing care!!!

[MyAngels]

I'm still in the process of opening, but I know so far I'll have my daughter, 3 months, and another girl, 6 months. In August I'll get another baby. I breastfeed so I'm not familiar with bottles and the whole process. Do you clean them as soon as you're done using them, or at the end of the day? What's the best, easiest way to clean them? Do you ask parents to supply their own bottles, or do you have a supply that all babies use? Is it safe to let different babies use the same bottles?

I've never bought formula before and I know there are several options. I've received samples of Simulac in the mail and they've been the powder kind. I know there is also the pre-mixed liquid Enfamil as well. What do you use? Do you ask parents to supply this or just have your own? Does either need refrigerated? If you make a bottle ahead of time, how long is it good for?

Sorry for the numerous questions

I have each parent supply their own bottles and wash them as soon after using them as I can. I prefer to hand wash and dry them, but you can put them in the dishwasher as well.

If you are on the food program you must offer to supply formula and the parent chooses whether they will accept the type you provide. I list the cheapest brand available (usually the wal-mart store brand). The parents have always opted to buy their own. They always choose the powder as it's the cheapest option.

Once the formula is prepared, it must be refrigerated if not used right away. I always prepare bottles only as I need them, so I don't know for sure how long the bottle is good to use once it's out of the refrigerator.

[Cat Herder]

I supply bottles, parents supply formula/breastmilk daily/weekly/monthly.

I just posted a picture of my bottle setup on the other thread if you want to take a peak.

[sharlan]

I've always had the parents provide me with 5 - 6 bottles to be left at my house. I also have them provide the same formula that they use at home. I made up enough formula for the day, first thing in the morning so the bottles were ready to go. If there was a bottle left over, I would send it home with parent to be used that night at home.

I always made my formula up in advance because I felt there was less spitting up than when I made 1 bottle at a time.

[SandeeAR]

This is in my contract for babies:


The following items MUST be brought prior to the first day of care & be replenished as needed:

1. Change of clothing, including socks (appropriate for the season)
2. Babies: A large bag of diapers in the appropriate size.
3. If potty training: A large bag of pull ups or several training pants and plastic pants.
4. 2 bottles, up to 1 year. At 12 to 18 months at the latest, I will begin using sippy cups full time.
5. If on baby food, enough food for a week please.
6. A can of formula. If breast feeding, please bring an extra day’s supply for my freezer as back up.
7. 2 pacifiers. After about 6-8 months, I only use these at nap time. Usually by 1 year, they don’t even have it at nap.




Just a tip on the personal side regarding YOUR baby. From experience as a new breastfeeding mom 29 years ago. Give your baby one bottle a day, it can be pumped breast milk, formula or water. (You may have to have your DH give it at night) I didn't give mine one. I became her pacifer. But worst of all, when I got the flu and she was 9 months old, I couldn't feed her. (We didn't pump and store back then)

It was 18 hours before she was willing to take a bottle of formula and another 8 hours before she did it again. Instant weening at 9 mos, just about killed us both. My second baby got a bottle daily from day one!

[Michelle]

I provide the bottles. I got tired of parents forgetting them in the mornings! I provide the formula (food program pays me back) I buy the Walmart brand or Sams Club brand. I wash the bottles as soon as I can after use. I do not have one bottle per baby. They are washed and sanitized and fine to use with all the babies.

Babies sharing bottles is NOT sanitary.
All my babies get their own bottles, they are too young and their immune system is not built up yet. I cringe at the thought of babies sharing bottles even though they are cleaned and sanitized.

[nannyde]

Babies sharing bottles is NOT sanitary.
All my babies get their own bottles, they are too young and their immune system is not built up yet. I cringe at the thought of babies sharing bottles even though they are cleaned and sanitized.

If I have multiple babies on the same bottle I don't keep them separate. I have NEVER had a problem with using the same bottles on mulitple babies. I run everything through the dishwasher and heat dry cycle after use.

I've had as many as three babies on Advent bottles and same size nipple at one time and all of them on breast milk. It was SO much work keeping them all separate and making sure that they all got the right milk. The last thing I worried about was a perfectly clean bottle being used by a baby that didn't use it the day before.

They are either clean or they are not. If you run them through a dishwasher and they are cleaned at high heat, stored properly, and the milk is made properly it doesn't matter if the bottle/nipple/ring was used by another baby before the cleaning.

I could never keep up with keeping identical baby bottles on mulitple babies separate. With the bottle, ring, and nipple being separate in every wash every time... it would be impossible for me to do it with the dishwasher. Also, my staff assistant wouldn't keep them straight.

We use a ring system to go around the actual bottle if they are identical. I use the livestrong bands on the advent bottle. If it's a regular bottle then we do colored rings to keep them separate. Keeping all that together is enough. I wouldn't want to add the layer of making sure none of the three bottle pieces were used by more than one baby.

I have the parents supply three bottles to keep here and then the milk to stay here. I don't have parents bringing daily bottles with the exception of bringing fresh squooozed bmilk.

[Michelle]

I'm glad that works for you.
I just have a daycare full of nurses and even one lawyer that would royally freak out if I did that and it's just my own personal feelings too. I always worry about cross contamination with breast milk because it can carry the aids virus among other things.
for me it's really not that hard to keep them separate.
I'm pretty organized and I just rinse the bottles really good afterwards and put them in their cubbies.

[nannyde]

I'm glad that works for you.
I just have a daycare full of nurses and even one lawyer that would royally freak out if I did that and it's just my own personal feelings too. I always worry about cross contamination with breast milk because it can carry the aids virus among other things.
for me it's really not that hard to keep them separate.
I'm pretty organized and I just rinse the bottles really good afterwards and put them in their cubbies.

Well whatever works for you and your clients. That's the beauty of this job.

I don't think your nurse clients would worry too much about AIDS transmission.


HIV, unlike most viruses has to be within a host or culture at a temperature of 98.6 degrees give or take only a degree or two. Outside of the body, the virus dies within minutes without the temperature necessary for its survival.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does_HIV_live_outside_the_body

[Michelle]

Well whatever works for you and your clients. That's the beauty of this job.

I don't think your nurse clients would worry too much about AIDS transmission.


HIV, unlike most viruses has to be within a host or culture at a temperature of 98.6 degrees give or take only a degree or two. Outside of the body, the virus dies within minutes without the temperature necessary for its survival.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_d...tside_the_body

I just look at it like this, Would I put a bottle in my OWN new born babies mouth knowing it had another woman's breast milk in it? or in the mouth of an 8 month old that just got diagnosed with strep throat or some other
illness?
The 2 R.N.'s that I have would boil their babies bottles and bottled water, send the bottles,nipples etc. in sterile bags every day. I have had their kids since they were born and they LOVE it that I take germs so seriously.
Because they are in the medical field, they see the things that could happen to little ones. I know that when kids get older they all share the same toys but what I'm talking about is young babies that need to be protected.

[Blackcat31]

Babies share toys. I highly doubt each toy is touched only by one child before it is sterilized for the next one to pick up, examine and then chew on.....just saying.

...also what does a lawyer have to do with bottle sharing? Are you saying it is illegal somehow to use the same bottles for different kids?

[Cat Herder]

Babies share toys.

And the mats, the providers clothing/skin, the linens, the cribs, the room air, etc...

IMHO, THAT is what it is to choose to put your child in group child care. That is also one of the reasons why I did not.

Infectious Disease Control is one of the MAJOR components of my program.

I supply bottles because that is the ONLY way I can ensure they are clean and the fluid contained inside is fresh.

My parents like being able to depend 100% on me...it takes one of the balls out of the air for them for 10 hours each day.