Can we cook baby food with formula milk
Preparing First Tastes Purees - Weaning Advice
Beginning the weaning journey is such an exciting yet nerve-racking time! Once you’ve finally decided which highchair, bowls and cutlery to use and the approach you are going to follow, then comes the fun part……. Preparing first foods for baby!
It’s important to remember that babies and young children don’t have the same immune system as us adults (or even older children) so hopefully this blog will help to give you the confidence to make sure those crucial ‘first taste’ purees for your baby are prepared with food safety in mind! And don’t forget to wash baby’s hands before popping them in the high chair!
Thinning First Taste Purees
Whilst you don’t have to add anything extra to those first purees for baby, you may find that you need some extra liquid to help loosen the consistency, so this is a great opportunity to add a splash of baby’s usual milk; formula or breast milk. This not only thins the puree but will also help to add a familiar taste and some nutrients too!
Tap water, cow’s milk or plant-based milks are also absolutely fine to use in food for babies over 6 months! Check out Charlotte’s blog on Milk Recommendations for more on this. You can add these in and serve straight to your baby at mealtimes…
However, if you want to keep for another day, there are some things you might need to keep in mind.
Using Formula Milk in baby purees
It is perfectly safe to use formula milk as an ingredient within a meal or puree that you wish to keep and reheat another day.
However, if doing so, follow some simple food safety principles to make sure the leftovers are safe to use:
- Use freshly prepared formula
- After cooking and adding the formula, ensure your puree is cooled quickly and put into the fridge or freezer within an hour and half
- Ensure you follow the reheating and shelf life guidance in the table below
Using Breastmilk in baby purees
When you start weaning you may want to add breast milk to baby’s first foods for a familiar taste and to boost the nutrient content!
The most important thing to remember when using breast milk in cooking is that breastmilk must never be refrozen.
So, if you’re batch cooking purees and wanting to freeze or save the leftovers, do not use previously frozen breastmilk!
You can add fresh breastmilk and freeze the purees OR use frozen breastmilk, defrosted and serve the puree straight away for baby! Just make sure if you use defrosted breastmilk that you dispose of the leftovers.
TOP TIP: Ice cube trays are great for freezing small portions of breast milk that you could later defrost and add to any puree before serving; a great way to cool it down quickly!
Reheating Purees
Baby purees are often best served at room temperature, but don’t be tempted to partially reheat food for your baby to avoid having to wait for it to cool. Baby purees should always be reheated until piping hot; which means steaming throughout.
When reheating homemade baby purees, it’s best to reheat using a microwave or on the hob. If, like me, you often forget to take baby’s food out of the freezer in time to defrost, did you know you can also cook baby purees straight from frozen! Just make sure you increase the cooking time and stir regularly (every 20-30 seconds) to ensure there are no hot spots and that the puree is evenly heated so it is piping hot throughout.
Remember though that foods can only be reheated once so make sure you divide your puree into baby friendly portions before freezing!
Shelf Life Guidance for Purees:
The great news is that most purees you make for your baby can be kept in the fridge or frozen to use another day! If you’ve used frozen veg, such as peas, to make a puree for your baby then the leftovers can be frozen provided you have cooked them in between!
For further guidance, check out the shelf life guidance below….
How long can purees be kept in the freezer?
Ideally, you should aim to use any portions of baby puree in the freezer within 3 months.
BUT…. It’s important to know that there are no safety concerns if you feed your baby food which has been in the freezer for longer than this! The freezer acts as a ‘pause button’ on bacteria, but the quality of food in the freezer will deteriorate over time.
Hopefully you find this blog useful in helping you prepare for the weaning journey with your little one!
This blog is written by Jenna Brown BSc MCIEH.
You can follow Jenna on Instagram @Foodsafetymum.
8 Recipes and Tips for Cooking with Breast Milk or Formula
Practically every parenting magazine or article out there praise breast milk to the skies, and rightly so! What else can give your baby such complete nutrition, at the perfect temperature and in the perfect quantity? That’s right – nothing else! While breast milk is great when it’s had straight from the tap, the expressed version of liquid gold can also be very useful. Yes, you can also try cooking with breast milk or formula!
Tips for Cooking with Breast Milk or Formula
8 Baby Recipes to make with Breast Milk or Formula
1. Breast Milk Pancakes
2. Breast Milk Butter
3. Breast Milk Yogurt
4. Breast Milk Banana Ice Cream
5. Teething Popsicles
6. Breast Milk Smoothie
7. Breast Milk Porridge
8. Breast Milk Chocolate Banana Custard
Buy Healthy Nutritious Baby, Toddler food made by our own Doctor Mom !
There are probably many recipes that you’d like to try for your baby, but are hesitating because they call for the use of cow’s milk.
And we all know that cow’s milk is not recommended for infants under one year of age. Most recipes will taste just as well by substituting cow’s milk with breast milk. If you are having trouble pumping, or you need a relatively large quantity of milk, you can also use infant formula in the recipe and nurse baby at other times. This is also a great way to use up extra breast milk in your fridge or freezer before they get spoilt. Many working Moms find that their babies refuse the bottle when they’re away, so using recipes with breast milk may be a great way to make sure they still get Mommy’s milk in their tummies!
Tips for Cooking with Breast Milk or Formula
1. The storage conditions of breast milk should be strictly monitored. Generally speaking, breast milk is good for 6 hours at room temperature, for 6 days in your fridge and for 6 months in the freezer.
2. Breast milk from the fridge can be brought to room temperature and used or placed in a bowl of warm water.
You can also thaw and use frozen breast milk.
3. Thawed breast milk cannot be re-frozen.
4. If you’d like to use breast milk as a thinning agent and you freeze baby food, thaw the food first, and then add the breast milk.
5. Reheating breast milk should be fine in most cases but some Moms find that it can make the milk smell unpleasant.
6. Breast milk can be thinner than full fat cow’s milk, so it can affect the structure of your dish.
7. If you’re using formula, don’t keep it for more than 2 hours at room temperature and for more than 24 hours in the fridge. Never freeze formula and if it’s been more than one hour since the baby first started, throw the rest away.
8. Formula may be sweeter than breast milk, so adjust the recipe accordingly.
9. Always take care to sterilize all the equipment used to prepare baby’s food, whether using formula or breast milk.
Get more information about using a breast pump and storing breast milk in our post here.
1. Breast Milk Pancakes
These pancakes from Daily Mom are a breeze to make and are ideal as finger foods or for baby led weaning. For young babies, you can skip the baking powder.
2. Breast Milk Butter
Yes, you can make butter from breast milk! This recipe from Food.com is pretty basic – just pour in a jar and shake, shake, shake till you get butter! Spread on pancakes for baby to enjoy!
3. Breast Milk Yogurt
Many Moms have tried making yogurt with breast milk, but some have reported it being too runny. Our advice is to try this recipe from Hippie Inside and add a little formula mix to make it thicker before leaving to set. Add fruit puree for flavored yogurt.
4. Breast Milk Banana Ice Cream
Now here’s the perfect summer treat for baby! Fit Mommy Diaries shows you how you can make breast milk ice cream where the milk and banana add the required sweetness and cinnamon gives it an extra zing!
5.
Teething PopsiclesThese popsicles from Fit Mommy Diaries are the best thing you can offer your teething baby to calm those sore gums! The cold is soothing to his gums and he also gets in some nutrition at the same time!
6. Breast Milk Smoothie
Okay, now this is something new! Grasping for Objectivity gives us a detailed account of how her son readily slurped up a breast milk smoothie made with frozen breast milk and peach puree. You can use any fruit of your baby’s choice.
7. Breast Milk Porridge
Porridge is one of the most common things on every baby’s menu, and My Fussy Eater shows you how simple it is to make it extra healthy with breast milk! Our tip – use 100% organic oatmeal for more nutrition.
8. Breast Milk Chocolate Banana Custard
If you’d like a dessert but don’t want it frozen, you can try this chocolate banana custard from Baby Centre. Get your doctor’s go-ahead before using the chocolate; else stick to the banana.
It’ll still taste great!
In each recipe, you can substitute breast milk for the same amount of infant formula – just be sure to mix it correctly according to package instructions. Did you know that you can make a whole lot of non-food things with breast milk too? Yes, there are lotions, eczema creams, rash creams, nipple creams and soaps made with breast milk! Would you ever try them out, or are you content with using breast milk in your baby’s food?
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Shop now!How to prepare infant formula | Articles
Rules for making formula for your baby.
In order for your baby to grow up healthy and feel good, it is important not only to choose the right formula, but also to use it correctly.
In the first months of life, the child's body goes through a period of adaptation to extrauterine conditions, the entire first year the baby grows and develops intensively.
Everything that surrounds the baby from birth should contribute to its development, be as useful and safe as possible. That is why when preparing infant formula, it is necessary to strictly observe the rules of hygiene, recommendations for handling the product and take into account storage conditions.
To prepare the mixture, use only boiled water - it must be boiled strongly for at least 5 minutes. Bottled water is not sterile and should also be boiled before use. Do not heat water in the microwave.
Cool the boiled water to the temperature recommended by the manufacturer and dilute the mixture following the instructions. To measure the mixture, use only the measuring spoon supplied with the package.
If you dilute formula for more than one feeding, it should be stored in the refrigerator at 2-4°C and used within 24 hours. After the start of feeding, a portion of the mixture should be used within an hour, as reconstituted infant formula is an excellent breeding ground for microorganisms.
After an hour, the rest of the mixture should be poured.
Often a newborn baby can fall asleep right during feeding - do not worry if this happened to your baby. Just lightly pat your baby on the cheek or nose, and if he wakes up, continue feeding.
Pay attention.
Dry infant formula after opening the package are not sterile. Use the product in accordance with the instructions and recommendations of the doctor.
When opening a package with dry infant formula containing healthy fats Omega-3, Omega-6, a slight fishy smell is possible - this is normal, because similar fatty acids are also found in fish oil, the benefits of which we have known since childhood. This smell disappears and is not felt in the diluted mixture.
Do not cook or heat the mixture in the microwave. In microwave ovens, food is heated unevenly, so some of the mixture may be too hot for the baby.
What utensils do you need to prepare the mixture?
Bottle, nipple, cap, measuring spoon, knife for removing excess mixture from the spoon.
Two pots: in one you will boil the dishes, in the other - water for preparing the mixture. There are also convenient modern sterilizers and heaters that you can use when preparing the mixture.
One meal preparation
1. Wash your hands with soap and dry them with a clean towel. Thoroughly wash the bottle, nipple, cap, measuring spoon and all utensils that will be used to prepare formula. It is best to do this with a special product for children's dishes - it is more gentle. Be careful when washing baby utensils in the dishwasher: due to the narrow neck, the bottle often remains unwashed, despite the fact that bottles of most manufacturers are allowed to be washed in the dishwasher. For washing bottles, special brushes are provided, with which you can thoroughly rinse the bottle.
2. Rinse all dishes to remove detergent and boil them for 5 minutes.
3. Prepare a clean surface to mix.
4. Boil water in a separate saucepan at a high boil for 5 minutes. Unless otherwise specified in the instructions, mixtures containing probiotics, such as Similac Gold or Similac Comfort, must be diluted with boiled water cooled to a temperature of no more than 35 degrees in order to preserve the beneficial properties of beneficial bacteria.
5. Pour the required amount of warm, pre-boiled water into the sterilized bottle. Remember that you should not mix boiled and unboiled water to achieve the desired temperature.
6. Fill the included measuring spoon with the mix, then use the blade of a clean knife to remove the excess mix.
7. Add formula to water bottle as directed. Add dry mix to the bottle, not the other way around.
8. Stir until completely dissolved. For feeding, the mixture must be at human body temperature, i.e. approximately 35 ° C - check the temperature of the mixture and feed the baby.
If the mixture is too hot, you can cool it down quickly by placing the bottle in a bowl of cold water.
9. Sit back, hug your baby and maintain physical and eye contact while formula feeding. Prepare a napkin in advance in case of excess mixture, and after feeding, scold the baby with a “column” so that he burps the air that has entered the stomach during feeding.
Pour out the remains of the mixture left in the bottle that the child has not eaten for an hour.
How do I properly heat formula bottles?
If you have prepared several servings of formula for feeding your baby in advance, and the bottle of formula is just out of the refrigerator, it is important not only to warm the formula, but also to do it right. So here's how to do it:
- Remove the bottle of prepared formula from the refrigerator just before feeding.
- Warm the formula by placing the formula bottle in a container of hot water so that the water level is below the rim of the bottle.
In order for the mixture to heat up evenly, periodically shake or rotate the bottle, while the warm-up time should not exceed 15 minutes. - Check the temperature of the mixture by dropping a little on the inside of your wrist. The mixture should not be too hot, it must be cooled to a human body temperature - 35 ° C.
How do I take pre-prepared infant formula with me on trips and outings?
The first step is to cool the prepared mixture. During a trip or a walk, it should be stored in a cold place - this will help prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria.
- Prepare the mixture as you would normally, let it cool and refrigerate (max. 5°C unless directed otherwise).
- Remove the formula from the refrigerator just before leaving the house and put it in a special cooler bag.
- Once there, you can put the formula bottles back in the fridge or warm them up and use them for feeding.
- Remember that the mixture must be used within 24 hours.
If the planned trip or walk is longer than two hours, you may not be able to keep the bottles of formula cold - in this case, freshly prepared formula must be used for feeding. Plan ahead and take the required amount of dry formula with you in a clean, sterilized container. Prepare the mixture using boiled water.
Good hygiene and formula preparation is very important for your baby's healthy growth and development!
Materials used in preparing the article:
- How to make your own bottle feeding formula at home. World Health Organization, 2007
- Safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula - Guidelines. World Health Organization, 2007
How to properly dilute infant formula
How to prepare formula correctly - it would seem that it is easier, read the instructions on the box and do as it is written. But sometimes the simplest things, especially when they concern a newborn, can simply put parents in a stupor.
Content
- How to properly dilute the mixture
- How to prepare infant formula
- How long is reconstituted infant formula
- What water to dilute infant formula
- Water temperature for infant formula
- Preparing Night Feeding Formula
- Infant milk formula on the road
You should know that no formula, even the most modern adapted formula, can completely replace mother's milk. Transferring a child to artificial feeding should be a conscious and forced step, and not the advice of a friend and the desire to make life a little easier for yourself, to have freedom of movement or your own guesses and assumptions that there is not enough breast milk. The deficit that is formed in the child's body without mother's milk cannot be filled with anything.
How to mix
correctly The first thing to do is to read the instructions from the manufacturer. It always describes how to prepare infant formula.
It is worth paying attention to the following important points:
- in what proportion to dilute the milk mixture (often, one scoop per 30 ml of water)
- at what temperature is the mixture prepared
- recommended amount of ready-made formula for children of different ages
- how long and under what conditions it is possible to store opened packaging
How to properly prepare formula for a newborn
The intestines and mouth of a healthy baby are sterile. The task of the parent is to give the baby the opportunity to gradually adapt to the surrounding space, before starting to acquaint him with pathogenic microflora (in other words, microbes).
In all cases of contact with children's things, food and the child himself, be sure and always wash your hands with soap and water. Of course, in any case, the baby will have to get acquainted with the surrounding microorganisms, but when he is a few days old, it is too early.
Since you need to prepare the formula just before feeding, be prepared to do this under the heart-rending cries of a hungry baby. It is possible that under such conditions it will not be possible to prepare sterile bottles in cold blood - it is better and more convenient to have at least two of them.
It is better to prepare and cover a clean bottle with a dry towel in advance than to rush around the house and remember where to put it after feeding when the baby is crying from hunger. Of course, in theory you need to wash the bottle immediately after feeding, but in practice, babies miraculously make adjustments to your schedule.
So, when all the necessary preparations are made, according to the instructions, we determine the desired ratio of water and dry mixture according to the age of your baby. Pour water of the required temperature into a sterile bottle or bring it to the desired temperature in the bottle. We pour the required number of measuring spoons, after removing a slide from them (you can use the back of a knife).
The measuring spoon must be dry. Follow this strictly and store infant formula in a dry place. Milk powder is very hygroscopic and perfectly absorbs moisture, and if the rules are not followed, the mixture will instantly begin to clump.
Close the bottle with a cap and shake very well so that there are no lumps left in the mixture (you can check for light). Just in case, we check the temperature of the mixture by dropping it on our wrist. After feeding, pour out the rest of the mixture.
Some mothers, trying to feed the baby more satisfyingly, increase the concentration of the dry mixture in the water. Doing this is strictly prohibited. This can lead to obesity or other metabolic disorders in the child.
To some, these measures may seem superfluous, and, of course, no one can force you to do this. But do not forget that the first three months of a child’s life without this will complicate colic and aggravate the situation with hastily washed bottles, believe me, it’s not worth it.
How long can reconstituted infant formula be stored
A very common question of interest to all parents is how long can prepared infant formula be stored? Ideally, ready-made milk formula is eaten immediately and not stored. The longer the mixture is prepared, the more chances are given to multiply harmful microbes that love heat and milky environment. And not just the necessary bifidobacteria, for which you lovingly created the optimal temperature. The storage time of reconstituted infant formula should be kept to a minimum. Remember that prepared milk formula should be stored is impossible even in the refrigerator.
The bottle and nipple must be washed and sterilized before each formula preparation. You can learn more about sterilizing feeding bottles here.
What kind of water to dilute infant formula
An urgent question for parents - is it possible to dilute formula with baby water? For decades, boiled water has been used to prepare the mixture.
Now they began to think about the fact that boiling kills water, deprives oxygen and other trace elements. Today you will not surprise anyone with special baby water for drinking and formula preparation. It does not need to be boiled, it is enough to heat it to the optimum temperature.
What are the benefits of baby water?
- at all stages of harvesting, water undergoes strict sanitary control
- cleaning uses a multi-stage filter system
- unlike boiled, it is not devoid of oxygen and other useful trace elements
- mineralization decreases in baby water (in dry mixtures, they try to choose the optimal ratio of trace elements and water with increased mineralization can disrupt these proportions)
If you want to use water from a well, it is better to first hand it over for analysis to a sanitary and epidemiological station.
Water temperature for infant formula
The water temperature is of fundamental importance for the preparation of formula, which must be indicated on the packaging.
Almost all mixtures now contain bifidobacteria that are beneficial for the child's intestines. Beneficial bacteria, unlike harmful ones, are rather gentle microorganisms. At a temperature higher than that indicated in the instructions, they will simply die.
In addition, of course, the temperature of the water simply needs to be comfortable for the child, 36 - 37 ºC. This is the temperature of mother's milk. Therefore, if possible, use a thermometer to prepare infant formula. Fortunately, the assortment of baby stores is now replete with products that make life easier for moms. Well, if there is no thermometer, it does not matter. Put a few drops of the prepared mixture from the bottle on your wrist. If the temperature of the mixture is optimal, then you will not feel it on your wrist.
It is not advisable to heat the finished mixture. Adapted infant formula is not a product that can be heated and cooled without consequences. It's good bacteria, remember? And not only. But if it so happened that while you were preparing for feeding, the mixture has cooled down, warm it up under running hot water.
Do not use the microwave to heat up the mixture! You will not be able to control the degree of heating of the liquid bottle, which can lead to an irreversible change in the structure and composition of the formula.
Night feeding formula
The safest option for the baby and gentle for the mother is to pour water into a sterile bottle in the evening and put it in the warmer. Most warmers are capable of maintaining a constant set temperature in the bottle. Pour the dry mix into the dry mix dispenser.
Now you can prepare the mixture on autopilot at night. All that remains to be done is to get from the dispenser into the bottle and mix thoroughly. Just in case, do not forget to check the temperature of the prepared mixture. Ready. You can start feeding a hungry baby.
Infant formula on the go
All modern parents want to be mobile. We must pay tribute to the manufacturers of children's goods - it has now become much easier to provide a child with food on a trip than it was, say, in the last century.
