We boil the water to sterilize the formula, NOT to sterilize the water.
Baby girl is 14 weeks. Iām just tired of boiling and making sure it hits 158Ā° as to be hot enough to destroy any possible cronobacter but not destroy the nutrients.
I know the chances of cronobacter are soooo small, but I honestly have anxiety and think the time I decide to stop boiling it, sheāll get it and get deathly ill (pls donāt tell me to get help for ppa, I am working on it)
Please either tell me your thoughts or give me permission to make life a little simpler
Live in the US. We stopped at 11 or 12 weeks. The same time as when her doc looked at us like we were crazy for still running bottles thru the sterilizer. āSheās healthy and growing great, the dishwasher with heated dry is good at this point.ā
She literally gets tap water now. Sheās in daycare, our cityās clean tap water is not why she has a constantly running nose
Make life more simple! We used distilled water and have never once boiled water for his formula. We're in the US and none of the directions on any of his formula (Similac360, Similac360 Sensitive, and Similac Total Care are all ones we have used) say the need to boil water. I have a happy, healthy, 93rd percentile nearly 6 month old with no water boiling.
Ugh thank you. Mine said itās not necessary but consult her physician to check, yada yada. I would rather buy jugs of nursery water than boil one more kettle lol
They tell you to check with the doctor because, in certain instances, it is advisable to continue to do this. That being said it doesnt sound like those instances apply here. Really, it's just for premature infants or those who are immunocompromised. Its generally fine to stop after 8 weeks.
Now that my baby is 7 months we literally use tap water and I dont even sterilize bottles/soothers/ etc. I hand wash in the sink. Once they start grabbing everything, putting their hands and everything around them in their mouths, it really becomes redundant š
I laughed at this as I watched my son lick a toy box, then put his whole mouth over the top of my closed water bottle when I picked him up. š¤£ We will soon be in āmystery cheerio from the car floorā territory soon!
Mine recently figured out his arms were long enough to reach out of his car seat and fondle the shopping cart at Costco and Walmart, then continue to chew on his hands after doing so š¤¦āāļø. I think this really is a more efficient way to come in contact with germs than unboiled water š
We never once boiled water, just used distilled water. Iām sure we probably shouldāve, but we were just so tired. And baby is now toddler, happy and healthy. But yeah, talk to your doctor about it first, just in case.Ā
If your instructions don't specifically call for it for your brand of formula, then you don't need to, unless directed by your pediatrician. Some brands require it like Kendamil and some countries' regulations call for it, so it's best to follow the guidance of your pediatrician and specific formula's instructions :)
I feel like by the time that process is done, itās time to feed again. How does anyone have that much time at once with a newborn š I wonder if thatās just for tap water. Distilled water is already clean.
No idea! Haha. I know some folks say about bacteria in the formula but Iāve asked our hospital and two pediatricians (again, USA) and they all said it was unnecessary. My son takes his bottles cold so we just pitcher method it and if we can warm up the bottle, awesome, if not, awesome too. He still licks boxes and tries to eat lint whether his bottle is warm, cold, made with boiled water, etc š
We used to do a hot shot š eg- my LO was on 8oz bottles weād do 2oz boiling and the rest just cold water (sorry Iām in UK not sure if measurements are different š)
I live in the US and have never boiled water to sterilize formula. Both my kids were NICU babies and at no point did the neonatologists or nurses advise that it was necessary. The pediatrician also never mentioned it.
I never boiled the waterā¦ heck, I didnāt even sterilize the bottles after the first week. Whoās got time for that?! š³ my babe is turning 1 next week and heās been totally fine with formula as is. We had a baby Brezza that makes the bottle for youā¦ so convenient! It was my favorite baby product.
That being said, itās all easier said than done. Hang in thereā¦ youāre doing a great job!
Please don't do this, your baby is very vulnerable at one week. Milk is prone to bacteria. Their bottles should be sterilised, and water boiled, better to be safe than sorry. Don't fall for the survivor bias.
Get a Nuby Rapid Cool, works like a reverse thermos and cools the boiling formula within a minute to drinkable temp. We make all my 6 week olds bottles using it and heās great š
We swore by these. If you do the hot shot method, you only have to sterilise the rapid cool every day or so as only the water gets cooled rather than the whole formula
We used a kettle that kept the water at a temp to kill bacteria in the formula 24/7 then used just enough to kill the bacteria and filled the rest with cold water and swished. So easy! Highly recommend!
We boil the water up to 70 degrees and then make enough formula for the next day (pitcher method). If we are out and about, just bring warm water to mix in with the formula and so far nothing has happened. We used to bring boiling water and cool with a Rapid Cool flask.
The hardest thing I found was sterilizing the bottles, Australian guidelines say to do it until 1 year, but we stopped at 8 months because we didn't sterilize any of his food stuff.
You'll find guidelines around the world are different so do what suits you and your risk level.
Just a thermos, got a few at different sizes for how long we needed to be out. Don't need to buy a branded thermos, anything that says it will keep water hot for 14 plus hours.
I honestly never knew that you were supposed to boil the water for the formula so I have used room temperature distilled nursery water from day one and my kiddo is now 11 months and thriving soā¦.
OMG bust the brezza out and watch your world get 100x easier! Buy an extra funnel too, that way you dont have to feel like youāre washing it every 5 seconds.
Going from making bottles this way (boiling water, letting it cool) to the brezza was an absolute game changer for my mental health going forward!!! The shift in mentality was crazy.
We started powder almost right away, after using some RTF formula that the hospital gave us. We never had any doctors concerned with boiling the water but I know everyoneās risk levels are different!
I bought this water boiler and warmer.
https://a.co/d/4J5uiMV
It heats up water to boiling point then lower the temperature of your choosing. I pick 175āf. Hot water on demand itās a game changer
Itās only really recommended to sterilize powdered formula for infants who are premature, immunocompromised, or under 2 months old. Once my baby hit 2 months we stopped. In the US.
Yeah thatās what I do. When Iām out and about I just take a couple of bottles with cooled boiled water in them and the pigeon formula dispenser. I was taking refrigerated pre-made bottles but sometimes I didnāt know how long Iād be out for and would end up wasting a bottle, this way I only waste some water lol
We have preemies so theyāre on government provided ready to feed formula for months of their life but my eldest was a full term baby and I donāt think I ever boiled or sterilized a single bottle šheās 14 and never even had a stomach bug until age 9
We use the jugs of baby water from the grocery store and have never boiled it. I honestly hadn't heard of what you're talking about until just now. I hope you find a solution that makes you comfortable, I know how hard it is to stop doing something like that and the anxiety that comes with it.
i got an electric tea kettle that i use but now my PPA is ruining that for me and i emailed the company to make sure that they test the glass for lead sooooo it never ends lol
My LO just turned 14 weeks and I still boil the water just because I find the formula mixes better with warm water. I donāt measure the temp though, only wait at least 30 minutes before mixing
I'm Canadian and our health department only specifies to make formula like that if your baby is high risk due to health conditions. My little gal is 4 months and we've always mixed powered formula directly with room temperature distilled water.
My MIL is a pediatric nephrologist and she said it was perfectly fine to not do the whole boil and then wait for it to cool method, so we never did it (we use Kendamil organic). Baby is almost 3 months, healthy and growing very well for his age!
Considering the potential of contamination is was caused the formula shortage several years ago, the chance of your child actually getting a cronobacter infection is nonexistant. Even a hint of potential contamination causes country wide recalls. Your child will be fine.
Wait people boil the water for the bottles? Mines 13 months and drinking regular milk now but I never boiled anything. Only sterilized when she had thrush
Make in big batches and store in pitcher. I boil with electric kettle. Let it cool off maybe 15-20 mins and then use. I doing measure temp anymore but I can tell how hot by the steam when pouring
Iāve never done this but I have a reverse osmosis system in my kitchen as Iām super concerned about water quality. Not to add to the list of our worries I but I wouldnāt use distilled as it comes in plastic bottle and the whole thing about microplastics sigh it never ends up
Also I had super PPA with my first so I totally feel you. One time my husband brought home NON-organic blueberries and I bit off his head š I was extremely OCD about everything being zero plastic organic etc
We used ready to feed for the first 2-3 months and then switched to powdered formula. I donāt think we ever boiled the water and just used regular tap water. Weāre in Canada, no water concerns and doctor okayed it. We used the Dr Brownās pitcher- that thing rocked!
I believe if itās safe for you to drink the tap water, itās safe for baby (unless thereās a medical reason)
FWIW, I stopped as soon as we started powder formula. Baby is 5 months and sheās all good š
Great work doing it all this time!
If youāre feeling nervous, Iād gut check with the paediatrician but I think youāre doing a great job
Iāll gently say youāre reassurance seeking and this is part of PPA. Itās good youāre getting therapy. You get to give yourself permission here.
Ok one thing to make sure, never get nursery water, at least here in Wisconsin all of the ones I found, say you have to boil it and have extra ingredients.
We used distilled water and it worked wonderfully.
I feel you! US here. We got ourselves a kettle off Amazon that heats the water to 158!! Thereās so many, but this was our favorite because we just heat what we need. Our girl is on 6oz now so we do two oz of the hot water, mix the formula, then add the cool water and itās the perfect temp! And then on the go, I boil the water a bit hotter and put in a micro hydroflask šš¼
Iām genuinely really confused, what do you mean by sterilizing the formula? Formula is sterile unless youāre leaving it out in the open for longer than 1 hour if baby drank from the bottle or 2 hours without baby touching bottle.
I think technically formula in powder form cannot be sterile. This is what I kept reading on post after post when I was deciding to do formula after breastfeeding didnāt work out.
Sorry but Whatt. I am crazy confused. I boil and then cool the water for making formula. So formula should be put right in boiling water to sterilize the formula?
Also when did you all stopped sterilizing the bottles?
No. You donāt put boiling water in formula. I think that affects the nutrition side of it? You boil the water and let it cool down to a certain degree so that it sterilizes the formula (powder formula itself cannot be in a sterilized state). If it cools down too much then it doesnāt sterilize it. I would use a kettle to boil one liter of water and let it cook for 30 mins (instructions on my kendamil can) then I made a batch of bottles for the day.
I read a lot of Americans only sterilized bottles after purchasing or until the first month. Many countries recommend sterilizing for a year but that isnāt an official recommendation in the USA. We sterilized for the entire year until he was off bottles. Weāre American and realized that this was uncommon. We chose to do it anyways.
I havenāt boiled water once and use tap water. I donāt think itās really necessary unless doc has told you other wise or your baby is immunocompromised.
Thereās nothing on my can of formula that says to. š¤·š»āāļø
The whole thing is very confusing tbh!b
Itās my understanding that formula in powder form cannot be sterilized. The water at that temp sterilizes it. Many countries outside the USA sterilize for over a year. Iām American but I decided to boil water. Iāve never come across any posts of anyone having issues from not boiling though. We just did it because it wasnāt all that much work to us (my husband works from home so I had help).
I boiled water the whole time and made the formula in a batch. I wasnāt very scientific about it though. I think it said in the back of the can that one liter of water needed to be cooled for half an hour so I just set the kettle to boil one liter and timed for half an hour. I never took a thermometer to it. Near the end it did get annoying.
That being said, every American poster I saw on Reddit did not boil their water. My cousin doesnāt boil hers either. We came in knowing that we would be doing something so many people chose to skip and they were all perfectly fine. I didnāt come across one post with any issues. We were also the couple who sterilized bottles from the start until the end. I donāt think any parent HAD to do that either. If itās causing you so much stress and itās making parenting just that much harder, give yourself permission to let this go. You do not have to do all the things. I skipped many things.
It's a question only you can answer. Lots of people will tell "I never did this" but that's kinda irrelevant. It depends on your own risk aversion. Do your research on the risk and then make a decision that feels right for you.
By the way I found the pitcher method really good for the hot water method because I only need to boil water once a day, so if was less cumbersome. I switched to making bottles with room temperature water at around 8 months personally, but if I had another baby, maybe I would do so even realise earlier.
We use GROWNSY Baby Instant Warmer, granted we only formula feed at night, so might be different for you but we hit the boil button at dinner and it has a setting for hold temp snd it will go down to 72 degrees Celsius once it done automatically. Worth every penny as I also use it for macha and miso soup lol
Same! Love this kettle. We donāt boil. Instead we just push the hold temp button and set temp to 70 Celsius. It will heat to that temp and keep it at that temp however long until I have a chance to make formula.
I never knew the formula was supposed to be boiled and even when I found out I didnāt š . Since she was born we used distilled water and I sterilize almost bottles every night. I tried dishwasher method but found little black particles in the bottle so I stopped and went back to hand washing. I use my Avent electric dryer to finish.
I boil water the night before, let it cool overnight, then pour it into the baby brezza the next morning for the day! Have always been doing it this way, no issues.
I'm in the US and only boiled the water one time. My pediatrician said that is sorta outdated and it isn't necessary. We just make formula with our tap water ran through the Brita filter, since the calcium is higher in our water. He's 4 months today and never had an issue. I also only sterilize the bottles when I get them new out of the package. Then we just wash with super hot water and dish soap. We also use the Dr. Brown's pitcher to make a full batch for the day and then just pour into bottles as needed.
I make a days worth of formula at a time so itās less taxing. But, my daughter is on Enfamil AR, which has to be shaken twice five minutes apart before feeding. Making batches of formula helps alleviate her waiting time.
Sooo I never did this š«¢ We have just used room temperature filtered water! We just turned a year so no more formula but legit never did it and I think because the chances were so small I decided to not stress myself over it and focus on different things! Itās totally ok if you stop or donāt! Do what is best for you right now as PPA is no joke
I have never done this. Iāve never boiled the water either. My kid is fine. Iāve never even heard of doing all of thatš I sterilized the bottles for the first few months but I only did that because I had a preemie.
This is unnecessary and you no longer need to boil the water to make your babys formula. This is your permission and your assurity that everything is going to be just fine and your baby is not going to get sick If you do not boil the water. You are doing a great job and you are a good mom and you do not need to boil water anymore!
We live in a major metropolitan area, and our ped (that requires all vaccinations or you canāt be in the practice ) told us this week itās now okay after 1 month old to not boil the water for an at term healthy no complications baby~ we have a 5 day old!
Edited because I misread your post: Sterilizing formula is a new recommendation in America after that one formula factory got shut down. Even with my 7 month old, I never sterilized the formula. If your baby was born full term, then they'll be fine. The baby still has antibodies from being inside of you.
I've had three kids and have never boiled water for formula for them. I get the water straight from the tap. The pediatrician told me if tap water is safe for me to drink, it's safe for the baby. I live in America.
we still boil the water and let it cool down before making the 50/50 formula + milk bottles.. but yeah, probably no reason to do it anymore over 1 year
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u/DinahQuinn Aug 25 '25
Live in the US. We stopped at 11 or 12 weeks. The same time as when her doc looked at us like we were crazy for still running bottles thru the sterilizer. āSheās healthy and growing great, the dishwasher with heated dry is good at this point.ā
She literally gets tap water now. Sheās in daycare, our cityās clean tap water is not why she has a constantly running nose