r/FormulaFeeders • u/ochoroll • Feb 07 '26
Bottles / Feeding Gear / Equipment š¼ Does anyone else meal prep like this?
Lo is 8 weeks and we've never done the boil water to sterilize formula, pediatrician said it wasn't necessary.
I ordered a wide mouth mason jar papablic mixer and in each jar I do 24 oz of distilled water and the little jars perfectly hold 104g of formula. This fills the 32oz mason jars.
I see alot of people recommend the Dr. Brown pitcher, which is completely made of plastic. I try to use mason jars as much as I can. Even found out the comotomo nipples fit on the small mason jars in a pinch.
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u/TurbulentArea69 Feb 07 '26
Baby Brezza Pro with tap water
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
I find it hard to trust the calibration on those. You have to check often that it's dispensing the right amount of powder to water
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u/krw261999 Feb 08 '26
We didn't really have to check ours too often. There were at least 2 instances where we thought the bottle looked off, but after that it stayed consistent.
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u/ACMilan-17 Feb 07 '26
Boil water to sterilize and fill directly into a bunch of bottles for the next 24 hrs. Re-do every day.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
Can I ask, why do you sterilize your water?
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Feb 07 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
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u/Impossible-Pickle234 Feb 08 '26
Why do you need to sterilize the powder? Iām in Canada and I wasnāt told to do that. I just mix it with distilled water.
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Feb 08 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
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u/freeLuis Feb 09 '26
Because there's a low risk of cronbacter in powdered formula. Some countries recommend sterilize and others don't. Even though I'm in the U.S and guidelines don't recommend it, I do follow the instructions on the Kendamil can and boil water daily for my own peace of mind if not for anything else. Plus it takes nothing for me to turn the kettle on while I make my morning coffee.
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u/Spirited-Bed-2220 Feb 07 '26
With my brand of formula we boil water, let it cool to 45 degrees celcius, then mix with powder.
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u/Stramagliav Feb 07 '26
Pathogens in the powder
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u/blue57hk_ Feb 07 '26
Do you boil the powder together with the water?
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u/Gullible_Desk2897 Feb 07 '26
No you mix the water and powder at 158F/70C not at boiling temperature!
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Feb 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/Gullible_Desk2897 Feb 07 '26
True I should say the warmest youād want to mix is those temperatures!
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u/ACMilan-17 Feb 07 '26
As others said, pathogens in the powder. Some people think is not super critical, but I just think it's relatively easy to do. I think of it like a seat belt. Maybe you never really need it, until you do.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
I discussed that with my pediatrician and he said it wasn't necessary for my lo
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u/OohWeeTShane Feb 07 '26
My brain is having such a hard time processing the scale of this picture! If those are 32oz jars, they must be really big, but they donāt look that big ššµāš« Nothing you did wrong, just something weird I decided to share š
That looks like a nice way to prep when your kid eats the same amount pretty consistently! We use the Dr. Browns warm water dispenser (glass) and the Boon Nursh bottles (silicone); for daycare bottle prep we do use a plastic pitcher for mixing, but we almost never store the milk in there - it immediately goes in the bottles.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
Lol the water ones are 32oz large mouth and the formula is 8oz regular mouth.
I wouldn't say he eats a consistent amount, but it's pretty easy to drop a jar of formula in the water, screw on the mixer, a couple pumps of the mixer doesn't add air like shaking does, and I fill up my bottles from there as needed.
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u/Smee76 Feb 07 '26
Why not just fill up the bottles and put them in the fridge? I don't understand why you are adding the extra step of putting them in jars.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
I only have a couple bottles and not much fridge space if I got more. I don't have a dishwasher, so it's easier to keep on top of cleaning 2 bottles
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u/Smee76 Feb 07 '26
But you still have to put the jars in the fridge...
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u/Gullible_Desk2897 Feb 07 '26
Yeah I am also not following the process from the picture? Are you filling these small mason jars and putting in the fridge OP? Or leaving them out?? Because you canāt leave prepared formula out.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
When I need more formula i just dump the small one into the water, screw on the mixer and put that one in the fridge. I pour from the 32oz out of the fridge throughout the day. This way I don't need to measure each time I need to make formula
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u/wysterialee Feb 07 '26
The jars are just formula, it isnāt mixed yet.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
Yep just premeasured powdered formula and premeasured distilled water. 24oz of water and 104g of formula. Mix when needed
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
No... I leave this at room temperature until its time to make more. I only have one 32oz mason in the fridge at a time instead of 6 bottles.
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u/hotdog738 Feb 07 '26
You know you canāt leave prepared formula at room temp right?
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u/Gullible_Desk2897 Feb 07 '26
I think Iāve figured it out/everyone keeps saying formula but OP means powder not yet mixed not prepared formula as weāre all thinking. The glass being textured makes it really hard to tell what is going on. Though Iām not sure having the formula powder in a glass container is because of light but if itās in a cabinet I suppose it doesnāt matter
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
Yes sorry. I guess I suck at explaining. My lo is only 8 weeks so I genuinely got worried I was doing something wrong, but I did discuss this method with the pediatrician. He said its no different than using a 32oz rtf and pouring it into bottles as you need.
But my love of meal prep wants me to get ahead of the game, so when I'm super tired I don't have to whip out the scale and measure the powdered formula and water
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
I only have one of these mixed at a time and kept in the fridge. The rest are measured and ready to be mixed throughout the week
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u/moldyzomby Feb 07 '26
Excessive, but itās your life do what you want. Also you should be boiling tap water if thatās what youāre using.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
My tap water has lead in it. Pediatrician said to use distilled
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u/moldyzomby Feb 07 '26
That helps to clarify, your post doesnāt mention distilled water only that you donāt boil water!
ETA: I just missed the distilled water part š«
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u/oioitime Feb 07 '26
This seems like an extra step for me, personally. But it does look very satisfying!
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u/Own-Particular9608 Feb 07 '26
I make one large pitcher in the morning and then make the bottles for the day from that (like 4-5 bottles of 7oz each) and keep in the fridge to grab and go as needed. The extra in the pitcher is if needed in addition to the bottles.
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u/Gillionaire25 EFF š«š® Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
My concern with this method is actually the water. It is measured into jars beforehand? Regardless of whether it's boiled or not, putting water from its original packaging into non-sterile containers and storing it for several days in room temperature is a risk for bacterial growth. If it's possible, measuring the water just before mixing would be better because then you're not contaminating the water that's getting used in the next days.
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u/Secure-Resort2221 Feb 08 '26
I always sterilize the formula, boiling and then cooling the water to a certain temp (ie 70c) isnāt just to sterilize the water but itās to sterilize the formula as there can be bacteria in it thatās not great for little ones. I do the pitcher method so Iām only doing it daily.
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u/ochoroll Feb 08 '26
You do this everytime you make formula? How do you feed your little one outside of the house? I have a bottle with distilled water and just powdered formula to mix on the go
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u/Secure-Resort2221 Feb 08 '26
I do the pitcher method so I make a jug daily (good for up to 24 hours in the back of the fridge), prepared formula is good for 4 hours in a cooler bag with ice packs, or I use ready to feed on the go. Distilled water doesnāt kill the bacteria in the formula so personally Iām not comfortable with the risk as powdered formula isnāt sterile
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u/Open-Imagination2030 Feb 07 '26
Iām unsure why this is being done though. Instead of taking the time to measure it all into jars, why wouldnāt you just measure the powder into the papablic with the roper amount of water, store it in the fridge, and pour from that when you need? This seems like an extra step.
If it works for you, fantastic! I just think you may be making extra work for yourself.
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u/WhimsicalMomma Feb 07 '26
Looks like a great idea! I use a 32 oz mason jar and just make 1 batch of 24 oz at a time. I stir with a spoon and I have some pour spouts for my mason jars.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
I like the papablic mixer as it stays below the water lever at all times, so it doesn't add air. Same concept as the dr brown mixer, but it screw on a glass mason jar
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u/d3ut1tta Feb 07 '26
How are you loving that pitcher mixer? I'm also looking into getting this one so that I can use a glass jar, but I saw there was mixed reviews about putting the mixer part in the dishwasher because people were saying that the heat warped it so that it kept getting stuck. Are you also having that issue?
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
I don't have a dishwasher, but I haven't had any problems with it with handwashing so far. I've used it pretty roughly and its been holding up for the past 8 weeks. This system has really been saving my sanity when my so is working 14hr days and I don't have time to measure powdered formula out to make a bottle.
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u/ninetofivedev Feb 08 '26
This is a level of neuroticism that puts even the most type A person to shame.
I have two containers in a drawer: the formula and an older formula tin.
I measure out 24 ounces into the pitcher, I dump the old formula tin, which I measured out yesterday into the water. I mix. I fill the bottles. I put them in the fridge.
Sometime later today, Iāll measure out tomorrowās formula into the spare tin.
Rinse, repeat.
I really doubt youāre saving any time.
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u/shana- Feb 07 '26
Wow, this is really a process. Does this take a lot of time? I have a Baby Brezza, it does the job for me.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
It's like 15min of prep once a week. My lo can drink it cold from the fridge so it helps
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u/shana- Feb 07 '26
Oh that definitely helps! My two always wanted warm bottles. Room temp sometimes in the summer
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u/wysterialee Feb 07 '26
People not understanding that this is just powder in jars is killing me. We did this too! I work in childcare and we have a few parents who also do this so itās easier to prepare the pitcher before daycare. It also doesnāt take that long. Iām not sure why people think measuring formula into a few jars takes hours lol.
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u/Gullible_Desk2897 Feb 07 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
Itās because it is a textured glass which makes the contents obscured and OP didnāt explain anything clearly in their text or follow up comments when multiple people arenāt following. They are also mason jars. Which they mention using for prepared formula in the original post
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u/wysterialee Feb 07 '26
I understand that, but the jars of water underneath the jars of formula made it obvious pretty quickly lol. I also found clarification in the comments. The post itself also made it pretty obvious when it says the small jars hold 104g of formula and the large ones hold 24oz of water, and they fill the 32oz jar when mixed.
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u/Open-Imagination2030 Feb 07 '26
I think people are getting caught up because it takes more time to do this ābulkā prep than it would to do one jar each day. Just pull out a kitchen scale each day and pour the 104g into the papablic with fresh water. Clean the papablic each night and pour fresh water and remeasure the formula in the morning (or night before).
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u/wysterialee Feb 07 '26
Well yes and no. Yes, it takes more time to do it all in one day. But now you donāt have to do it everyday. Plus this all only takes a few minutes. I think this just works better for some people! Like me, I donāt have the time to do this every day during the week because our Monday-Friday schedule is pretty busy, but I do have time on Saturday or Sunday which is when I prep everything else for the week also. If you arenāt already doing some prep then this may seem pointless but it was just added into my weekly prep. My daughter is 3 now so we obviously donāt do this anymore, but it definitely saved me time when we were doing it!
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u/Open-Imagination2030 Feb 07 '26
I can see how when you have a tight M-F schedule, doing this on the weekend could help. I used to batch make all my sonās little blw meals when he was little, freeze the items, and pull as needed, so I guess itās the same. Im sure it also takes the space out of your brain of yet another thing to have to think about it during the week. I just think doing this is not the ānormā, so thatās why people arenāt understanding.
Even though I donāt understand it, I think anything that gives you a few minutes back in your day when you have small babies is worth doing.
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u/ochoroll Feb 07 '26
OMG thank you! I felt like I was going crazy.
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u/PermanentTrainDamage Feb 07 '26
It's no different than the travel dispensers thousands of parents use. I measured lots of bottles' worth of powder into those 2oz breastmilk bottles just to make mixing easier while grandma cared for baby and while out and about.
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u/Scienceofmum Feb 07 '26
No but mainly because I follow my countryās recommendations and this is very much not it.
Itās pretty though. I love all the jars.
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u/MmeBoumBoum Feb 07 '26
That sounds like a pretty good system to me. Having pre-measured water and powder does make mixing a pitcher much faster. I would personally do just a few days at a time because of space, but I see how you can save time this way. The only thing I would add is a second mixer top so you don't need to wash it immediately between emptying a jar and mixing a new one.
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u/Latter-Anxiety8728 CMPA NUTRAGEIUM baby & tube FF 5 y/o Feb 07 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
Baby is month old, so will use, again but have to re purchase, only $10 and has a mixer Browns pitcher. My son was tube fed so have tons of Browns screw on caps, store x2 or x3 8oz bottles and transfer 30-100 mL to mam. *pace feeding.
I also use distilled, or purified water. Am I paying for convenience? yes, but I also only drink "spring" water which I learned she cannot have.
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u/thedonnabee Feb 08 '26
Your efforts are awesome! Only one tip based on my experience. I prepped water ahead for a while (boiled and cooled water per our formula cans' instructions and even opened jugs of distilled/nursery water) and if it sat for too long, it would get funky. Mind you, we are combo feeders so we weren't always going through the water super quickly. As long as it's an amount you can get through in a couple of days, you should be all good!
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u/wanshitong3 Feb 09 '26
I'm about to start feeding formula and this made me scared because I've no idea what I'm doing
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u/TheOnesLeftBehind he/him Feb 07 '26
We used concentrate with my first so we just did the Dr browns pitcher in the fridge. It was so easy, one can of the milk and then fill it back up with water.
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u/luckyskunk Feb 07 '26
i would save the last formula can and use it to prep the formula for the next pitcher! (they were the 12oz cans, we'd go thru one in like 3 days)
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u/Gullible_Desk2897 Feb 07 '26
We just put that pitcher you make into the fridgeā¦ and pour into a bottle when we need to make a bottle. Iām confused by all the extra mason jars and smaller jars.
We do sterilize the formula but again we just make formula 1x a day. So we use an electric kettle to boil the water and cool to 158F (70C) then combine powder and water into pitcher and mix. We do everything by weight because our daughter is on 26kcal formula so we have a concentrated recipe but waterās density is 1g/ml so you can use 1g =1ml and weigh it as well. So we use the food scale for it all.