How long is a bottle good for after you mix the formula?

Question

My friend says that you can use them until they've eaten it all, but I thought that you needed to throw it out within an hour or so.

Like, if he just eats half an ounce and doesn't want the rest, how long is it good for?

Answer 1

throw it out after an hour. bacteria grows on the nipple and in the bottle. and recently i read that salmonella can get on there, which i thought was scary. and even if you refrigreate it the could doesn't stop the bacteria from growing, that info should also be on the formula bag they give you at the hospital.go to parenting.com, they have good info on stuff like that

Answer 2

This is what I was told by a midwife:

You are absolutely right, formula that has been heated is only good for one hour. If your baby has not had it all, it still needs to be discarded because the bacteria can really multiply in milk! I always throw out my daughter's 'left-overs'.

As some babies can get fussy in the middle of their bottles, you can reheat it however, as long as it is done within the first hour.

The cooled boiled water that you make the formula with is fine in the fridge for 24 hours. After that it needs to be replaced. Now, on the formula container's it says that you should mix the powder into the water only just before you use it, but the midwife seems to think you needn't bother with this. The prepared formula is also OK in the fridge for 24 hours.

Answer 3

Ditto the above answer. The formula can says 48 hours if it's refrigerated. The reason some people tell you to throw it out after an hour, is if you don't change the nipple, because bacteria from the babies mouth can fester and grow in the nipple. Just change the nipple and put it back in the fridge.

Answer 4

If the baby starts to drink it then the rest should be emptied. If it is just mixed without feeding any then it can be stored for 36-48 hours. When babies nurse a bottle they get saliva inside it that will start to break down the formula, apparently this can be harmful for baby to consume later.

Answer 5

Once the baby touches it with their mouth you get one hour to use it up then the bacteria start to grow. If you make a lot of bottles a head of time then it can be kept up to 48 hours in the fridge. If you are concerned about finance with the cost of formula make less and if the baby is still hungry, you can make another bottle.

Answer 6

Yea after an hour and not refrigerated it throw it away. But up to 48 hrs if in the fridge, you can save what the baby don't eat and put it in the fridge.

Answer 7

If you do that, you are going to go broke buying formula.

With all my children, i kept the bottle until there was about an ounce left. Usually refrigerated in between, but nonetheless, i never threw out a perfectly good bottle just because they didn't feel like eating it all.

Do what you feel is best, but reusing the bottle is not going to hurt your baby.

Answer 8

They say to discard any unused portion after the baby drinks some, but I never did. I would just use it within about 24 hours, and my son was perfectly healthy. As long as you refridgerate it right after the baby eats, it should be fine.

Answer 9

One hour and then you need to throw it away because the babys saliva gets intot the bottle and breaks down the formula. I heard this from the visiting nurse that came to check on my daughter after she was born.

Answer 10

I was told that once the baby puts his mouth on the bottle you have to use it within an hour or it goes bad