Choosing and preparing formula milk

At 4 years old, Emma has been eating fine, loves fruits and taking all sorts of drinks, including fresh milk. However, I still continue to give her formula milk twice a day for various reasons - she's relatively small in size, doesn't enjoy breakfast and loves her milk. She's just not a foodie but an avid milk lover! 

When it comes to offering and preparing formula milk for Emma, it seems like a no brainer. But, there are actually some useful pointers to note when feeding these little ones with sensitive digestive systems.

Choosing the right formula milk

With many milk brands around, choosing the formula milk can be confusing. The price, taste (whether your kids like them), suitability (any physical reaction to the milk formula) and quality of the milk are some of the considerations.

For Emma, Friso milk formula works well for her. She loves the taste and has no reaction after taking it. Since Friso has LockNutri Process Technology™ which uses mild heat treatment during milk processing, preserving milk proteins, it can be readily absorbed by her body. 

Essentials for preparing formula milk

We serve the formula milk in milk bottles as it's easier for Emma to drink it when she just wake up from her sleep. You can also serve the formula milk in cups. I don't advise sippy cups as I find it hard to wash them thoroughly. For washing, I use bottle accessories liquid detergent. We also used a steriliser to sterilise the milk bottles up till she was 1 year old. But, it's entirely up to the parents' comfort how long they want to serve in sterilised bottles. 

Temperature of water for preparing formula milk 

We use boiled water that is cooled down to around 40 °C (mixed boiling water and normal temperature water) to prepare milk formula instead of first dissolving it in boiling hot water and then cool it down by mixing cold water. This way, the beneficial live bacteria will be not be destroyed.

Once milk proteins are over heated, they may not be easily absorbed and may cause our little ones to suffer from protein indigestion and digestive discomfort.

Concentration of formula milk

We followed the amount of scoops required for suggested volume and rarely reduce the number of scoops. I know some parents do when their little ones are coughing, having loose bowels or constipated. So, just do so as advised by doctors. 

However, it might be better not dilute the milk to ensure that the little ones get the maximum nutrients from it and feed your child extra water in between feeding times when they are constipated. 

Mixing of prepared formula milk

Milk shaken in a feeding bottle always produces bubbles, which disappear eventually. However, it's best to swirl or lightly shake the bottle horizontally, not vertically. This reduces the production of air bubbles.

Storage of prepared formula milk 

As per the guideline, we serve the prepared formula milk within an hour and if there is any leftover milk, we will discard it. I read about keeping the prepared formula milk in the fridge and using it within 24 hours, but we didn't try that. 

Storage of unmixed formula milk

Like most parents, we store them in the tin that comes with it unless we are traveling - we keep them in sealed dry container. It's important to keep the milk tin in a dry and cool place.

Others

Do take a 2nd look into the tin when you scoop up the milk powder. I read of some cases where foreign particles are found in tins. It might not be from the manufacturer, sometimes insects like ants do invade.

Also, check the expiry date of milk powder before opening up the tin!

Hope these pointers will come in handy for some of you!

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This blog is in collaboration with Friso.

Kids learn from experiences whether big or small, good or bad. That's why Friso provides the right nutrition for your child to be strong inside to take on challenges.

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