Can i put formula in the fridge

If you’re formula-feeding your little one, you may be wondering what the best and safest practices are when it comes to formula, especially after you’ve mixed it. And there’s that commonly asked question “How long can a bottle of formula sit out?” Luckily, making a day’s worth of formula in advance involves a lot of the same food safety steps you’d practice when storing leftovers, except that the window of time is shorter. Read on to get more of your questions answered and to learn about safely handling formula.

How Long Can Formula Sit Out for Once It Has Been Prepared?

You may have wondered how long a bottle of formula can stay out or last at room temperature. It actually is not a good idea to have formula sit out at room temperature for an extended period of time once it’s been made. Use prepared formula within two hours of mixing and within one hour of starting your baby’s feeding.

Once you’ve fed your baby their formula, make sure to discard any formula left over in the bottle. It's no longer safe to be consumed since it’s been contaminated with your baby’s saliva and can grow unsafe bacteria. And be sure to sanitize your baby’s bottle before the next use.

How Long Is Formula Good for in the Fridge?

Yes, you can refrigerate formula if you’ve decided to prepare your baby’s daily batch in advance or you’re trying paced bottle feeding, which might require more stopping and starting and, therefore fridge storage. But, how long does formula last in the fridge? After you’ve mixed formula, it should be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator as soon as possible and used within 24 hours (from the moment you prepared it). So, it’s best not to overdo it when it comes to preparing your baby’s formula in advance. Simply mix the amount you’d use up that same day.

How Long Is Open, Unprepared, Unmixed Formula Good For?

Most baby formula should be used within one month of opening the container, but check the label for exact recommendations. Be sure to store the open container of baby formula in a cool, dry place with the lid closed tightly. Do not keep unmixed powdered formula in the refrigerator.

How Long Does Unopened Baby Formula Last?

Just like any food product, baby formula doesn’t last forever. Always check your container of formula for the “use by” date. Don’t use the unopened container of formula if it’s past the expiration date. Make sure that the formula has not been recalled by checking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.

Store unopened containers of baby formula in a cool, dry place. Avoid storing formula in your vehicle, garage, or outdoors.

The Bottom Line

There are a few things to keep in mind when using formula with your baby. Make sure the formula that you buy isn’t expired and that the container hasn’t been damaged. Store the container of formula in a cool, dry place, even after it’s been opened, but don’t keep unmixed powdered formula in the refrigerator. Once you’ve mixed the formula, be sure to use it within two hours of mixing and within one hour of starting your baby’s feeding. If you like, you can store extra bottles of prepared formula in the back of the refrigerator, where it’s the coldest. Be sure to use the prepared bottles within 24 hours (including preparation time);otherwise you’ll need to discard the mixed formula. If you’re wondering how often or how much a baby can eat in a day, read up on planning your baby’s feeding schedule for their first year. Also get some more information on the question ‘when do babies stop drinking formula?’. Formula-feeding isn't complicated, but it’s important to adhere to the guidelines mentioned above to ensure that your baby stays healthy and doesn't consume formula that's unsafe.

It’s safest to make up formula when you need it and feed your baby straight away because warm milk is a lovely place for bacteria to grow. However, if you choose to premake formula you can store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. This means that you can prepare your required number of feeds for a 24 hour period in advance and store it in the fridge ready for warming when you need it. You can also store formula in a cool bag for up to four hours.

Making your formula

Follow the usual gold standard technique as recommended by the NHS.

If making up multiple bottles at a time you could use a jug or formula pitcher, which is a handy contraption with a specialised plunger for ensuring the formula is mixed well (and costs around £15). This lets you make up your formula in the same way as making a bottle but in a larger volume; pour the hot water in first up to the required volume and then add the recommended number of formula scoops.

It’s easy to lose track of the number of scoops when making up larger volumes of formula, plus the scoop can get claggy with formula clumps because of the steam from the hot water. So, a good tip is to decant your scoops into a clean mug and then tip this into the hot water. This means the scoop won’t get claggy but also if you lose count of your scoops you don’t need to ditch the jug of formula (soul destroying if you’ve counted 20 odd ounces), you just tip your formula powder back into the tub and start again.

Once you’ve made the formula, rapidly cool it by placing the bottles or the jug into cold water. Individual bottles will cool quicker than a jug full of formula as the milk is in smaller volumes. To avoid the bottles tipping up, and thus having to be discarded, make sure the cold water level in your basin or sink is very slightly lower than the level of milk in your bottles and be super careful placing them in and taking them out. One bottle brand sells a bottle crate for a few quid that you could put the bottles in before placing them in the sink to avoid tipping!

Storing your formula

Place the cooled bottles or jug into the back of your fridge - not the door - and ensure the temperature is less than 5 degrees C.

Throw away any formula not used up within 24 hours.

If you store your formula in the jug this gives the flexibility to decant and heat different volumes of formula throughout he day and may help reduce waste. However, limit the time the jug is out of the fridge as much as you can; bring a clean, sterile bottle as close to the fridge as possible, decant the milk quickly and put the jug straight back to the back of the fridge asap.

Heating your formula

When your baby is hungry, select a bottle from the fridge or decant the required amount from your jug and ensure the lid is tightly sealed.

Place your bottle in warm water to heat through. You can use a jug of warm water from the tap or a bottle warmer. Using a microwave to heat your bottles is not advised because microwaves heat food stuffs unevenly, creating hot spots. This can result in hot milk not being picked up by the wrist check and your baby being scalded.

As you’re here, you’re obviously feeling naughty! So, if you do decide to break the rules and heat up your bottles in the microwave - remember, this is not recommended - make sure not to put the milk in the microwave for too long and then mix the warmed milk thoroughly by inverting the bottle a good few times to ensure any hot spots are dispersed.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to make sure your bottle is evenly heated and throughly mixed, and the milk has been temperature checked before giving it to your baby.

What happens if you put formula in the fridge?

Can I give my baby cold formula from the fridge?