Giving baby formula after 2 hours is generally discouraged by experts. Cooked infant formulas can only maintain nutrition for a specific time.
If it is left for too long, it will become useless or even give rise to harmful bacteria or yeast.
Besides breast milk, baby formula directly contributes to the complete physical development of the newborn baby, thanks to the specialized nutrients.
Parents are recommended to learn about proper preparation and usage to protect the baby’s intestinal health optimally. That’s why we are here to support you!
Baby Formula Preparation
Depending on the months of age, infants are fed an appropriate feeding pattern, oscillating from 90-120ml/kg of birth weight for 3-12 months.
Especially, babies who experience low birth weight can be provided with more formula feeding; 160-180ml can be a wise choice.
Parents must always prioritize hygiene principles to avoid letting harmful agents enter the baby’s body. Let’s check the baby formula expiration date as the first step.
When making milk, mothers should follow the manufacturer’s instructions strictly.
The water used must be clean boiling water. It is not allowed to use tap water, plain water, or mineral water for mixing.
Noticeably, mineral water easily changes the nutrients in formula milk and causes kidney stones in babies.
Use fresh water, boil clean water, and do not let it cool for longer than 30 minutes before stirring the formula powder. Hot water helps kill bacteria that may be present in powdered formula.
The ideal formula temperature is 40-50 degrees Celsius (104-122 degrees Fahrenheit. Too hot water possibly destroys beneficial nutrients, additional vitamins, or probiotics.
After pouring the correct amount of boiling water into the bottle, use the measuring spoon provided in the formula container to calculate the amount of powdered infant formula accurately.
The measuring spoons may vary depending on the brand. The rule of thumbs is to scoop a spoonful of compaction, neither less nor more.
Pour the powder into the milk bottle, cover the outside and shake gently to dissolve the mixture.
Test the formula temperature by placing a small amount on your wrist. Too hot milk can easily burn the baby’s tongue or lining. You can cool it down with a gentle rinse or soak the bottle in cool water.
If your baby can’t hold the bottle yet, please hold the bottle slightly and feed your infant slowly to prevent him or her from choking.
Now, can I feed my baby formula after 2 hours? We don’t recommend doing so. The reason will be revealed in the next section.
What Happens When Giving Baby Formula After 2 Hours?
What happens if baby drinks formula after 2 hours? Loss of nutrients, and yeast or bacterial infections are the reasons why parents should not feed baby formula after 2 hours.
This is absolutely not good for the baby’s health.
Quite a few parents do not have enough time to take care of their children completely, thereby habitually preparing many bottles of powdered infant formula for their babies to drink gradually.
Please do not store leftover bottled milk to use again next time because these amounts of formula may be contaminated.
Experts have recommended that 2 hours is the maximum time for the formula to be left within normal conditions.
If your newborn refuses to drink all the rest within 2 hours, the prepared formula had better be discharged.
The cooled milk combined with the baby’s saliva can lose the initial hygiene and nutrients in the milk.
Yeast and germs, especially Crono bacteria – the causative agent of blood infections and meningitis, have a chance to reproduce in this environment.
And, of course, they will easily penetrate and damage your baby’s unstable immune system, increasing the likelihood of illness exposure.
Knowing the loss of advantages, parents can somehow predict what happens if the baby drinks a formula left out for 3 hours, which is even more serious.
Common symptoms of infections in infants include diarrhea or abdominal pain.
Worse, babies with weak digestive systems can even experience food poisoning with serious signs like throwing up frequently.
How Long Can Formula Be Left Out?
Different from breast milk which can freely follow cluster feeding, formula milk is stricter in the feeding time.
According to manufacturers, experts, and healthcare providers, 3 different types of formulated milk (powdered milk, concentrated formula, and ready-to-feed formula) only maximize their value when used within an hour at room temperature.
Why is formula bad after an hour? The bottle can still maintain for another hour, but the taste quality can somehow be decreased.
Moreover, there are some cases of dewatering during storage outside the fridge. That’s why discarding formula after 1 hour is highly suggested.
Not only liquid formula but raw formula powder also needs attention regarding usage time and storage.
Besides keeping the lid tightly closed, parents should also place the powder in a cool place and avoid direct exposure to sunlight.
Areas near high heat sources such as microwave ovens or stoves are also not recommended.
Several parents think powdered formula can still be used regardless of time as long as it is not moldy. This mistake should be corrected immediately.
Many agents in the air can degenerate the nutritious elements in the formula.
Specifically, when powdered milk is moist, certain types of invisible mold can grow inside. Therefore, you’d better use up the formula within 1 month of opening.
Can I Refrigerate Formula After Feeding?
As we shared above, reusing the liquid formulated milk does no good for the baby. After feeding, you should discard the leftovers rather than refrigerate them.
The cooked formula which has not been drunk yet can retain its benefits in the fridge within 24 hours. Low temperature is able to slow the growth process of bacteria.
However, even though the storage time is under 24 hours, parents, please check the quality of refrigerated formula again before feeding the infant.
After taking it out of the fridge, you can let the bottle cool down naturally or warm it with warm water. The latter is more favorable because it can better preserve the milk’s taste.
If you do not have a specialized warmer, you can soak the bottle in warm water for about 10 minutes. Please do not try to speed the process by warming the formula with the microwave.
Once refrigerated milk is heated, it must be used within an hour. Nutritionists have strongly advised not to put it back in the refrigerator one more time.
Thus, whether your baby drinks it or not, the milk should go to waste after 1 hour of heating.
However, the refrigerator can not be a choice for raw powder. It is a fact that the fridge environment is highly moist.
Infant formula’s characteristic is to absorb moisture, so it may clump or mold in the fridge.
Conclusion
To sum up, parents are advised to avoid giving baby formula after 2 hours. Under 24 hours is the best time for refrigerator storage.
Infant formula plays a role as a crucial nutrient provider, so you must pay lots of attention to the preserving method.
Otherwise, the milk can backfire, affecting your baby’s health. We hope that dedicated moms and dads discover the right solutions after surfing the above pieces of information.
It is necessary to have a balanced diet in terms of quantity and quality for the early period of your baby.
If your infant doesn’t receive sufficient and balanced nutrients, diseases of nutrition deficit and surplus are inevitable.
As such, there is no doubt that the baby’s comprehensive development of physical, mental, and motor skills can be affected accordingly.