u/Springermum-CC

I have started this week giving by 9mo baby expressed breastmilk and formula in a bottle as we’ve had to stop directly breastfeeding. He is having a mix of express express Milk And formula depending on how much I’ve managed to express. I’m finding the advice online an absolute minefield - particularly around sterilising for the formula bottles!

What do people do in terms of sterilising the bottles in advance and keeping them sterilised? I’ve read that they can only be sterile for 24 hours afterwards. I’ve got the Mam self sterilising bottles that I do with the teet in the bottle usually - I’ve also got Milton tablets. I know for the breastmilk bottles I don’t need to sterilise, just thoroughly clean.

What do people also do in terms of pre-making formula bottles? I’ve read lots about people making up a couple and keeping them in the fridge for 24 hours as trying to make them without a prep machine in the middle of the night is a nightmare! I don’t have a prep machine and don’t plan on buying one as he’s nine months old and will only really need bottles for another few months.

Any advice and guidance and tips would be greatly appreciated! It feels like I’m back having a newborn again learning the ropes.

I ’m hoping the lovely parents of Reddit will be able to offer some insight, suggestions and support! I am feeling particularly overwhelmed by all of the varying advice and pressures around getting my baby to begin to self settle for the night time sleep. By baby has just turned 6m old and will usually sleep through or have 1 feed and fall back to sleep. At night time I feed to sleep and in the day he is either fed to sleep, in the pram, car or rocked. The few occasions I’ve attempted to get him to fall asleep on his own, he’s just cried or never fallen asleep!

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can gently start getting him to fall asleep on his own? My aim is that he will do bedtime on his own and eventually nap times! I appreciate every baby is on their own timeline and has their own temperament, but I’d like to start perhaps getting him to learn this skill before it’s too late

Thank you!