Good practices for infant milk preparation

Trying to prepare milk to feed your hungry baby, but do you know you could be introducing germs to your baby if you did not follow some good hygiene practices?

Firstly, how clean is your feeding bottle? Did you properly wash the feeding bottles & teats and sterilize them using a steam sterilizer? Sometimes bacteria could be growing on interior surface of bottle and along crevices in feeding teats. These may not be easily removed without proper brushing, and using a steam sterilizer will help to eliminate these bacteria. 

If you use a spoon to stir the milk, make sure the spoon is also properly cleaned and sterilized.

The water you use to prepare the milk must be of potable drinking water quality,  and has undergone boiling to remove any harmful bacteria. The World Health Organisation recommends using boiled water that has been cooled to no less than 70 degree celsius for milk preparation,  which can help to reduce the risk of harmful bacteria if present in the milk powder.  However,  ensure the milk is cooled to lukewarm before feeding your baby.  You can test the temperature by dripping a little milk onto the inside of your wrist,  you should feel lukewarm and not hot.

Discard any left over milk if it is not consumed within 2 hour. Bacteria can grow and multiply to high numbers within a few hours under favourable conditions,  and liquid milk left at room temperature is definitely a good condition for bacteria to grow.

It is safest to prepare milk fresh for each feed and consume immediately.  Preparing a batch of milk and store in refrigerator for use later is not recommended at individual household setting. This maybe possible in a care setting facility which has proper controls and trained personnel to manage such a batch preparation.

Last but not least, observing good personal hygiene such as washing your hands before milk preparation is the best way to prevent spreading germs to your baby.

Happy feeding your baby! 😊

Cheers!

Leo Peh