You’re tired.
And your baby has just woken up for one of their nighttime feedings.
Through hazy vision you stumble to the kitchen, maybe bump into a wall or two along the way, and mix a bottle. But then it dawns on you that you’ve mixed it all wrong. All while your baby has gone from crying to screaming.
And you’re exhausted.
I get it.
I used to do it too – make each bottle one at a time, waste formula by mistake, and run into walls in the middle of the night in a hurry to get back to my hungry baby.
But I found a simpler way: a bottle station. It helps making nighttime (and daytime) bottles a breeze.
How To Setup A Bottle Station
(for formula feeding)
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Here’s What You’ll Need:
- Bottles – Philips AVENT and Dr. Brown’s were our faves.
- Water, from a safe water source – I used Ozarka Natural Spring Water. I stuck with this brand for formula feeding, since it was the only brand I could stomach when I was pregnant.
- Formula
- Formula Dispenser – This one worked well and lasted until we no longer needed it (10 months), unlike the first one we had that broke within 6 weeks.
- Bottle Warmer (optional)
RELATED: 7 Ways To Warm Bottles That Aren’t The Microwave
Once you gather all of these things, reserve a space for them on the counter. This is where they’ll live for as long as your baby needs them.
Steps to Follow
There’s not much to this Friends, all it takes is a bit of advanced preparation.
Starting with clean baby bottles, grab your water bottles, or water, and fill each one with the amount of water needed for your baby’s feeding (2oz, 3oz, etc).
Now, screw on the cap and lid, and sit them in the spot you reserved for your formula station.
Next, you’ll pre-fill each of your dispenser’s slots with the equivalent amount of formula. Cap it, and place it in the formula station, too.
The next time your baby cries to be fed, all you’ll have to do is add your formula to your bottle, shake it, then warm it, if desired.
And just like that, your bottle is ready to go.
Easy peasy.
TIP: When mixing formula, always add the water first. That way you’ll get the correct ratio.
But this wasn’t the only method I explored, I tried 2 others, too.
2 More Bottle-Prep Methods I Tried
#1. I explored pre-making each bottle, one by one, from start to finish, then refrigerating them for later use. Then I’d warm them, as needed.
#2. I also explored batch preparing up to 40 oz. of formula, using this pitcher, to store in the refrigerator. Then I’d pour a bottle, and warm it, when needed.
Ultimately, these seemed to make Plum gassier, so I abandoned them for the method I shared above.
TIP: If you pre-mix your bottles, most brands require you to refrigerate the formula within an hour or two of mixing, provided that it hasn’t been used. Once you mix it, if your baby hasn’t used it within 24 hours, throw it out. Read the formula’s label for more information.
Final Thoughts on This Formula Station
In those early months, restocking my station became a part of my evening routine, and I’d do it every evening after Plum had fallen asleep “for the night”. I’d make 6-9 bottles and use all of them within 24 hours.
I loved this method because, with a little advanced prep, I could mix her bottles at night while being half-awake, and soothe her cries before she went into panic-mode. Making bottles step-by-step at each feeding became a thing of the past.
It helps make your life a tiny bit simpler, get baby fed quickly, prevent wasting formula, and free up even a little bit of that mental space that is so precious is baby’s earliest days.
Now, the bumping into walls, I can’t help with. 😀
All the Best,
Ash
P.S. Get your batch on with a formula dispenser, or pitcher.