CDC's handout on preparing and storing powdered infant formula — in English and Spanish.
Preparing it
- Wash your hands well, and clean and sanitize your workspace and bottles.
- Use water from a safe source. If you're unsure about your tap water, ask your local health department.
- Use exactly the amount of water on the container's instructions — water first, then powder. Too much water may not meet your baby's nutritional needs; too little makes your baby's kidneys and digestive system work too hard and can cause dehydration.
- Formula doesn't need warming. If you warm it, never use a microwave — it heats unevenly and can burn your baby's mouth and throat. Hold the bottle under warm running water instead, keeping water off the nipple, and test a few drops on your wrist.
Using and storing it
- Prepared formula can spoil at room temperature. Use it within 2 hours of preparing it and within one hour of starting a feeding. If you won't start within 2 hours, put it in the fridge straight away and use it within 24 hours.
- Throw out formula left in the bottle after a feeding — formula mixed with your baby's saliva can grow bacteria — and clean and sanitize the bottle.
- Keep unopened containers somewhere cool, dry and indoors — not in cars, garages or outdoors. Once opened, keep powder in a cool, dry place with the lid tight, not in the refrigerator.
- Most formula must be used within 1 month of opening — check the label, and write the date on the lid. Never use formula past its "Use By" date.
Which method to use
| Situation | How to prepare | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Most babies, most of the time | Follow the manufacturer's instructions, with tap water (filtered or not) | Safe tap water can be mixed with powdered formula |
| Babies younger than 2 months, born prematurely (before 37 weeks) or with a weakened immune system | Boil the water, wait about 5 minutes, then mix; let the formula cool before feeding | Powdered formula isn't sterile and can carry germs such as Cronobacter; very hot water (around 158°F/70°C) kills them |
| During or after an emergency, when tap water isn't safe | Use bottled water; or boil or disinfect tap water and let it cool to room temperature before mixing | Emergency tap water may carry bacteria, viruses and parasites |
About Cronobacter: these bacteria live in the environment and in dry foods such as powdered formula. Infections are rare but serious in infants. After mixing with hot water, the formula will be too hot — cool it and test on your wrist: it should feel warm, not hot. More: CDC's Cronobacter fact sheet and videos in English and Spanish.
In an emergency
When a water main break, hurricane or flood makes tap water unsafe, use bottled water until authorities say tap water is safe. If tap water is your only option, make it safe by boiling or disinfecting it. If your baby is also younger than 2 months, premature or has a weakened immune system, follow the Cronobacter steps above. Step-by-step guides: preparing formula in emergencies and cleaning feeding items in emergencies.
Chemicals in water: boiling, disinfecting or filtering can't remove harmful chemicals or toxins. Use bottled water or ready-to-feed formula, and follow local public health advice.
Sources
Based on "Infant Formula Preparation and Storage," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. Its stock photograph is not reproduced.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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