Prep machine warning
Hi all,
I have been having trouble with my baby experiencing witching hours that are lasting throughout the evening (averaging on 6-7 hours) since she turned 3 weeks old (she is now nearly 6 weeks so this has been happening for 2.5 weeks, every single night).
Between the hours of 5pm and 11pm she was really unsettled and not sleeping at all. I took her to the docs and got no answers there. She was showing signs of silent reflux (no spit up or sick, but arching her back, crying, didn’t seem comfortable when held in certain positions etc).
I started to realise that the issue began to happen when i gave up combi feeding and moved 100% to formula. Before then my baby was so so content and happy - I was using a lot of ready to drink formula to supplement with breast milk between weeks 1-2.
I decided to research and I found that the prep machines are not recommended by the NHS - I already knew this before I started using it , but everyone I knew recommended them so i just went ahead and bought a second hand one (i purchased brand new filters for it and it was cleaned out fully).
Well as my baby was so upset / having these long spells of being awake I decided to try taking away anything that could be the cause, so I decided to make her bottles fresh with boiled water and not use the tommee tippee. Well the past 24 hours my baby went from being upset for 6-7 hours on average to only 3 which is the normal amount for a baby who is approaching 6 weeks old. I know it could be a coincidence but she was so content for most of the evening and she even slept at 5pm and 8pm which she hasn’t done since week 2.
I did some further testing to find that my tommee tippee machine doesn’t even reach 50 degrees c, it was reaching only 47 degrees for the boiling water and needs to be atleast 70 for the formula im using (SMA pro).
I’m going to continue making fresh bottles but i just wanted to pass this on just incase any one else was having a similar experience or who has a tommee tippee machine - if so it might be a good idea to test how hot your hotshot is!
I also now don’t trust that the filter is 100% effective is getting the bacteria out of the tap water you put into it. All you need to do is read the studies which say that TT refused to release their lab report for both the hotshot and the filtering of the water!
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How did you test the hot shot.
When I used a digital thermometer it just came up high x
The prep machine my friend gave me was making the hot shot above 70 but the issues is not that...apparently is the way the water get mixed with the formula before you shake it snd once you add the cold water. It creates more boubles and air, so some babies gets very sick with that. Mine did projectile vomit as well. I might try it in few months, if not I will give it back to my friend.
I’ve put mine away, wont use it again as it made my baby projectile vomit after every feed. Since going back to kettle he’s been fine
@Angela use a food thermometer x
@Sara not reaching 70 would also be an issue, as babies can get gastro issues from the bacteria in formula x
I’ve used the same prep machine for both first and second. My first had awful reflux and was a very unsettled baby lasted until she was 7 months old, bless her. My second is a dream to be honest. So I don’t think I can blame the reflux on the prep machine in my case
Update! I thought it was just a coincidence but tonight is the second night in a row now where my baby hasn’t had a 6-7 hour witching hour. It definitely made her ill- i’m so shocked. I know many of these machines are ok but mine wasn’t and i’m not sure i trust that the filters get rid of all of the bacteria in tap water too. I would advise adding cool boiled water to the machine to take extra precautions. x
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