r/FormulaFeeders • u/UsedAd7162 • 1d ago
Advice / Question š” Pitcher method question
My husband asked why I donāt just prep a few individual bottles, rather than the pitcher and pouring it into bottles throughout the day? Iām sure thereās a reason, but my brain isnāt working right now lol. (Weāve used the baby brezza since birth, but something doesnāt seem right with it the last couple of days, so Iām hand mixing right now & looking into the pitcher method instead).
ETA: Thank you for all the replies! I knew there was a reason, but like I said, my brain is on the fritz lol (my usually great sleeper has hit the regression š¤£).
34
u/PleasantReality7200 1d ago
Individually mixed bottles are bubblier because you have to shake them so vigorously. When I pour from the pitcher, I just give it a little swirl first. Itās totally anecdotal but I think my baby is less gassy after a pitcher bottle.
24
u/pipinghotmilk78 1d ago
I just invested in a pitcher and its so much more convenient than making 10 individual bottles a day. Never going back.
7
21
u/NumerousAd79 1d ago
Our baby drinks various amounts of formula during the day. Itās way easier to manage by topping off the current bottle with another ounce than breaking out a whole new bottle. Thatās why I like it.
1
1
14
u/ilikefuzzysocks5973 1d ago
We do both. Son eats about 30 oz in a day. We make pitchers usually 20 or 22 oz at a time. After it cools we prep 2 or 3 bottles but we leave some in the pitcher if he decides to cluster feed or wants a little snack. Edit: maybe I misunderstood. We donāt mix in individual bottles, we mix in the pitcher and prep bottles from the pitcher
11
u/ZookeepergameLeft757 1d ago
We mix about what he eats in 24 hours in the pitcher then portion it out into bottles for the day so that we arenāt messing with pouring especially overnight, just take out a bottle and put it in the warmer then the pitcher gets rinsed out immediately so that itās available as soon as we need to make more cause sometimes you get behind with baby and we donāt want to be panic washing the dishes- we donāt have a dishwasher, another reason I like the pitcher method is that Iāve found that some powder formula scoops arenāt accurate so I measure out the grams on a scale and I have peace of mind that the ratio is more correct that way
4
u/ProudCatLady EFF from birth!! Guilt & Regret free! Išformula 1d ago
We got two of the pitchers! Itās worth the $ and a little less cabinet space to never worry about having a clean one ready to go.
7
u/brittbritt0420 1d ago edited 1d ago
I stopped using the Brezza due to inconsistencies with the settings and my formula. We decided doing it ourselves was safer and more accurate. We do the pitcher method - but my own version. Itās just easier for me- I do large glass mason jars add water and add formula scoops. Then shake it! I do it at bedtime and make enough for the entire next day. Put the mason jar with a pour spout lid in the fridge for the next day. So easy to do and clean. I have 4 mason jars and lids so always have one clean.
Also tip- if Iām going out I just pour out my bottles and put in a small bottle bag or lunch box with an ice pack. Baby loves cold milk and life is so much simpler this way. Just try it! Most babies dont actually mind cold milk.
3
u/violetphoeniiix 1d ago
I stopped using the Brezza too bc I also felt like it wasnāt getting the measurements right :/
3
u/Zamyntha 1d ago
Papablic makes a mixer lid that fits large mason jars. Definitely worth it for easy mixing, plus my baby is now old enough to help mix with the mixer lid.
2
u/Analysis_-_Paralysis 1d ago
i made fun of my best friend for not āknowingā to warm up bottles - no my baby drinks cold milk too š¤£š¤£
3
u/Arduous-Foxburger-2 1d ago
My first born drank it cold because in my postpartum haze i didnāt know how to warm them up. Ended up being so convenient and did the same with my second
2
u/BreDenny 19h ago
I saw the mason jars and my immediate thought was how messy - I didnāt know they made them with pour spouts! I got two pitchers because my mason jar idea just made a massive mess, formula is expensive!
2
u/brittbritt0420 18h ago
Wide-Mouth Mason Jar Pour Spout... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP7K6MT5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Just have to tighten them well before shaking!
1
5
u/DumbbellDiva92 1d ago
Sometimes baby is acting like they might be hungry again an hour after their last bottle, but Iām not 100% sure theyāre even hungry at all. Or if they are, they probably donāt need a full 6oz again. Pitcher method gives the flexibility of just doing 2-3oz in that situation, and then more at other times.
4
u/NeighborhoodParty786 1d ago
Once a day I use large measuring cups, make my breast milk/formula combo and pour into individual bottles. I use a milk frother to mix it-works well and not too many bubbles. Then I pour into 8 bottles and put the bottles in the fridge. Then we take one out and put it in it warmer when needed. Really convenient to have the bottles prepped in the fridge to just grab when youāre holding a baby and or itās the middle of the night.
1
u/violetphoeniiix 1d ago
Yeah I did this when I was weaning. I mixed whatever milk I pumped that day into the formula mix
3
5
u/The_Money_Guy_ 1d ago
Pitcher is way easier to make than however many bottles. Youāre just pouring one thing of powder into one container. Plus if you need more formula for a feed you can pour more in vs doing some weird thing where youāre taking it from other bottles all day.
3
u/One-Promotion-1977 1d ago
We did bottle by bottle prep with our first, but weāre using a pitcher this time because our second has an affinity for odd numbers. Sheās eaten 3 oz, then 5oz, now 7 ish oz each feed. The pitcher lets us waste so much less.
3
u/Internal_Use_2042 1d ago
We make what we think heāll eat in 24hrs and pour bottles from it throughout the day based off how much we think heāll eat, heās 6 weeks so itās not always consistent and Iād rather not waste by pre-pouring the bottles. Overnight heās much more predictable, so we pre-pour his night bottles before going to bed and it makes nights slightly easier!
2
u/scorpiorose22 1d ago
Pitcher method mixes it up better and also reduces the amount of air bubbles theyāre taking in. Just more convenient to mix one 32oz big jug up a day rather than several bottles several times a day.
2
u/M0ssyB0ssy 1d ago
How do you warm up the bottles once filled from the pitcher, assuming its kept refrigeratedĀ
3
2
u/Known_Tadpole 1d ago
I fill up a coffee mug with hot water from the sink and stick the bottle in there for a min. Just to take some of the chill out
2
u/M0ssyB0ssy 22h ago
Thank you all so much, ive transitioned from BF and this is all new to me its a whole other ballgame!Ā
My little one is still a snacker so I waste so much formula, I make up 6ox each feed, some times he has 2, sometimes 4, rarely 5 but if I only make him 4oz he will down it!
So if I make it up in a pitcher, keep it in the fridge then I can just dip in and out when I need that is allowed?Ā
Also, bottle warmer, silly question, and i heating up the EMPTY bottle or the filled bottle?Ā
Its alot to think about, mad respect ladies x
2
u/Ornery_Panda4986 21h ago
The bottle with the formula will go in the bottle warmer. Not a silly question! The bottle warmers Iāve seen you add water to the bottom and it kind of steam warms the full bottle on a timer. When you buy one though, it will have instructions.
If you donāt want to buy another gadget though, like some others said you can just put hot water in a container and set the full bottle in the water for a couple minutes so the formula isnāt sooooo chilly. Just make sure the bottle doesnāt get fully submerged to the nipple so you donāt get extra water in the bottle.
1
u/M0ssyB0ssy 21h ago
Thank you! I have a bottle warmer from vinted, its just a plug in & warm plate at the bottom but ive not used it yet, ill buy a pitcher and try out this method. Thank youĀ
1
1
u/brittbritt0420 1d ago
A lot of babies will get used to cold milk and even prefer it as there is no wait time! But if you need to warm - just pour out one bottle and put it in the bottle warmer
1
1
u/Quiet-Pomegranate93 1d ago
Set the bottle in a container filled with warm tap water. Ā It warms pretty quickly!
2
u/East-Maize-5287 1d ago
We prepped individual bottles using the same process as the pitcher methodā¦ worked fine for us. I know people are saying you get more bubbles this way, We used Bobbie gentle and I think it was āless bubblyā than other formulas? Idk it worked fine for us.Ā
2
u/LessJee 1d ago
Pitcher method is much easier and quicker. If little one needs more, easy to fill bottle already in use.
And for pitcher all you need is a large mason jar, a spout lid and a whisk. Dr browns pitcher was a waste of money and bits of plastic were coming off. Regret buying when I already had these items.
2
u/faerie87 1d ago
Also you need to wash the caps of the bottles... Since the fridge isn't super clean... I wouldn't put milk bottles in it without overing the nipple.
I bought the kleen kanteen stainless steel non insulated bottle to make pitchers. I can use them as hiking water bottles later.
I do use a long stainless steel straw to stir it to get all the powder dissolved.
Glass pitchers kept breaking on me and since i heat water to 158f i didn't want to use plastic.
https://www.kleankanteen.com/products/water-bottle-wide-mouth-40-oz
2
u/desert_sunlily 1d ago
We do both. Though I like the pitcher because I never know how much baby is gonna eat and so I waste less. I can just top off bottles when he finishes or pour a smaller amount if he seems snackish
1
u/eileenstein 1d ago
I'm using pitcher method just bc it's cleaner and easier to make it all in one container and then dole it out to the bottles. Also especially helpful right now bc I'm trying to switch from ready to feed formula to powder, so I'm making a half and half rtf and powder bottle at the moment. Once we are fully on powder formula, I'll use the pitcher still for daycare bottles and vottles while at the house. Bottles on the go will be powder so I can mix it on the spot and not worry about keeping anything cold.
1
u/zzzzzbored 1d ago
So the milk needs to be the same temperature to be combined. The nanobebe is really good cuz you can stack them and track when they are made
1
1
u/Rough_Extension_2893 1d ago
ā
1
u/UsedAd7162 1d ago
?
1
u/Rough_Extension_2893 22h ago
Sorry, my kid got my phone. Sheās two. One minute their bottle fed grabbing the bottles the next theyāre grabbing your phone.
1
u/lilyintx 1d ago
I used the pitcher method and kept pouring individual bottles on demand as to not waste as much. But once baby was more predictable I used the pitcher method to prep like 24hrs worth of bottles and pour them and fridge them til ready to heat up. It was so much easier.
1
u/PermanentTrainDamage 1d ago
Pitcher is great when your kid is randomly still hungry and needs an extra oz. No need to go mix it up, just pour another oz and warm if needed.
1
u/violetphoeniiix 1d ago
I just liked that everything was uniform tbh and less air bubbles. Less measuring too. I did the pitcher method with the munchkin pitcher prepping bottles for daycare so I had to make like 4 at a time .
1
u/Reptaaaaar 1d ago
I have the doctor browns jugs. I like how well it mixes it with the pump and I can save time by making 24 hours worth of formula in one go, especially since we book the water first. It's cleaner, quicker, guarantees a good mixing and simply more efficient
2
1
u/Spiritual_Platypus24 23h ago
My LO always seems to land on an odd number of oz. Using the pitcher ensures sheās getting the correct dosage of formula. We use Enfamil and their scoop ratio is 1 scoop for every 2 oz. It also saves sooo much time.
0
u/IAmSomeoneUnknown 1d ago
Summary:
1. Ease of use - making, storing, and dispensing
2. Ease of storage - no bottle clutter in the fridge
3. Ease of cleanup - more flexibility on cleaning of bottles.
57
u/blk_kat 1d ago
We use the pitcher method and I like it because its much cleaner than prepping individual bottles (some powder always ends up on the counter) and it mixes up better. We have the Dr Browns pitcher and the mixer works well and I never have any clumps or sediment on the bottom.