How to store baby formula the right way
A healthy life begins right from the start. The first step in feeding your little one is finding the best formula option for them and their needs. Formulas range in ingredients and nutrition. Unfortunately, many baby milk formulas contain corn syrup, glucose syrup solids, sugars, and more.
Opting for natural, organic baby formulas guarantees the formula is high quality and healthy for your little one.
Once you’ve found the proper baby formula for your bundle of joy, the next step is getting a general idea of how to store the formula and when your formula may have gone bad.
Your baby will be feeding several times per day. What can you do with the opened container or new formula tins waiting to be opened?
The basics are that after preparing a bottle of baby formula you can:
1. keep it for approx 2 hours out of the fridge (not at high temperatures and inside, out of the sun)
2. 1-hour max after the baby started drinking
3. Keep it in the fridge for max 24 hours
How to Store Formula at Home
In a 2015 study, food chemistry researchers at the Sapienza University of Rome investigated whether high temperatures in storage facilities would affect the stability of powdered infant formula.
They found adverse effects to formula in these circumstances:
- At unusually high temperatures (55 C or 131 F) for two weeks or more.
- After the expiration date.
- If the original packaging is opened or tampered with.
To avoid these concerns, never open a package that was already opened or tampered with, keep the formula in a cool place indoors, unopened, and dispose of it after the expiration date.
Once you’ve opened a new formula container, the remaining powder formula can be moved to an air-tight container. Remember to label it with an open date! The formula can be used between 2-3 weeks after opening.
Expiration dates are usually on the bottom of the tin or box. Dates are displayed in the European form of day/month/year. Organic Formula Shop always has at least six momonths'xpiration dates when unopened.
Please get in touch with us with any questions!
Watch the clock when making a bottle with baby powder formula ahead of time. A prepared bottle should be consumed or stored in the refrigerator within 1-2 hours. If the prepared bottle is stored in the fridge, you can just use it within 24 hours.
If you’re unsure, it’s safest to pour the bottle out, wash it, and prepare a new bottle!
Storing Formula Away from Home
Traveling with formula or prepared bottles is similar. If you’re bringing a prepared bottle out of the home, keep the bottle(s) in an insulated bag or cooler. Keep it cool with extra ice packs. Use the prepared formula within 2 hours.
When traveling with your formula, be careful of heat or cold exposure. A vehicle can get very hot, and formula in hot environments leads to spoiling.
How To Know if Formula is Spoiled
We can all do our best and still run into spoiled baby formula. Keep in mind the signs of bad formula:
- The smell is different
- The formula is clumped
- Separation of ingredients in formula
- Baby refuses a bottle
- Baby gets sick after bottle
Keep an eye out for these signs in an opened or unopened formula container.
Keeping Your Baby Safe
Parents, we know this is a lot of information. But you’re doing the right thing by educating yourself! Your little one is in good hands as long as you understand the importance of storing correctly.
Rest assured that Organic Formula Shop stores and ships inventory following safety guidelines. Our formulas should be used 21 days from the opening date and disposed of after this or the expiration date. We also encourage the recycling of empty formula tins!