Formula Prep Machines and Technology – what would we do without it! Today we have appliances designed solely to brew coffee, shuck an ear of corn, or open soup cans. I’ve even seen countertop appliances designed to cook frozen pizzas that do NOTHING else! And really, who can blame us. We’re busy. We have full-time jobs, working families, full social calendars, and no free time. Add a little one to the mix, and you need 24 hours to get things done with no time left over to sleep.
It’s a given, then, that we look for ways and devices to help simplify parenting. If you’ve ever had to mix formula in the middle of the night for a crying infant, you know the struggle is real. Companies have responded with appliances that can steam and puree baby foods, wash and dry baby bottles, and also makeup bottles of infant formula.
Which begs the question: Can you trust an appliance from a third-party company to prepare any infant formula? And how about specialized formulas, like Neocate? Today, we’ll walk through some points to consider and share our response to this question.
Infant formula prep machines
What are they, and what do they do? The premise? They make bottle prep much more straightforward. They save you time by reducing the number of steps you have to take when you’re in desperate need of a bottle.
How do they work? There are several types of appliances available. Here is a basic rundown of the functions they perform:
-
Some baby formula prep machines are designed to work with particular capsules of infant formula, and not with any other infant formulas.
- That appliance clearly cannot be used for any different off-the-shelf powdered infant formula. It’s similar to some of the automatic coffee and espresso appliances available these days, which have pods.
-
Other machines are simple to operate.
- Whenever you need a bottle of formula, you press a button and, in no time at all, you have a bottle of warm, prepared formula ready to go – no muss, no fuss. These appliances are designed to be universal – used with almost all powdered infant formulas:
-An enclosed container holds infant formula powder.
-A reservoir holds water
-The appliance heats water to a specific temperature
-The machine dispenses the right amount of powder and warm water making the standard concentration of the formula.
- Whenever you need a bottle of formula, you press a button and, in no time at all, you have a bottle of warm, prepared formula ready to go – no muss, no fuss. These appliances are designed to be universal – used with almost all powdered infant formulas:
-
Still, other appliances will dispense heated water into a bottle to which you manually add powdered infant formula, saving you the step of warming and measuring out the water.
- These appliances are designed to be universal – used with any powdered infant formula.
-An enclosed container holds water.
-You place the bottle under a dispenser
-The appliance dispenses a small amount of boiling water.
-You add the powdered infant formula.
-The machine then distributes the remaining water
- These appliances are designed to be universal – used with any powdered infant formula.
All of these “universal” appliances – not the particular type that we described first with the formula pods – are meant to remove some or all of the hassles of measuring the powder, heating water, measuring the water, and mixing the formula. What’s not to love?
A perusal of online reviews shows that these appliances haven’t always worked as well as buyers might hope. Plus some models have been discontinued in the US. Another drawback is that some of the machines require regular and, in some cases, pretty comprehensive cleaning.
These appliances offer several different volume options, for example as little as 2 to as much as 11 ounces. The ones that dispense powder also have instructions for settings designed to allocate the right amount of formula powder. This is important because too little or too much powder can lead to the formula that’s also dilute or too concentrated. This can pose serious health risks for infants.
What we recommend when using formula prep machines
Nutricia cannot recommend the use of automated infant formula prep machines to prepare Neocate. As a company that makes specialized formulas for infants with unique medical conditions, we take the health and safety of our customers and your little ones very seriously.
There are several reasons for this recommendation:
Factor 1: Mixing accuracy
Nutricia cannot ensure that the amount of Neocate powder dispensed by any of these appliances is accurate. (The manufacturers of these appliances may state otherwise.) The scoops that we provide with our Neocate formulas are for use with these formulas. Just as important is the volume of water, which should also be measured accurately and can affect formula concentration.
Factor 2: Temperature
Some of the infant formula prep appliances dispense a small amount of water that is very hot (about 158°F, or 70°C). These indications follow recommendations followed in some parts of the world to use boiling water when preparing powdered infant formula. However, this is not standard practice in the United States.
For now, we recommend using water not hotter than 122°F (50°C) when mixing powdered Neocate products. (And for Neocate Syneo Infant not above 104°F, or 40°C.)
Following questions about higher water temperatures, we conducted small-scale tests on a few specific heat-sensitive nutrients mixing Neocate with water at the high temperature of 158°F (70°C). We found the high temperature had an impact on those nutrients. While the hot water in these tests did not lower the nutrient levels below the levels on the label, at this time we cannot recommend exposing Neocate powders to water above 122°F, or 50°C (104°F, or 40°C, for Neocate Syneo Infant).
Aside from the potential impact on heat-sensitive nutrients, there is also the possibility that using such hot water can slightly affect the taste, smell, and possibly to separate. Hot water also poses a risk of burns to the baby as well as parents and caregivers.
In closing
While these are our recommendations, we understand that automated infant formula prep machines seem incredibly convenient. Our best guidance if you are interested in using one of these appliances is to ask your healthcare team for advice. Share the information we’ve outlined above with them. While we don’t recommend these appliances, your healthcare team can assess the potential drawbacks to help determine if they’d recommend any of them for you.
We hope this helps, but feel free to ask any additional questions in the comments, below!
-Rob
Last updated January 24, 2019
