OP here: what kind of water do YOU use when making powdered formula?

I've used the Similac Advanced ready made liquid for 5 months and I love it. I hardly ever use powder.
First off, right now it's on sale for $3.89 at Target and Walmart, which makes it cheaper than the powder when you price it out per oz. It's easier to use and you can make bottles because the Similac is good for 72 hours once opened.
Regarding staining, I haven't had any issues at all, and that would be something I'd notice as I'm pretty picky in that regard.


The Similac ready to feed plastic containers are BPA free, btw.

When I'm out and about I do one of 2 things. I either bring bottles with me and keep them in a lunch bag with a cool pack and then ask for a cup of hot water to submerge the bottle to get it up to room tem. Or, I use the Similac singles powder packs and that works too.

Personally, for me, because right now the ready made is cheaper than the powder, and given the convenience, it's a no-brainer.

Liquid is much more expensive and canned in BPA-containing jars. Why would anyone use it again?

First, if you're going to use the liquid, get the ones in glass or plastic bottles as the cans have BPA in the liners (so canned ready-made formula has the highest levels of BPA ingestion). For some kids the chemical that they use to dry the powder can cause constipation (worse than normal formula issues), which was the case with our DD, so we only used liquid for her. It was SO EXPENSIVE! But I found it more convenient as we could just bring one of the 8 oz glass bottles and an empty bottle and be ready to go, vs having to carry water or getting water and making sure water was room temp, etc...

We just had a DS and so far he prefers the liquid over the powder. Our Ped said that most newborns prefer the liquid for the first 6-8 weeks, so I'm hoping to transition him to powder around that time and hope he doesn't have his sister's constipation issues...

11:27, check out diapers.com I don't know what formula you are using -we used Similac and I was able to get it in 2 oz bottles ( I only used ready made when we were out and about). Maybe they have your brand in smaller bottles.

Anonymous wrote:I swore by liquid because of the clump issue, but I always felt like a sucker essentially paying for water. Then I switched brands to a powder that mixed easily with no clumps (Enfamil Premium), saving tons of money and never wasting another drop. You can easily take bottles with powder already in them when you're out and about and mix with water wherever you are.

Interesting. I've never used liquid because I didn't really understand how it worked and thought it had to be kept cold. I've used powder since day 1 and am suprised to hear so many people complaining about clumps becuase I've never had that issue. However, the only formula I've ever used has been Enfamil Premium. Must be that that brand doesn't clump like other brands.

I swore by liquid because of the clump issue, but I always felt like a sucker essentially paying for water. Then I switched brands to a powder that mixed easily with no clumps (Enfamil Premium), saving tons of money and never wasting another drop. You can easily take bottles with powder already in them when you're out and about and mix with water wherever you are.

I use liquid when we're out and about, which is annoying - I use a brand that comes in 8oz cans, and my daughter never eats that much in one sitting. I don't use powder when we're out and about because when I shake it, air bubbles form, and the baby's gas is bad enough already. (At home, I shake formula in advance, or use Dr. Brown's formula mixer, which really works to mix without air bubbles.)

I don't have clumps in my formula if I shake it sufficiently.

Much prefer the liquid - they have travel sized containers - our son had reflux and it was easier to digest. Now that he is older/toddler and can't do milk, he can do powder but much prefer liquid. Powder is just nasty when you look at it mixed, the clumps, etc.

We do the liquid because the powder never seems to dissolve completely and there are clumps in the bottle. I also find it easier to fix a bottle with the liquid than the powder, even if warming is required (we just microwave a bit of water in a mug, then put the mug in the sink and drop the bottle in. The water in the mug is never hot enough that regardless of how long we leave the bottle in the water, the milk isn't overheated). I never noticed the spit-up issue, but DS doesn't spit up much.

It is less convenient for travel, but I generally just keep single serving liquid cans on hand for that. Some formulas make single-serving powder packets but since DS was on Alimentum those weren't available.

Agree - we find the powder much easier for the reasons mentioned above - no need to warm bottles, spit up doesn't stain, & easy to use on the go. We started with the liquid but haven't bought it since the baby was a newborn.

If you baby spits up, my experience is that the liquid formula is darker/browner and more likely to stain clothing.

Smelly
Brown
Less convenient for travel

You have to use it within 24 hours of opening (or maybe it's 48 I can't remember) which usually isn't a problem. If your baby prefers warmer bottles you have to always warm them which is kind of annoying. With powder you can just use room temp water and the powder and no warming needed.

Does anyone know what the cons are of liquid ready made formula other than more expensive?