Introduction: When using the powdered milk formula, one must be careful to prepare the feed properly, ensuring the hygiene of bottles and teats. The powder is not sterile and may contain Cronobacter sakazakii, one of the most problematic bacteria. Purpose: The purpose of the diploma thesis is to determine to what extent parents are aware of the safe preparation of milk formula and of the importance of bottle and teat hygiene. Methods: A descriptive method was used. An overview of professional and scientific literature was carried out. In the empirical part, a quantitative research paradigm was employed and a questionnaire was created on the EnKlikAnketa website through which the relevant results were obtained. The questionnaire was accessible from 12 May 2017 to 12 June 2017. The results were then processed by Microsoft Excel. Mothers with a child up to two years old who use adapted milk were included in the survey. Results: The survey involved 263 parents. Although at the time of pregnancy mothers plan to exclusively breastfeed, many of them start to use powdered milk formula shortly after childbirth. Most information on the safe preparation of milk formula parents obtain via the Internet and by reading the instructions on the packaging. One third of the parents prepare the feed in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Less attention is paid to the time of boiling and the temperature of the water at which the milk formula should be added according to the World Health Organization guidelines. When preparing the milk concentration, parents follow the manufacturer’s instructions and fill the scoop so that the powder is slightly aligned with the scoop’s edge. Three quarters of the parents discard the rest of the milk immediately. Feeding bottles and teats are usually washed with water and the detergent, or merely with water. Less than half of the parents wash their hands before preparing the feed and a weak third of them tidy the working surface. Discussion and conclusion: The research yielded the results similar to those in the literature, namely that parents are often unaware of the importance of safe preparation of milk formula, and of hygienic handling of bottles and teats. They find preparing the formula separately each time they want to feed their baby too time-consuming so they take various shortcuts. That, however, is not exactly safe for the baby’s health. There is a great need that health workers should educate parents on the proper handling of milk formulas.
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