How Do You Warm Your Milk or Formula?
Although room temperature human milk or formula is fine for your baby, some babies prefer to have their milk or formula warmed.
If that is your baby's preference, warm their bottle safely by following the instructions below.
Warming Your Milk or Formula
- Warm the bottle in warm − not boiling − water by one of these two methods:
- Put the bottle in a container of warm water for a few minutes.
- Run warm tap water over the bottle for a few minutes.
Note: Do not let the water reach the lid of the bottle (to avoid contamination)
- After warming the bottle, gently swirl to mix fat and nutrients.
- Test the temperature of the liquid before feeding it to the baby by dropping a few drops of your milk or formula on the inside of your wrist. It should feel comfortably warm.
Precautions
Do not use a microwave to warm your milk or formula. You should never use a microwave to heat a baby's bottle because:
- Microwaves cause "hot spots" when used to warm your milk. There is a serious risk of burning your baby's mouth, throat and esophagus (the tube that goes to your baby's stomach). This can happen even if you shake the bottle after you warm it in a microwave.
- Your milk can lose some of its benefits for your baby if heated too much.
- A bottle that has been warmed in a microwave can cause a burn from hot liquid or steam.
Use caution when using bottle warmers. It can be difficult to get just the right level of heat.
