Q: To heat or not to heat a baby formula in a microwave oven? The eternal dilemma seems to never be solved. There’s a big difference of views on those mommies’ forums for infant feeding. Someone says that microwaving is dangerous; others advocate this device as the best mother’s helper in the kitchen, while the rest of the world keeps heating baby bottles in a water bath or battery. Please help us solve this issue. Can we microwave baby formula to warm it up?
Is Baby Formula Something We Can Microwave?
We are going to dispel the most terrible myth about heating the baby formula in the microwave oven. The opponents of this method will still agree to differ and it’s alright. However, we will use the opportunity to feed the baby quickly without harming his or her health.
As a matter of fact, you are not banned to microwave baby formula. Just like any other kitchen device, the microwave oven wants you to take precautionary measures.
Some most popular myths about the microwaved baby formula:
- It scalds baby’s mouth and tongue
- A plastic bottle can melt
- All the important vitamins and microelements will be destroyed
- The bottle can explode
What is the Right Way of Heating Infant Food in the Microwave?
Most of the time, you don’t need to heat up baby formula, because you always prepare a fresh portion for your baby.
The truth is some mothers do leave the uneaten part of the formula for later or prepare it in advance in the evening before they go to bed.
You may want to meet your old friend in a restaurant, where you also take your baby and a bottle of milk with you.
The waiters will eagerly help you to heat up the bottle and there’s nothing bad in it.
What are the precautionary measures that you should take to wipe out the superstitions?
One of the suggestions is to microwave your little son’s or daughter’s formula right is to douse the bottle in a heat-resistant bowl and microwave it at middle power.
This method helps you to heat the formula more evenly.
If you want a more precise instruction, follow the steps:
- Place a microwaveable bottle without cover and dummy in the microwave oven to warm up cold cow’s milk or baby formula (never use the microwave oven to heat breast milk!)
- Set the device to low or middle mode and the timer to 10-15 seconds
- If this is your first time, prefer the lowest mode and the minimum timeline
- You can also use glass instead of plastic and heat 120 ml, 150 ml or 200 ml of baby formula
- In spite of our recommendations and exact numbers, you should better experiment with your personal microwaving device, so that you choose the best temperature and time that meet your individual needs
- If you have powdered milk or a concentrated formula, try to first warm up water and prepare the formula afterward.
How to Know That Baby Formula Won’t Scald Your Baby?
As you take the bottle out of the microwave oven, shake it well enough to equal temperature.
Don’t be afraid if you have no chance to microwave the formula or warm it using another method. Your baby will forgive you giving him or her chill milk or room temperature formula.
If you are not sure whether the baby food heated equally, shake the bottle and drip a little formula on the wrist. If it’s neither cold nor hot, you may give the formula to your baby.
Recent studies have shown that one and the same component in all the baby bottles is bisphenol, a very dangerous substance.
Having supposed that baby bottle is partly made of bisphenol, we assume that you won’t microwave it. Give preference to glass and plastic bottles without bisphenol.
As a reminder, never microwave breast milk, or the microwave oven will destroy all of its vitamins, minerals and other nutritious substances.
You can microwave baby bottles with a small contain of formula and stir very thoroughly before each feeding.
