Heating forumla in a microwave

[Blueskyrain]

Hey

I'm currently pregnant and planning on formula feeding from birth. I did a trial run of my milk warmer yesterday, and found it disappointing how long it took, so I'm after an alternative. I know some babies will take it cold, but I think that warm milk must be so much nicer, and more comforting.

I'm wanting to heat it in the microwave, but I'm getting frustrated at the advice not to do this. From what I can see, it stems from 2 things (1) potential hot spots in the milk (2) concerns that the microwave will destroy nutrients in the milk.

As far as hot spots are concerned, surely shaking the milk thoroughly will solve that. I'm guessing, that like with the guidance on drinking in pregnancy (easier to say don't drink any, in case people don't understand and binge), they are worried that some people won't shake. If it is shaked thoroughly every time and tested before use, then I really, really can't see the risk with this.

The second one, about nutrients, keeps getting mentioned, but there is no evidence behind it. I've read abstracts of some studies on it, and they all show that it doesn't actually destroy nutrients.

Heating in a microwave seems by far the quickest way to heat milk, so as long as its properly shaked, whats the issue with this? Do people do it, but just pretend they don't?

The initial waaaahh will be louder than the microwave, but at least the non feeding parent gets to go back to sleep.

A microwave doesn't have to ding incidentally, not if you cancel it before it goes off.

Is going to be much quicker than using a heater or hot water, and I don't see the problem as long as it's shaken.

I used to make mine in a batch and store in the fridge. At nighttime I took one out the fridge and left it on my bedside table and it was room temp when the babies woke. After that feed I'd grab the next one and put that one out for the feed after that.

I had a thread on this the other day if you look in AIBU OP.
I take a bottle out of the fridge at bedtime, put it in a cool bag and put it beside the bed. When the baby wakes a couple of hours later they drink it at that temp. Cool bag keeps bottles cool for 4 hours.
This is also the way WHO/NHS suggest you take ready made bottles up out of the house btw.
No need to heat it up or get out of bed when the baby wakes. Once he is asleep again I go and get another bottle and stick in the bottle bag for the next time he wakes. Easy!

Quicker than the jug of hot water for heating the fridge bottle is a wide-mouth Thermos of hot water. You can put boiling water in before bed, then pop in bottle when needed. The insulated flask means all the heat goes into warming the milk, rather than escaping out the sides like a plastic jug.

I'm not really after advice on alternative ways to heat /serve milk, just whether microwaving is a problem.

Given the only reason (save for the hokus pokes nutrients that blasting) I've seen is hot spots, and bottles can be well shaken after heating, in taking the view that its a perfectly safe option, but wanted to run it past you guys.

I'm not interested in serving it at room temperature, jug heating or the perfect prep machine. I just want to know if there's something I've missed with regard to the microwave...

I'll bear the alternatives in mind as a back up, but I'd much prefer the microwave.

God help us trying to make your life easier. We're a bunch of savages.

You won't like it when your our and your baby wont take it at room temp .

Honestly a bottle at room temp does no harm except make your life easier

I didn't ask about the pros and cons of alternatives - that's a completely different question. All I'm interested to know is the safety of using the microwave,and that that's all I asked.

I'd rather clarify that now, for everyone's sake.

I personally wouldn't use a microwave. Up to you

I wouldn't. I would make fresh

Kettle boil. Add powder Milk, add hot water. Seal bottle and hold under running cold water. Start to drinkable in less than 5mins.

Microwave is fine as long as you shake it as others have said. But you only need to micro for 20 seconds to take the chill of it which is not enough time for any part of the milk to get dangerously hot. Microwave is fine wtr nutrients for formula, it is breast milk which you shouldn't microwave due to nutrient loss. What you have suggested sounds fine, I would just see how you get on.

Artandco. Aren't you supposed to leave the water in the kettle for 30 mins before adding to the powder? I think it can kill the nutrients if added to the powder too hot.

No. it says don't leave more than 30 mins as the water will be below 70degrees then. You can use the hot water straight away once boiled. Otherwise you would be there measuring temp with a thermometer to check its above 70

I used the microwave to warm formula for all three of my dses. My HV said it was absolutely fine as long as I made sure it wasn't too warm, and shook the bottle well to disperse any hot spots.

Regarding the nutrient issue - my lads are now 19, 21 and 23, and show absolutely no ill effects whatsoever from having been fed on microwaved formula. They are all fine, strapping healthy young men.

I used to make up a day's worth of bottles at a time too, and made formula with water that was well under the magic 73 degrees, with no ill effects whatsoever.

Mind you, we used car seats from the word go, and never transported a child in a car without seat belts, so we looked back at our childhoods (where I remember no seat belts at all, in the car, and sitting on the edge of the seat so my little sister could lie down and go to sleep ) with a certain degree of 'how on earth did any of us survive our childhoods?' - and I suspect my boys will look back on the things we did whilst they were growing up with equal disbelief!

I didn't actually use a microwave regularly until DS was on cows milk and I was just taking the chill off his bedtime bottle, which he wasn't too fussy about the temp. but I did use it occasionally and I think it's fine as long as you are careful.

Practice how long the bottle goes in for to get the right temp. It'll change as they get bigger. Babies can be very fussy with their exact standards. Shake well. Different microwaves have different powers (I got caught out by my mum's and it was far too hot!).

Have a backup plan (like a flask of boiling water) for when you are out and there's no microwave available.

My advice if you are formula feeding from the start would be to offer it cold/room temp. Heating up is such a pain, especially on the go, and if your baby never knows any different then they won't care.

DD was mix fed but I always fed her bottles from the back of the fridge - and she was breast fed most of the time so didn't really seem to care about the difference in temp

WHo says storing in the fridge is fine.

I made 4-6 bottle at a time, kept them in the fridge and warmed in the microwave - like someone said 20-30 seconds meant they weren't ever hot

Heating in a jug takes ages in comparison and is a faff IMO
Perfect prep is ok if you can afford it and have the space
Making on demand has to be my worst nightmare possible

I used to warm bottles of milk up in a jug of boiling water, it did the job just fine. I found bottle warmers useless! I used to work in a nursery and we used to use the same method as the bottle warmers took too long.

Thanks guys. I've now downloaded and read the Who guidance - they are also against microwave heating because of potential hotspot. I'm in the process of trying to get some scientific papers that have been done on this very issue to see if they address the issue of shaking, and I'll take it from there.

just to add I have used the microwave too, I don't see the problem as long as the bottle is suitable to go in the microwave and you check the temperature before you give it to the baby, can't see a problem with it.