Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Microwaving formula?

28 replies

mn999 · 15/08/2022 11:16

Can you microwave formula from the fridge just to take the chill off not to warm it through, so it’s room temp. I would swirl it before giving it to baby to disperse any hot spots, poor it into a new bottle so the bottle doesn’t continue to warm, and test it before giving it to baby? Only for like 20-30 seconds and also it would be sitting a couple of minutes before giving it to baby.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
fugly1 · 15/08/2022 11:19

Personally I wouldn't, I make it fresh as and when required.
The pre made stuff I warmed in a bottle warmer

chelle0 · 15/08/2022 11:21

The perfect prep machine made my daughter sick so I switched to making bottles in advance and microwaving when I didn't have time. Worked well for us, especially in the middle of the night!

mn999 · 15/08/2022 11:22

@fugly1 thanks I currently use a bottle warmer and only use premade but looking to go to powder and wondering if any other ways to heat for in the night for a quick bottle.

Can I ask why you wouldn't? Is it due to the hot spots? I would have thought mixing the formula would eliminate any of those and my bottles also have a temperature indicator if they get too hot.

I want to do it safely so will probably prepare fresh each time or use a warmer just looking for peoples experiences.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

mn999 · 15/08/2022 11:23

@chelle0

My first baby had reflux and PP made it worse and with the reviews about it making babies sick and being unsafe I was wondering about other quick options if there were any!

OP posts:
Thornethorn · 15/08/2022 11:23

I wouldn't, you're not supposed to. Shaking it won't necessarily make it an even temperature. You're better having boiled cooled water in the fridge and using boiling water to dissolve the power first.

RaRaRaspberryKing · 15/08/2022 11:24

We always premade 5 bottles in the fridge for the day and heated 30 secs in microwave and swirled, never any probs!

Thornethorn · 15/08/2022 11:24

I haven't had a prep machine but people swear by them provided you charge/clean the filter(?). We'll be getting one for the next baby.

mn999 · 15/08/2022 11:30

@Thornethorn

Thanks I was considering the other way you have described too.

I just can't understand why swirling it and giving it a good mix wouldnt get rid of hotspots though? Wouldn't the liquid just disperse any heat throughout the bottle?

Like hot chocolate has microwave instructions on and you don't hear about hot spots and things with that?

Just trying to understand so I make a safe choice not trying to discredit your advice by the way!

OP posts:
Itsnotthesameasitwas · 15/08/2022 11:31

I remember being warned not to as it destroys some of the nutrients.

Fridaysgirl17 · 15/08/2022 11:37

I never did it with my first always used a bottle warmer but with my second a bottle warmer wasn't quick enough so I did use the microwave as I had bottles pre made up,just a few seconds to take the chill off as you say & never had an issue,I checked it,swirled it & it was grand never a problem.

mn999 · 15/08/2022 11:38

@Itsnotthesameasitwas

Ooh I didn't think of this. Thanks!

Would it destroy nutrients if you are just bringing to room temp not nuking it? To make the formula you put boiling water in it of course which is a lot hotter than what it would microwave to?

OP posts:
Treabrea · 15/08/2022 11:43

No, I'd used a jug full of boiled water.

I've burnt my mouth on a cup of coffee I reheated in the microwave before.

Dreikanter · 15/08/2022 11:49

Friend who was an NICU nurse was a bit non plussed by us warming up formula on a jug of hot water - she told us to just use the microwave, same as they all did at work. Just give it a good shake and leave to stand for a minute before checking and using.

Don’t mix formula with boiling water - boil a fresh kettle of water and let it cook a bit first. We always had a couple of bottles made up ready in the fridge.

Dreikanter · 15/08/2022 11:50

*cool not cook!

Augustiner · 15/08/2022 11:51

I sometimes use the microwave to heat ready made formula but never longer than 15s. I've heard it destroys nutrients but I doubt it would do so for a short time.

The quickest way without microwaving would be to use the perfect prep or simulate the perfect prep by using hot water from a thermos to mix the formula in and then chilled water to top it up.

Also, once you've made the formula from powder you are not meant to keep it for longer than 2h.

Somuchgoo · 15/08/2022 11:52

It's perfectly safe providing you're sensible.

Historically there have been some horrific instances where people have not been sensible and their babies have died. That goes for many things around the home and life though - stairs, cars, furniture, pets etc.

Thankfully heating milk up in the microwave can be done in such a way that it is no risk at all.

Firstly, you won't be warming it very much. We did it in 10 seconds increments initially. We warmed it to take the shell off and make it slightly warm, it's not in any way approaching hot let alone boiling. If you start off at 10 seconds and checking it, you're pretty safe. Remember that different microwaves have different power even the ones of the same wattage though.

Secondly you'll be swirling it or shaking it to dissipate any hot spots. Milk that isn't even tepid that has been swirled will be safe.

Thirdly you'd still tested it on your wrist.

The awful cases where babies died resulted from parents literally boiling the milk and giving it straight. In the same way that stairs can be a danger to a crawling baby but we use stairgates rather than insist on bungalows, microwave heating is only a danger if safety measures are not put in place.

The guidance is not there for a sensible parent but as a foolproof method to cover even the most foolish one.

Somuchgoo · 15/08/2022 11:55

The nutrients thing is a complete myth btw.

By the time the bottle is in the microwave, the formula will have been heated very high to destroy any contaminants, then added to boiling water.

Heating it to less than tepid will do nothing, and if it's because it uses microwaves, then why do we use them for any of our food if they destroy the nutrients in it?

iloveyankeecandle · 15/08/2022 12:27

With my first ten years ago I made up bottles and put them in the fridge and then put them in the microwave to warm up. Gave them a real good shake to make sure there were no hot spots. But it literally was just to take the chill off as baby was happy drinking a cool bottle. But I'd make bottles in the morning enough for the day and then on an evening for through the night

spagino21 · 15/08/2022 12:33

Yes I do this with my 8 month old. He has never liked his milk warm (even the perfect prep makes it too warm for him!) so I started pre-making 2-3 bottles at a time and storing them in the fridge then just microwaving for about 20 seconds to take the chill off. As others have said, always shake to avoid hotspots.

gogohmm · 15/08/2022 12:47

They issue guidance based on the fact that some people are not able to follow common sense. The "don't make the bottles up in advance" is because some didn't refrigerate properly. Microwave is fine to gently warm if you take the proper precautions.

20 years ago making a days worth of bottles up was the norm

Thornethorn · 15/08/2022 13:08

It's much less hassle to try and get your baby used to cooler drinks.

I would think it was alright to microwave if left to my own judgement but then I think of how hot parts of a coffee cup can be after a short spell and I don't know if I trust it.

Milkand2sugarsplease · 15/08/2022 13:20

I've used a microwave to warm up and I've also had times where I've needed to make it fresh so I've used hot water to dissolve the powder and then topped up with cool boiled water to cool it down quicker.

Hoppinggreen · 15/08/2022 13:21

I did it for both my 2 but then I also Pre made all my bottles for 24 hours and put them in the fridge
Its not the current guidelines though

TokenGinger · 15/08/2022 13:58

The reason I wouldn't, is because I would never have a cup of hot milk, put it in the fridge, then reheat it for myself 🤮 I'd be worried it'd curdle somehow.

For night feeds, I would boil water and let it cool to room temperature before bed and leave it in a large flask or bottle.

Then I'd just boil the kettle for a small amount, which literally took 60 seconds, pour in 2oz of hot to kill any bacteria, then top up with the pre-boiled water. It took less than 2 minutes to make a bottle.

SzechuanSally · 15/08/2022 14:30

I used to make 6 bottles for the next 24 hours and put them in the fridge once cooled. Mine just drank them straight from fridge but he's a very easy going child so understand other babies may not like this! (He's only 20 months so it's not like this was ages ago).

I wouldn't have microwaved as I would worry that just that one time a hot spot would be missed and he'd burn his mouth. I'd probably just make a fresh one and cool it if it needed to be warm. I also don't like the thought of drinking reheated milk so didn't think he would either.