Can I Warm Baby Bottle In A Microwave?

Feeding a hungry, crying baby can be stressful, especially when baby bottles take time to prepare. However, safety is key, and the question arises: how can you warm a bottle quickly without harming your baby? Some researchers suggest microwaving as a safe and fast option. Therefore, here’s how to do it effectively.

Microwave Trend

Microwave ovens have become popular these days, providing convenience to any household and allowing you to reheat foods quickly.

However, despite these amazing features, one must not put a microwave inside the microwave oven. While it doesn’t ruin feeding your baby, it may also cause changes such as these:

It can cause infant formulas to overheat. As a result, there is a tendency for the vitamins to be lost. Similarly, expressed breast milk is affected, as it may lose its protective properties.

It is especially dangerous when the liquid becomes extremely hot. This is the real danger of using a microwave to warm the baby bottle. While the bottle may cool when touched, the liquid inside can still burn the baby’s mouth, throat, or esophagus.

Additionally, the hot liquid forms steam, which can potentially cause an explosion of the bottle. This may also damage your microwave oven.

Sample Case Story

According to a source, there is a real story about a mother preparing milk for her baby. She put the formula into the disposable plastic liner of the bottle. However, she stretched a rubber nipple tightly onto the bottle.

She used the microwave as a method of heating the baby bottle. It took her a minute. When she removed the bottle from the microwave, she was also holding her baby.

Just a few seconds later, the plastic liner exploded. Unfortunately, the very hot formula milk spilled on her poor baby. The baby had a second-degree burn on his abdomen and thigh and spent 7 weeks in the hospital.

Safety Use Of Microwave

Babies have different preferences regarding the temperature of their milk. Once you discover that your baby wants milk to be warm every time you feed them, it’s important to follow these safety tips when reheating your baby bottle in the microwave.

1. Get a clean bowl. Fill it with warm tap water. Set the filled bottle in the bowl.

2. Shake the bottle to distribute the warmth. Do this gently.

3. Check the temperature by shaking a few drops of milk from the bottle. Drop it on your wrist. Have a feeling if it’s cold enough not to burn your baby.

Tools and equipment to safely warm the baby bottle

This can be a long process but it’s for your baby’s safety. Anything that’s safe for the baby is worth it.

Speaking of safety, be sure to take care of the microwave oven as much as possible. Here are a few additional safety tips for maintaining your microwave.

1. Relating to the story, do not ever hold your baby while using the microwave.

2. Check the temperature of the milk before feeding your baby. Don’t just check on the bottle.

3. Make sure to follow instructions from the microwave manufacturer’s guide. Be careful especially if it’s an unfamiliar microwave. No two microwave ovens can heat at the same speed and the same temperatures.

Some Facts About Microwaves

Microwaves are scientifically known as electromagnetic waves that have the energy to make food move. Similarly, like radio waves, they cannot change the molecular structure of the food into a more dangerous form.

Using a microwave to heat food or milk is comparable to heating them on the stove, in the oven, or using a water bath for a baby bottle. The key difference, however, is speed.

It takes much less time to heat a baby bottle inside a microwave than by using other methods. Nevertheless, the heat inside the microwave is often uneven, leading to hot spots.

Additionally, microwaves do not require you to heat water, making them more environmentally friendly. In other words, microwaves heat the food or milk directly, rather than heating the air around them.

Using Microwave Oven Thermometer

There are several thermometers that are safe to use for microwave ovens. They measure the temperature while the baby bottle is inside.

Thermometers have a feature of flashing green light as the milk reaches body temperature. This indicates that you can stop the microwave and avoid overheating. It’s such a brilliant product, right?

Kitchen tools like this just make life easier and more convenient. You don’t have to worry about overheating because you’re already guided by the thermometer’s light indicator. Thus, you have more time to prepare other things for feeding your baby.

Bottle Heating Basics

Going back to the thought that babies have different preferences whether they like milk to be served warm or cold. Other babies can tolerate lukewarm or cold milk. If your baby wants it to be warm, you have to keep in mind the safety procedures above and this list of basics in heating the bottle.

The milk released is known to have the same temperature as the body when nursing a baby. It’s around 98.6 degrees. Normally, adults like coffee to be at 160 degrees.

That’s why the bottles need to be heated. It needs to be microwaved so the temperature rises. Then, your baby will like it.

You may heat the bottle on the stove just like others do. But, it’s much more convenient and faster to use the microwave oven. Here are our pieces of advice to make sure you serve the best-warmed milk to your baby.

Choose A BPA-free Bottle

Thinking about your baby’s safety when you feed him or her, be mindful of the chemicals that might reach your baby bottle. There are glass bottles that ease the mind of many parents. However, it’s important to use a BPA-free baby bottle.

The good news is some countries currently sell plastic baby bottles without Bisphenol-A (BPA). These chemical compounds found on plastic products are not safe for baby items, whether for feeding or not. They can even cause health problems.

BPA-free bottles keep bacteria from growing on plastics. They also prevent rust which is very practical for parents not to keep on purchasing baby bottles.

Always check on the bottles you’re buying. Consult the manufacturer if you’re confused about what it’s made of. There’s nothing wrong with double-checking.

If you don’t want to do the extra care and just use whatever bottle you have, it’s alright. You can still use them in feeding your baby.  Remember to heat the milk in a glass container before transferring it to your existing bottle.

Heat Evenly

Always think about safety despite any heating method you will use. Gently swirl the milk to mix and ensure no hot spots. Do not shake and just make sure that the temperature is consistent all throughout the bottle.

Check To Test The Temperature

Test the milk before giving it to the baby. There’s no harm in checking first. Another reason is to check whether it’s just perfectly warm for the baby’s preference or if it’s still colder than the baby expected.

Ways To Safely Warm Baby Bottle

These are the best ways suggested by many experts to warm your baby bottle. They cause less to no harm.

1. Set Bottle In Warm Water – First-time parents who haven’t had enough time doing research on how to warm the baby bottle safely opt-in with the closest and safest method. There’s no special equipment required.

Heat water using the stove or microwave found at home. You can even run hot tap water outside the bottle. It should not be boiling but just lukewarm.

Once the water is already hot enough, remove it from the heat source. Set the baby bottle in. Allow it to sit gently for a few minutes.

Swirl the bottle occasionally but avoid shaking. It can lead to the formation of air bubbles. This first method is very easy and costs you nothing. However, it may cost you time to warm the baby bottle to the desired temperature.

2. Use Tap Water For Breast Milk Bags – Breast milk moms use breast milk bags and treat them as their best friends! Since the plastic is thin, the milk spreads across the bag. It’s easier to bring it to the right temperature using warm tap water.

Touch the breast milk bag after a while of letting it sit. If you feel it’s at your desired temperature, transfer the milk to your bottle.

3. Use Tap Water For Formula Bottles – There’s no need for you to go through another step. You can just let tap water run directly into the baby bottle.

4. Use A Bottle Warmer – There are other bottle warmers on the market. They are available in different sizes. Another feature allows you to warm two bottles at a time.

Conclusion

Because parents love their babies so much, there are different methods of heating the baby bottle. One of which is the use of microwaves. Even though it’s convenient to use, it’s still important to know the safety of using a microwave oven to heat the baby bottle.

Microwaves are helpful waves that make life easier. Just do the right process to avoid mishaps. We’ve given tips on how to safely warm baby bottles.