i know i can ask a dumb question on here

I feel kind of embarrassed that I don't know the answer to this.


DH and I are starting to register, and we have a question about bottle warmers. DH swears that his parents used a microwave to warm his brother's bottles when he was a baby, but I feel like I've heard you can't use the microwave to warm bottles. Please educate me on this topic! And thanks in advance for not making fun of me too much for not knowing the answer .

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

I don't know the answer to your question.

I'm not registering for a bottle warmer. I plan to just run the bottle under hot tap water to make them lukewarm / to take the chill off. I may be naive, but I have this strange idea that I don't want our DC to need to have "warmed" milk or formula to drink it, so I thought it would be better to keep it that way from the beginning.

I'm totally talking out my butt, though, because I obviously have zero experience with any of this. This is just my thought pattern on it.

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

i personally wouldnt do it but i dont know if that is the right answer lol

you can boil a pot of water or just use room temperture water to mix with the powder

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

you're not supposed to use a microwave bc of hot pockets...some spots can get hot while others remain cold. We warmed a cup of water up in the microwave and popped the bottle in that for a minute or two and it worked very well. Never felt the need for a bottle warmer

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

We did not register for a bottle warmer.

We used Playtex drop-ins and they are not compatible with all warmers.

We used "hot" tap water to warm bottles. Sometimes we just gave DS the formula at room temp (when making them with power formula).

If I was in a crunch and had to warm the formula in a microwave, I would measure it out in the bottle, then pour it into a glass measuing cup (you know like the 2-3 cup size) and warm it in there or warm it in a glass cup.

I believe one reason for not warming in microwave is b/c it heats unevenly.

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

with my first i didnt register for one, but someone got me one at my baby shower.
it was a LIFE SAVER. DH and I still think it was the best gift we got. sometimes running it under the water didnt get it as warm as it should be and is time consuming. the bottle warmer saves your life when its 3AM and you can barely look straight and have to worry about warming up a bottle.

I am def getting one for this baby.
ive heard you cant do it in a microwave , something about it leaves really really hot pockets in the bottle..? dont know if its at all true, but i will say a bottle warmer is a really good investment.

i can do without a wipe warmer though, i think the baby will get over it if his tooshie is alittle cold from the wipes

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

thanks so much for all your insight! i didn't even think about bottles needing to be warm until i saw a whole shelf of bottle warmers today . and of course, i talked to a sale associate about it, and she thought that i needed one in every color . glad to have you ladies around!

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

my parents used to boil a pot of water and then stick the bottle in it...

but my sister had a little holder that you put a little water in and then it would heat it

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

No, you should not microwave bottles. The main reason because it can get hot spots in it that can't burn the baby's mouth. Also microwaving can take away nutrients - especially in breast milk.

Just heat up a pot of water on the stove and then stick the bottle in for a few minutes.

Or you can give to them cold. We only warmed up bottles in the very begining because I thought you were supposed to. Then I read there was no medical reason for doing it, just personal preference. They took the bottles cold just fine. This will make it easier on you when you go out - the baby will get used to drinking formula/breastmilk that is not warmed, and you won't have to go on a hunt for warm water every time you go out and need to feed the baby.

ETA: if you're defrosting frozen breast milk, the best way to do it is to put the bag in a mug of hot tap water. It thaws really fast that way.

Message edited 9/19/2010 8:29:57 PM.

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

I put a bottle warmer on my registry based on recommendations. I guess you are not suppose to microwave b.c it can heat the bottle unevenly(from the inside out) and causes hot spots in the bottle.


I just googled it myself right now.. and found this article on the bottle warmer.

website article on bottle warmers

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

Its never a good idea to put a bottle in the mircowave. My SIL always boiled some water and then put the bottle inside the pot after it cooled a bit. My BIL, they just used room temp bottled water.
When my niece got older and was on regular milk, we just ran the bottle under the faucet to take the chill off.

They also never heated her baby food, but now that she eats regular food, she doesnt like it to be hot, just room temperature.

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

Posted by miamimerger

thanks so much for all your insight! i didn't even think about bottles needing to be warm until i saw a whole shelf of bottle warmers today . and of course, i talked to a sale associate about it, and she thought that i needed one in every color . glad to have you ladies around!

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

I know people who love them but I never used a bottle warmer with either of my boys both who were FF babies. I always put it in the pot of warm water or held it under warm water to take the chill out. Each son liked it different temps - one warmer than the other but it worked fine and was simple to do.

I know people who microwave to warm and admit I have done it (here or there) but they say that can heat it unevenly and burn a baby accidentally. So I avoid it.

Re: i know i can ask a dumb question on here

Everyone and their mother will tell you that its okay to put the bottle in the microwave b/c they did it -- but really, its not okay and you can end up burning the baby with a hot spot, so I wouldn't risk it.

Also, microwaving destroys some of the good stuff in breastmilk, if you plan to pump and bottle feed.

I just run the tap really hot and stick the bottle in there. DD will drink a cold bottle but since I give her BM, some of the fat gets stuck to the bottle and I like to mix it in there.

HTH!