As a new mom, you want your baby to enjoy the best nutrition possible. Breast milk is one of the healthiest options available and can make a big difference in your baby’s development — but first, it needs to be warm! It can be challenging for busy moms like you to know exactly how to warm breast milk safely and effectively, so here’s the lowdown on getting the temperature right for those adorable little lips!
How to Warm Breast Milk
You’ve finally made it through the first few months of parenting and now you need to know how to warm your baby’s bottle of breast milk! With all the different options, it can be tricky to figure out which one is best.
Luckily, we have gathered all the information you need in this blog post about how to safely and effectively warm your baby’s bottle of breast milk.
While it makes sense to want the milk as close to body temperature as possible — and easy on their delicate digestive system!– scorching temperatures can be dangerous.
Warming breast milk is an art form, so don’t beat yourself up if you are confused! How long does warmed breast milk last? If this is something you are also trying to figure out, I can help you with that.
With this blog post, we aim to provide all new moms with an easy-to-understand guide on the different methods of warming breast milk and which will keep your little one safe.
Be sure to check out this guide for more support for bottle feeding – Breastfeeding with Bottle Feeding 101
The Best Way To Warm Breastmilk
There are different ways to warm your bottles – and the best way will depend on your situation.
The safest way to heat your milk is by placing the closed milk bag or bottle it in a bowl of warm water; however, if you don’t have hot water, simply placing the bottle under warm running tap water for several minutes will do.
While this might be the safest way to do it- it is not the only way- or always the most time efficient.
Bottle Warmers
Many parents use a bottle warmer to warm their baby’s bottles.
Bottle warmers are always an option for heating breast milk – there are ones you can use at home and ones you can take on the go.
Here are a couple of popular bottle warmers.
- Philips Avent Bottle Warmer with Automatic Shut off
- Closer to Nature Portable Bottle Warmer
- Tommee Tippee 3-in-1 Bottle Warmer
- Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Bottle Warmer
How Do Bottle Warmers Work?
Bottle Warmers use steam or water to heat the bottle evenly and consistently, ensuring the milk or formula is heated correctly and at a safe temperature.
Bottle warmers use steam or water to heat formula or milk for baby bottles. Steam is usually generated by an internal heating element located at the warmer’s bottom. This heating element warms up the water, which creates steam. The steam then rises and passes through a chamber that contains the bottle.
Can I warm breastmilk in the microwave?
You should never heat breast milk in the microwave.
It may kill some nutrients, and there is also a potential for hot spots.
What’s the best way to thaw frozen breast milk?
We recommend that you thaw breast milk in the fridge. You can take your frozen milk bags out of the freezer and place them in your fridge and they should thaw within an hour or so.
If you need to warm up breast milk for your little one, follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a nice, warm bottle in no time. Always test the milk on your wrist before giving it to your child to ensure it’s not too hot. Warming breast milk can seem daunting, but with a bit of planning, it doesn’t have to be!