Is It Really Necessary to Warm Formula?

NO! My kids both drank it cold. If they don't care then it's fine, makes it easy for mom! Mom's on the go need to have room temp bottles!

It doesn't matter but I would just do room temp my sister made a good point to me you will not always be where a microwave is from then on I didn't worry

It's whatever the child get used to. For example we switched when the child was 6 months, and started giving cold bottles. After that, she would NOT take a warm one.

warm liquids are easier to digest, even for adults, and babies' digestive systems can be pretty sensitive. that being said, my son did not want to drink cold milk, which was a pain. if your son isn't having any digestive issues when given cold liquids, it's fine.

Both my girls got theirs at room temp. My doctor told me that some babies might get an upset tummy from it being too cold. If your baby is doing fine on it then there is nothing wrong with it. I never warmed ours up because I didn't want to be out somewhere and them scream for a warm bottle =)

My daughter actually preferred her formula not be warmed up. It's fine!

It is easier for the body to digest room temp liquids. Your newborn should be drinking at least room temp milk/formula to help his tummy digetst it better and easier. Also, warm milk tends to help us sleep better (there is truth the the old saying of haveing a glass of warm milk before bed). Basically you want to warm it up enough so that you don't feel it when you do the wrist test (a few drops on the inside of your wrist). Also, as someone else mentioned, you need to warm breastmilk up so that it can all re-mix. If you think about it this way, when you nurse your baby what temp is the milk coming out of your body? That's what you should be trying to emulate.

Hi its been a very long time since I had to do formula, but what I was told back in 1991 is this.

Whatever the baby gets used to drinking is how they will drink it. I used to give mt daughter formula straight from the fridge and she would drink it no problem. Sometimes I would warm it up like when it was cold out just so she had a little inner warmth. But it didn't really matter to her how she got as long as she got it when she wanted/needed it.

Grandma's are always going to be telling you that you aren't doing something right not necessarily because they want to be critical but because that's what they learned in their days of early parenting.

Just go with the flow as to how you daughter responds to what temp her formula is. Sometimes Grandma's advice is dead on but not on every issue. Just tell you Mother in law that your little one prefers her formula cold and that should suffice, nutrients aren't going to go away because you serve it cold or warmed by warm water.

Its bacteria that you have to worry about with canned formula that is already mixed or you mix with water.

I used Powdered formula and it was the best way to go for us. We could pre make the bottle with either plain water or put the powdered formula in the bottle bags (I used the playtex nurser) and add water from wherever I was visiting.

Either way worked and my daughter didn't care. Hope this helps with your decision. Being a first time mom we tend to second quess ourselves way too much.

Just enjoy this time cuz before you know it he will be a teenager and graduating high school. My daughter just graduated on the 12th and it seems like it was yesterday that I had her and that I blinked and she grew up without me noticing.

W. H in Sac, Ca

from what I could find warming or cold doesn't change the nutritional value of either forumla or breastmilk. And warming isn't necessary ... though many babies prefer it warmed to room temp. So if your pediatrian doesn't see a problem with it and your baby likes to drink it cold ... then ignore your mother-in-law :)

Hi R.,

If anything the nutritional value would have to be better if it's not "warmed". My gut instinct would be to take the chill off the milk and give it at or near room temperature. If you use powdered formula, you could mix the formula with room temp water. If giving breastmilk you could leave it out ahead of time (it's safe for 4 hours and some say 8 hours at room temperature) until it reaches room temperature. However, babies seem to have an inate ability to know what is best for them. If he takes it cold then maybe it's working for him. My 2 month old daughter needs to have hers (both formula and expressed breast milk)at room temperature. She vomits if I "warm" her milk. Go with your gut and trust your mommy instincts!

Take care,
K.

Hi R.,
Congrats!!! New mommy.....
I don't think it matters, I guess it could but our grandson drinks his bottle cold or room temp. I THINK it's just because your breat milk would naturally be warm....
That's the only reason I could think of.
Again, Congratulations on the new baby.....ENJOY!!!

First, congratulations on your new little one!
And, as many other moms have said, the only difference between warm and cold milk/formula is what your child likes. I warmed at first, but switched to cold when the weather started getting really hot. As a result when we switched to cow's milk, my son didn't seem to care whether that was warm or cold. I had heard some babies would only take it warm because that's what they were used to.
And I got the same cross-eyed stare from my grandmother. So, to make her happy (and since we were only visiting her for the day) I let her warm the formula. Then I went home and did what I pleased. :o)
Enjoy your little boy!
D.

R.,

Hi- congratulations on your baby! No, you don't need to warm it. It is better if you do room temp so that your baby won't expect it to be warmed each time. I wouldn't warm it at all.

Molly

Dear R.,
I think it's a matter of preference for the baby.
One would automatically assume that something warm would be more comforting, but that's not always the case.
My son loved nursing, but anything in a bottle had to be cold. I had to go into the hospital when he was a baby and my husband was so worried that anything in a bottle would spoil overnight, so he put ice cubes in the bottles. As a result, anything in a bottle had to "rattle" or my son would have nothing to do with it.
He'll be 14 this month. He's 5'7" and weighs 158 pounds so having cold bottles didn't stunt his growth or anything.
I think it's great if your baby will take both warm AND cold liquids and be happy either way.

Congratulations on your baby!
Very best wishes!

No difference. People just think that babies want it warm, since if they breastfeed the milk is warm. I mostly breastfed, but never heated supplementary milk or formula. My babies never seemed to mind.

Some children do better with cold milk. We have one granddaughter who had all sorts of trouble with formula upsetting her tummy until our daughter accidentally discovered that she took it better cold. Your mother in law was understandably upset, because she comes from a generation when the Drs all had us believing that formula must be warmed or we would give our babies upset stomachs, or worse. She'll get used to the idea once she sees it isn't bothering your son.

hi there
We used powdered formula that you add water to each time you use it.. it was carnation and worked wonderfully .. never once did we WARM it.I can't imagine doing it either.. I think room temperature is just fine, however.. straight from the fridge, in general , I don't think REALLY cold beverages are too great for people (in my opinion) I think they can inhibit or shock digestion. are you using premade formulas? if so, I would follow directions on the packaging, if you make them as you go such as what we did, I think room temp is just fine.
and do I think heating changes the formula? in general, I think heating of any food products changes the product , esp on HIGH heat..I believe in keeping things in as original form as poss, but this mostly applies to veggies/fruits..
best of luck

First off, congrats on your newborn! What an exciting time for you!

As for the formula, like everyone else responding, cold is fine as long as your baby will take it. My kids didn't mind their bottles not being warmed...because I never started warming it. Someone advised me to try room temp or cold bottles with them first, so they don't learn to rely on their bottles being warm every time...especially when we are out and about, and warming the bottle is not possible. This was such great advice...and all my relatives who had kids before me were actually a little jealous of the fact that I didn't have to go through trying to warm the bottle for a fussy baby. All I had to do was take it out of the cooling bag and give it to my baby. No fuss no muss. So if your baby is fine with cold or room temp bottles, then enjoy the ease of it!

Congrats again to you and your family!

Congrats on the new baby!
It is simply a matter of comfort for the babies to drink warm formula...my son was in the NICU for the first month of his life, and some nurses brought it to room temp. by placing the bottle in warm water, others took it directly from the fridge. I asked the neo-natologist about this and he said it makes no difference, its just that some babies refuse cold formula (my son is now one of those @ 8 months old).
It will probably be easier for your baby to transition to regular milk after he is one year if you continue what you are doing.

Nothing I've ever read or heard from our ped. has said the milk (breat or formula) HAS to be warmed up. For most babies, it's preference. Our older son liked it luke warm while our younger son had no preference either way. As another mom said, if your baby is willing to take it cold, easier for you!

Our son took cold formuila too. It is fine - just a preference on the baby's part.

If your son takes a bottle cold, you will never have to worry about being unable to warm a bottle. My daughters actually took their bottles better cold. Smile, nod and say, "You're probably right" when Grandma tells you that you are crazy. Then, do what works for you and your baby!

It's not necessary to warm it, and refrigeration does not change the nutritional value of either formula or breast milk. You might want to leave a little room in the bottle when you make the formula up, then add a quick shot of hot tap water before you give it, just so it's not too cold for his little tummy.

Hi R.,

It doesn't really matter if it is warm or not. Nor will it change the nutritional value. But Asian cultures believe that serving warm food and liquid to babies and young children, even adults will help them with the digestive system. Now and later. Everything we do today will benefit us in the future.

Cold food breaks down slower then warm food. That's why Chinese people drink tea to help with the digestion after a meal. As you see.....alot of them are slim.

I warm up my babies formula, food and all liquids. It won't hurt to do it, but it won't hurt not to do it. It is a little task that can minimize the nagging of mother-in-laws.

Good luck!!!

I did that occasionally when I got lazy. I think it's just nicer for them warmed up. Warm is the way milk comes out of mommy.

Your baby is fine drinking cold formula. And by-the-way, good for you, it's so much easier not to have to heat a bottle everytime.

My son will NOT take a cold bottle.

Have a great day,
D.

Many babies will not take cold formula or milk or not take enough to grow and gain weight. Also warm milk may be better (more easily digested and absorbed) for his little tummy. If he cries a lot it may be because of an upset tummy. As with so many other things, just a little effort may save you a couple of hours of crying.

There is also some evidence that cold food is harder to digest and that we don't absorb as many nutrients. So while the calorie content may be the same the nutritional value may not be.

It's usually warmed to replicate the warmth of breast milk. The temperature really depends on your son. Some babies won't take it warm and others won't take it cold.

Congratulations!!

R. ~ I don't think it makes a difference whatsoever as long as you are not warming it up in the microwave. But if your baby takes it cold, I think that is great, less headache for you, and probably helps him to cool off a bit in this warm weather. I would make sure that it is not too cold so he doesn't get brain freeze, and depending on how old he is, you need to be careful about his "core" temperature. His body may not be able to regulate temperature correctly yet and so you don't want him to be too cold. I don't imagine that this would happen from having a cold bottle, I know it cools me down to drink a big glass of cold water.....but I am no Dr. I also heard somewhere and don't know how true it is, but that adults burn more calories when they drink cold water cause your body has to heat it up first before it can absorb it or something, keep in mind, I have no idea how true that is but just kinda interesting I thought. none the less, if your baby is growing and gaining weight, then you must be doing something right! I would just not worry too much about what your MIL had to say and do what you think is right. Good Luck!

Warming the formula/breastmilk up makes it easier for Baby's tummy to digest also really cold formula can cause a drop in body temp. Also if it's breastmilk - putting it in the fridge causes the fat to separate and rise to the top, so warming it up helps re-mix it back to normal so baby will get all of the nutrients and not just fill up on fat.

We never "warmed" ours. We did run it under warm water from the faucet to take the chill off though.