Do you ever microwave?

[~sarah~]

Be honest!

I know that they say never to microwave formula to heat it and I hadn't until last night. Sean was screaming at the top of his lungs and I frankly didn't want to wait for his bottle to warm up the usual way I do it (by microwaving a pyrex cup full of water then putting the bottle in the hot water until it's warm) so I just popped the bottle w/o the nipple on into the microwave for 12 seconds. I then put the nipple on, shook it up to distribute the heat, and fed him. Seemed to work fine...and much quicker than my usual way.

So, why is microwaving so bad??? :dunno:

[looking8186]

:hide: We always do .... with three little ones I just found it too hard to heat up the bottle any other way--- I feel guilty but it honestly saves my sanity sometimes and I feel like that is kinda important :giggle2:

[erinsaal]

I use the microwave as well. I only used the bottle warmer for the first couple of months.

[*Katherine*]

I think I did once with Mia. I would just usually prepare a bottle at room temperature water because I am too lazy to wait for a bottle to heat up. When Mia was still waking up at night for formula, I would prepare bottles of water with the right amount of liquid and then fill up my travel container so all I had to do was pour it in and shake. I don't do well with night wakings :giggle:

[I Smile Because Of Them]

When I used a bottle we microwaved only when I was in a rush. Hardly never but we did use it.

[mama2cody]

The reason is because heating liquids in the microwave creates hot spots that can be hotter than the rest of the liquid, so can result in burns. I don't FF but my SO's brother and his wife did with their kids, and I tried to tell them about the hot spot thing and his SIL told me it was fine. She never burned the baby (or the other kids, I guess) but I still wouldn't do it. I know it's time consuming, but you can keep a carafe of hot water to mix bottles with, so it's always ready for you. Just my :2cents:.

[cravnp99]

I think I did once with Mia. I would just usually prepare a bottle at room temperature water because I am too lazy to wait for a bottle to heat up. When Mia was still waking up at night for formula, I would prepare bottles of water with the right amount of liquid and then fill up my travel container so all I had to do was pour it in and shake. I don't do well with night wakings :giggle:

:yeahthat:

Sometimes I will heat the water in the bottle for 15 sec before adding the formula and shaking it well. But most of the time we just do room tempature bottles and she's never complained!

But when I was using a lact-aid supplementor for adoptive nursing, I always heat up water in a cup and put the bag in the hot water.. but the plastic on the bags is so thin that it took hardly anytime at all to get it warm. (I had to premix formula for the lact-aid because it took too long to mix and put it together every time.)

[crittercrazy3]

I do.

[crittercrazy3]

The reason is because heating liquids in the microwave creates hot spots that can be hotter than the rest of the liquid, so can result in burns. I don't FF but my SO's brother and his wife did with their kids, and I tried to tell them about the hot spot thing and his SIL told me it was fine. She never burned the baby (or the other kids, I guess) but I still wouldn't do it. I know it's time consuming, but you can keep a carafe of hot water to mix bottles with, so it's always ready for you. Just my :2cents:.


there won't be any hotspots if you shake the bottle.

those thermal bottles don't keep the water warm for long periods of time.

[~sarah~]

I've heard about the hot spots but no matter how I warm it I always shake it to distribute the heat before I give it to him. I wish we could do room temperature! But daddy "spoiled" him by heating up his bottles when he was younger and now he won't eat, even if he's starving, unless it's warm. Yes, it's all DH's fault! :giggle:

[aiyana4969]

I have my 3rd LO and she sometimes gets a bottle DD#1 was combination fed and DD#2 was completely bottle fed (had a crazy allergy). Anyway always used the mic. I don't see how you'd get hot spots if you shake the crap out of it. Never had any troubles.

[Dena]

WE have if we needed it ina hurry otherwise we warm it in a cup of hot water and now I am lazy and have water at room temp. then just mix in the powder.



daddy "spoiled" him by heating up his bottles when he was younger and now he won't eat, even if he's starving, unless it's warm. Yes, it's all DH's fault! :giggle:
My oldest was that way, mymom would tell me it was too hot but my son wouldnt take it unless it was warm.

[andreax3]

I always use the microwave. It take to long in a bottle warmer and I've never burned any of my kids.

[Katherine]

We used the microwave a lot when dd was little, and always just shook it up really well, but then we discovered dd actually preferred cold bottles. I mean - straight from the fridge cold. I don't know what epic parenting slacking-off resulted in that discovery, but we figured it out around 3 months. My sitter had never seen anything like it.

[kthiday]

Yup, we do too:blush: The AR stuff is so hard to disolve that since we have to shake it so much i figure it gets rid of any hot spots. I was scared out of my mind the first few times tho, I admit, but DH was the one who pointed out how much we have to shake the dang bottle to get everything to dissolve...

[tinab]

My ped was talking about this. It's not just hot spots- microwaving is bad for the composition of breast milk or formula. If you are going to use the microwave, heat the water then add the powder. We were talking (the ped, myself, an office gal, and another patient), it makes sense to me to not microwave the actual finished product. (My mom always microwaved water for my EBM.) At least with only having to add the powder the kid will still get it just as fast.

[greenMImama]

we never did, we did like a lot of PP and nuke the water and then put the bottle in the water, This was before we realized he liked t cold just fine, I'm glad to see my LO isn't alone. It was very handy to not have a picky baby, he likes it cold, or room temp. not warm (:
We don' really use the microwave for anything though because it runs all food not just breastmilk, so it wasn't a big deal for us not to use it for bottles.

[crittercrazy3]

My ped was talking about this. It's not just hot spots- microwaving is bad for the composition of breast milk or formula. If you are going to use the microwave, heat the water then add the powder. We were talking (the ped, myself, an office gal, and another patient), it makes sense to me to not microwave the actual finished product. (My mom always microwaved water for my EBM.) At least with only having to add the powder the kid will still get it just as fast.

everyone does it this way in this thread? i do.

[tinab]

My friend didn't for her granddaughter that she watches (she BF her 6 so she was lucky to figure out how to make a bottle). Once I told her she started adding the powder after heating. My BFF used to make a pitcher all premixed for the day. Some people do mix it first.

[KatiesMom]

My ped was talking about this. It's not just hot spots- microwaving is bad for the composition of breast milk or formula. If you are going to use the microwave, heat the water then add the powder. We were talking (the ped, myself, an office gal, and another patient), it makes sense to me to not microwave the actual finished product. (My mom always microwaved water for my EBM.) At least with only having to add the powder the kid will still get it just as fast.

Yes this! Microwave changes food on a chemical level. Your child is not getting the same nutrition if it is microwaved.
http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Dangers_of_Microwave_Food

[andreax3]

I only heat the water, then add the powder.

[AngieJ]

I only heat the water, then add the powder.

thats how I do it too!!!! tried to get him to drink it luke warm wasnt happening but he is also bf likes that warm milk

[staceyroo77]

The reason is because heating liquids in the microwave creates hot spots that can be hotter than the rest of the liquid, so can result in burns. .
Exactly! When I worked at Chick-fil-A a long time ago, parents would ask if we could heat their baby's bottle in "our" microwave. We had to tell them we couldn't because it would create hot spots and it was a liability issue. We would then offer them a cup of hot water, the same hot water for hot tea.

[Lorie]

I use to until I read about the Avent bottles and chemicals (can't think of it right now but that is the bottles we use) so now I just use room temp water and he is fine with it. DH actually made a bottle yesterday with cold water (he never makes bottles) and DS drank it just fine. I think it all depends on how warm your baby likes it and how long they are willing to wait.

[Lorie]

Yes this! Microwave changes food on a chemical level. Your child is not getting the same nutrition if it is microwaved.
http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Dangers_of_Microwave_Food

You will be really terrified to know that some food you buy has already been microwaved in the packing house as a means of sterilization. I was a Health Inspector then a USDA Inspector and some companies microwave their products to kill bacteria (like beef ect) It was a new concept 5 years ago so I imagine it is pretty rampant now.

[cheeky]

i consider myself to be relatively cautious about the use of microwaves because of the loss of nutrients in foods when heated. BUT, you are also heating the water for only a few seconds, it doesn't get hot, and like said before, you shake it up enough for those hot spots to get flushed.
whenever i would go to my parents they had this nifty hot water dispenser, like the kind you'd see in science rooms, at their sink. so you could put a coffee mug underneath turn the nozzle and out comes boiling water! i'd use that and let the bottle warm in the coffee mug. then again, this is also heating up the nutrients so i guess either way you're losing a little.
but yes sometimes i did use the microwave.

[Bright_Life_Toys]

I just used warm water out of the tap.

[rowynne]

I premix a days worth of formula & distribute it into bottles so they are ready to go. WHen we need one, we put it in the microwave for 15-18sec. Been doing it this way since 1998 & never had a problem :) As for night bottles, I prefill a bottle with the right oz of room temp water & keep a small can of formula in her room.

[MacMama]

I use the micro every time-- but just w/ water, and I add the powder after. There have been rare times where I microwaved the bottle w/formula in it, and I just made sure to shake it extra well.
I did buy the "safe" plastic bottles though, the Avent ones made me nervous after all the leaching articles I read.

[tbell760]

We do room temp or nuke it if it has been in the fridge.

[PrincessMichelle]

We use the microwave. What we do is we measure the water out into a glass pyrex measuring cup, nuke it so it's just warm enough, scoop the formula into the bottle then pour the warm water in, shake it up really, really well, and it's good to go. The hotspots are all gone once you shake it enough. It's much faster than warming in a pot on the stove, which is what we used to do. Luke goes from 0 to starving in less than a minute so this is the best way for us :) The only time we didn't microwave was these past couple days when we were on the plane constantly from CT to CA. THAT was a nightmare and a half, but luckily Luke was an excellent traveller and slept most the day :) Yay! The worst time was when we were at my aunt's funeral- we had no microwave and no water even until my cousin Pat told us she had a chilled bottle in her car. It was very cold and it made him very cranky but it was better than starving the poor boy :(

[gvroach]

We only microwave. The concern about hot spots is really silly, in my opinion. Yes, you get hotspots, but if you give the bottle some shakes, they dissipate!!!

[jausten]

I've done it once or twice, but that was only if I had a bottle in the fridge. I usually just make her bottles with room temp water.

When she was still waking up at night to eat, we fixed bottles before bed, put them in a mini-fridge in our room, and then heated them in a small crock pot full of water that was plugged in all night. I'd pop the bottle in the crock pot, and then by the time I changed her diaper, the bottle was warm. It worked AWESOME!

[polorala]

The reason why you aren't supposed to nuke the formula in the microwave is because the formula will loose important nutrients!! This is really important to remember and if you want to use the microwave, nuke the water first, then add the powder. Otherwise, you're dc isn't getting the appropriate nutrients. Please make sure to ask your pedi, they will tell you the same thing. :-)

[connorsmama]

I only microwave it if it has been in the fridge for a while. i usually do 15-20 sec. my son likes it room temp or a little colder!

[gvroach]

The idea of microwaving causing nutrients to diminish is a myth. If you dont heat the bottles up until they are boiling hot, then you are fine. HEAT causes breakdown, so if you heat your bottles too hot, in the microwave or on the stove, you cause breakdown.

So its not the microwave.

[xois]

we don't heat bottles

well, we will run it under warm water for a second to disolve the fat, but that's it LOL

otherwise, it's just cold

:giggle:

just make sur eyour bottle can be safely microwaved...it should ssay so on the bottle

[eskiqt21]

I don't. Microwaving also kills come of the nutrients.

[ajk]

I've heard about the hot spots but no matter how I warm it I always shake it to distribute the heat before I give it to him. I wish we could do room temperature! But daddy "spoiled" him by heating up his bottles when he was younger and now he won't eat, even if he's starving, unless it's warm. Yes, it's all DH's fault! :giggle:

DD is the same way and its all Daddy's fault :giggle2:

ETA: yes, we use the microwave :blush:

[Swimmingly]

I don't microwave. Paranoid first time mom. If they tell me not to, I don't...

[Bella Italia]

Just out of curiosity, how do those that use the Playtex nursers warm bottles? I used to warm his bottles in the bottle warmer or under the faucet but since he can only drink the ready to feed formula, it's always ice cold and the warm water doesn't hit the bag with the nursers. The last couple months we have resorted to using the microwave.

[whalvo]

I don't know if this has been covered, I haven't read all pages, but we used to heat water in a separate glass measuring cup and then pour it into the bottle, add formula, and shake well. There's no danger of heating in glass. I heard heating in a plastic bottle is bad because of chemical leaching... but my SIL did it w/ both her LOs and they turned out just fine.

[SativaStarr]

:hide: I always microwaved DS's formula too. He was on the Alimentum RTF and we had to keep the opened bottles refrigerated. With DD's powder, I hjust always mixed it with warm water from the tap.

[lotsuvlittles]

Just out of curiosity, how do those that use the Playtex nursers warm bottles?

My LO only takes the RTF and I pour it in the nurser and 'nuke it' :giggle: for 15sec. Just to take the chill off. If he drinks it cold from the fridge his stomach turns into a knot and sends it all back out.
I used to pour it into a coffee mug and heat it then pour it into the nurser, but a couple babies later I've gotten lazy.
And yes it does say "DO NOT MICROWAVE" on the bag and nurser.

[TeachinAuntie]

There needs to be a poll on this one. We do. We shake the liquid before giving it to her. Caro will take a room temp. bottle but she doesn't like to. I heat the water (straight from the fridge) in the microwave & then add the powdered formula.

[FiestyJess]

im lucky, my ds will drink cold, warm, hot dont matter lol..
but i used to microwave bottles, till i just started running the tap on warm water, but the time i add the formula and cereal, its about room temp, give it a good ol' extra sshake, and tada lol

[smilin_sara]

i do

[VelouriaMom]

When she was still waking up at night to eat, we fixed bottles before bed, put them in a mini-fridge in our room, and then heated them in a small crock pot full of water that was plugged in all night. I'd pop the bottle in the crock pot, and then by the time I changed her diaper, the bottle was warm. It worked AWESOME!
Thank you so much for this suggestion! I was going crazy, hating my bottle warmer because it was so inconsistent. Now I've got the crock pot out & it's not only consistent, it's fast - 1 minute to warm 4 oz from the fridge in a drop-ins bottle! It only takes up a little more room than the bottle warmer on the counter too. Love it! Thanks again. :thumbsup:

[XdiaperXsewingXaddictX]

I have read the the reason to not microwave is not only the hot spot thing, but also that overheating can destroy the vitamins (like B vitamins) in formula/breastmilk.

[amie815]

I microwave the water in a glass pyrex measuring cup and stir that to get even distribution and then poor that into the bottle and add formula and shake that. Much quicker then the bottle warmer.

[birthrightrose]

Popular clear, plastic baby bottles are not safe to give to your baby. They leach a toxic hormone-disrupting chemical called bisphenol A into the liquid in the bottle, according to a report released by the Environment California Research and Policy Center.

Even very small doses of bisphenol A have been linked to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, and hyperactivity, among other problems.

Upon analyzing five of the most popular brands of baby bottles on the market (Avent, Dr. Brown’s, Evenflo, Gerber, and Playtex), the researchers found that all five brands leached bisphenol A at levels that caused harm in animal studies.

San Francisco was the first jurisdiction in the country to finally pass a law prohibiting the use of bisphenol A in toys and other products intended for use by children under age 3. However, the chemical is widely used across the country (and is found in the urine of over 95 percent of the population).

To protect your baby from this dangerous toxin:


Choose glass baby bottles instead of plastic
Avoid heating food or beverages in plastic containers or bottles (this speeds up the leaching process)
Don’t wash plastic bottles/containers with harsh soaps or hot water (this also accelerates leaching)
Environment California June 19, 2007

[Julia22443]

http://www.gobabylife.com/products/weegobottle.html

:thumbsup: