Everywhere you look it says never use a microwave to heat a baby’s bottle. I’ve raised two kids and can tell you twenty seconds in the microwave as opposed to 4 minutes the old fashioned way at three in the morning holds no comparison. It seems just a blanket idiot-proof statement to me, as there are risks involved; better safe than sorry. What I am reading now is that it is safe for formula but not so for breast milk because it kills the antibodies present in it and breaks down the composition of the milk. Is it really that detrimental to breast milk? Are there other risks involved besides the obvious uneven heating?
Microwaving baby formula in the bottle to be used for feeding is unsafe not only because of the risk of burns from uneven heating and trapped steam, but also because it is unknown whether or not the plastic used to make the majority of baby bottles can be safely heated, especially repeatedly, without leaching chemicals into the bottle’s contents. The bottles are typically not certified as microwave-safe. It would seem, however, that heating formula in the microwave in a microwave-safe glass container and transferring it would probably be safe.
That said, the warnings against microwaving breast milk are quite legitimate and quite important. Microwaving does destroy important immunological factors in breastmilk and does change the composition of breastmilk, but what is important is how the composition is changed. Microwave heating seems to break down the extremely delicate proteins in the milk and there is some evidence showing an effect on the naturally high amount of sugar in the milk. This can affect the milk’s consistency, color, scent, taste and, most importantly, nutritional content.
Frighteningly, there is also data which indicate that microwave heating prompts a much faster rate of growth of dangerous bacteria in breastmilk, especially E.coli, when compared to milk which has been heated conventionally.
If breastmilk must be expressed and fed via bottle, evidence would indicate that the microwave is an unacceptable means of bringing the milk to a proper feeding temperature.
Thanks TeaElla
That is exactly what I was looking for, I never thought about the plastics in the microwave angle. Shes having a hard time feeding him being painful and all so she’s been expressing and bottle feeds. But that is another topic , thanks again
TeaElle, where is the research showing the higher risk of E. Coli infection from microwave heated bottles? The FDA only mentions the uneven heating as a problem. Wouldn’t E. Coli issues be more important and thus, part of the warning? Could you please link to some of the studies on microwave heat breaking down proteins in milk harmfully and differently than conventional heating? If I repeat this, I’d like to be able to prove it.
Thanks!!
The info about e.Coli – which I must admit on further read seems to specifically contraindicate high temperature heating while suggesting that low temp heating is inadvisable but not proven unsafe – comes from a Stanford University study “The Effects of Microwave Radiation on Anti-Infective Factors in Human Milk”.
Take that FWIW, this is GQ but if I may say, considering the substantial risk that e.Coli poses to an infant, it seems the height of foolhardiness to undertake any practice which is unnecessary and also increases the chances of an e.Coli infection.
The wonderful thing about pumped breastmilk is that it keeps for hours at room temperature, if you never freezed it or let it get too warm. We have a water dispenser that dispenses hot water. I would put a bag of milk in a cup of that water and it heated enough quite quickly. It only took a few ounces of water and a not much time because the bag of milk was small, only 1 to four ounces. This was for milk that would be immediately fed to Loren.
I let some milk get too warm once (left it in the car while we were running an errand) and it went off in about 20 minutes maybe less. Milk that never was allowed to get over room temerature kept for up to 10 hours or more. I would routinely pump an ounce or two so it could be kept ready at room temperature so that she could have something while hubby was getting more warm. If I were available, that bit might sit for hours, but always seemed to stay sweet and good. We kept in mind when it had been pumped and fed it to her or threw it out as the 10 hour mark passed if it had not been used before that. It separated sometimes, but never seemed bad even when we threw it out because of time. The milk that was allowed to get hot smelled bad.
Those immune cells not only protect baby, they kill the bactieria that is introduced into the milk. Studies show bacteria count goes down in milk over time if the cells have not been killed by freezing, microwave, or heat.
The normal procedure for mixing up formula milk is obtuse and baffles me; it has been a little while since I did it, but as I recall, you’re supposed to cool boiled water in the sterilised bottles, add powder to the cooled water, put on sterilised lids (keeping the sterilised teats separate for the moment, I think to avoid a thin film of dried milk forming on them), then store the stuff very carefully, throwing it away if it hangs around too long.
We did it differently; sterilise the bottles, fill with boiled water and put on the teats (plus the protective lid); allow to cool and store as water. When required, warm the water, add the pre-measured quantity of powder (we had a nifty little container with three compartments) and shake for 60 seconds. All you ever waste this way is boiled water.