How To Warm A Baby Bottle Safely

May 16, 2022

Written by Jo Charnock

May 16, 2022

Written by Jo Charnock

As a new parent, you may be wondering how to warm a baby’s bottle, or even how to warm it safely. Plus, what is the best temperature to serve breastmilk or formula?
While every baby is different, and some will even take a cold bottle, most babies will take comfort from a warm bottle. Especially if they are used to being breastfed, and now you want to transition them to bottle feeding. So, in this article, we aim to answer all your questions about the best way to heat a bottle.

But First, Does A Baby Bottle Have To Be Warmed?

There are no hard and fast rules that say you have to warm your baby’s bottle. However, your baby is more likely to accept a warm bottle rather than a cold one. This is especially true if you have been breastfeeding as your baby will be used to feeding on milk that is already at body temperature. So while there are no nutritional benefits to warming your baby’s bottle, a warm bottle may make feeding time easier.

How Can I Safely Warm A Baby Bottle?

Everyone should be aware of the importance of hygiene and safety during milk or formula preparation and storage, and warming a baby’s bottle is no different. There are many ways to warm your baby’s bottle, but the following are the safe methods:

Using Warm Water

This is the method your mum, your grandma and her mum would have used. Simply fill a bowl with warm (but not hot) water. You can use water that has been gently heated on the stove-top, or use hot water from your tap.

The water should be warm enough to heat the bottle, but cool enough to touch without burning. Make sure to turn or gently shake the bottle occasionally. This will allow the milk to heat evenly and to mix all the fat.

If you don’t have a bowl on hand, you can hold and slowly turn the bottle under the tap. The water should be mixed to a warm temperature and not hot. This method should warm the bottle in just a few minutes.

Top tip - never leave a bottle in warm water for longer than 15 minutes, as this may allow harmful bacteria to develop.

Using An Electric Baby Bottle Warmer

Nowadays, many busy parents invest in an electric baby bottle warmer. This is one of the easiest ways to heat up a baby’s bottle. A simple touch of a button will heat your baby’s bottle to the right temperature and removes any guesswork.

There are different types available but most work with a central chamber that has a thermostat to heat the bottle which turns off when it reaches the correct temperature.

Again make sure to not leave the milk in your baby bottle warmer for longer than 15 minutes.

Top tip: as there are many different models available, make sure you buy a brand that fits the brand of bottles you are using.

Using A Portable Baby Bottle Warmer

With today’s busy lifestyles more and more parents are investing in portable bottle warmers.

Portable baby bottle warmers come in many shapes and forms. There are portable warmers which plug into your car’s 12v outlet, and warmers with instant heat technology like Cherub Baby’s Click n Go bottle warmer.

In addition, Cherub Baby also offers a new Universal Portable Baby Bottle Warmer which is compact and light. This rechargeable portable baby bottle warmer is perfect for outings and can also be used at home, so you don’t need to have multiple warmers.

Universal Portable Baby Bottle Warmer

Top tip: most portable bottle warmers fit most brands of baby bottles.

Remember, the goal is to warm a baby’s bottle and not heat it. A baby’s bottle should be no warmer than body temperature or around 37°C. If baby milk or formula gets too hot you run the risk of burning your baby’s mouth and destroying the good nutrients your baby needs.

The easiest and most reliable way to test the temperature is the simple tried and tested method of squeezing a few drops onto the skin inside your wrist. The liquid should feel neutral to the touch and not too hot or too cold.

For more information about how to warm glass baby bottles read our article here.

Can I Safely Heat Breastmilk Or Formula In The Microwave?

Using a microwave might seem like a quick and easy solution to warming a baby’s bottle, but the experts all agree you should never heat your baby’s bottle in a microwave.

A microwave actually distributes heat unevenly. Have you ever noticed when heating a meal, that the food looks piping hot but it’s still cold in the middle? The same happens when heating a baby’s bottle.

If you use a microwave to heat breastmilk or formula the liquid may develop uneven hotspots which can burn your baby's mouth. In addition, the intense heat created by the microwave will almost certainly destroy the good nutrients in your baby’s milk.

How Can I Warm A Baby Bottle On The Go?

For most of us, the days of being a stay-at-home-mum are a distant memory. The modern world is a busy place and not easy to juggle with a young baby.

While heating a bottle at home is pretty simple, warming a baby bottle on the go can be a bit more of a challenge. That’s where portable baby bottle warmers come in.

There are many brands and types of portable bottle warmers out there, and they’re not all up to the task of heating a bottle quickly. That’s why you can depend on Cherub Baby’s range of portable baby bottle warmers.

What’s The Best Portable Bottle Warmer?

Cherub Baby’s new Anywhere Universal Portable Bottle Warmer is an easy and quick solution to warming your baby’s bottle evenly and fast. Other features include:

The Anywhere Universal Bottle Warmer heats faster than other major brands;
It heats breastmilk or formula safely and evenly;
Regulates the temperature so there is no danger of the liquid getting too hot;
Simple to use - press one button to start warming;
Fits all major brands;
Much less messy than balancing a flask, pouring that into a bottle, adjusting the temperature, testing on your wrist, etc, etc;
Will heat multiple bottles from a single charge!

Anywhere Bottle Warmer

Universal Portable Baby Bottle Warmer

A portable baby bottle warmer has become the go-to tool for many busy mums. The Anywhere Universal Portable Bottle Warmer is the one portable bottle warmer on the market that will cover all your bottle warming needs.