Some like it warm

Many moms ask me if they should warm their baby's formula and -- if so -- what the optimum temperature would be in this case. These are good questions because many of us grew up believing that cold formula would cause more gas or that warm formula would cause more burping, or vice versa. Since every baby is different and will prefer their nutrition their own way, here's a few important things to keep in mind.

• It's ok to warm formula, but it should never be hot.
• Never put formula or pumped breastmilk in the microwave to warm.  This can create "hot spots" within the bottle and burn a baby's mouth, tongue or throat.
• If you do want to warm the pumped breastmilk or formula, then heat up some water in a pan, then remove it from the heat and place the bottle in the pan for a few minutes.  Shake the bottle well to distribute the heat.
• Dribble a few drops of the warmed formula or breastmilk on your inner wrist.  it should feel the same temperature as your own body. Like Gold-i-locks, it shouldn't be too warm, or too cold -- aim for Just Right.
• Once formula is warmed and offered to the baby, it's ok for about 1 hour. Discard any that's left in the bottle after a feeding.

Some like it Cold
If you're baby likes his/her meals on the cool side, don't worry, it's perfectly normal and natural and probably very refreshing, especially when it's warm outside.

(This blog was originally published in 2011)