How to safely warm a bottle of breast milk or formula

Babies don’t require warm milk (whether it’s formula or breast milk) but if you wish to heat it up, place the bottle in a bowl, mug or small pot with a few inches of hot (not boiling) tap water for up to 15 minutes. (Never use the microwave, as it can heat milk unevenly and create hot spots). Test the temperature of the milk on the inside of your wrist.

If you’re warming a bottle of breast milk from your freezer stash, thaw milk in the fridge the night before, then put it out on the counter for 30 minutes to warm to room temperature.

Have more bottle-feeding questions? Download our chart here and put it on the fridge—it has the answer to all your questions.

Read more: How to combine breastfeeding and bottle-feeding 14 beautiful bottle-feeding photos The dos and don’ts of safe formula feeding