When it comes to baby bottles, you can’t be careful enough.
Everything from the kind of baby bottle to its functionality to its innovation can lead up to major life decisions around your baby.
You would want to know your baby’s requirements.
This will help you embark upon the journey of finding the right bottle for them.
Once you’ve found their calling, the rest of the journey will ensure that only does your baby have a comfortable life, but so do you.
When it comes to baby bottles, though, it’s easy to stumble upon roadblocks.
One of these roadblocks can be experienced when it comes to choosing a baby bottle. You don’t always get one that’s suitable for heating.
But if you have one, heating is quite easy.
There are several ways to heat the baby bottles and you would want to see which material is the best fit.
Before we talk about the different ways of heating baby bottles, let’s look at the different kinds of bottles. These are readily at your disposal.
And with that, you get to know the best way you heat them.
Types of Baby Bottles
There are a few different types of baby bottles out there.
It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with them, so you can choose the best for your baby.
1. Plastic Bottles
One of the most popular options out there, plastic bottles resolve the common issues of maintenance and keeping it light.
Not only are they convenient for you to carry anywhere you want, but they also last longer than other materials such as glass.
Most plastic baby bottles are BPA-free.
2. Glass Bottles
Needless to say that glass bottles are not just easier to heat water in but they also function really well in terms of compatibility with microwave heating options.
They last a long time, although they are not impervious to breakage.
They are easier to clean in a thorough manner.
However, they prove to be too heavy for a baby to manage.
3. Disposable Bottles
These kinds of bottles are environmentally friendly and sustainable for our surroundings.
But they also make it lighter for you to manage wastage in terms of dispensing with the bottles.
These bottles usually come with disposable sterilized liners according to the times it is used for feeding.
However, the amount you spend on the liners can prove to be hefty with every subsequent use.
Best Ways to Heat Baby Bottles
Now that we have navigated the different kinds of bottles available to you, let’s look at the different ways in which you can heat the milk in the bottles.
There’s nothing more unpleasant than a cranky baby and you need to make sure that the temperature of the milk is just about right.
You do not want to scald the baby’s tongue with milk that is too hot, neither do you want your baby to drink cold milk.
Additionally, breastfeeding ensures that the babies are accustomed to a particular temperature of the milk.
So when you’re on the go, or when you’re trying to introduce your baby to baby bottles, how do you do so efficiently and with ease?
Let’s look at the basic steps of heating your baby bottles.
1. Dip the Baby Bottle in Warm Water
This is one of the oldest tricks and keeps not just the contents of the bottle fresh and nutritious. But also doesn’t tamper with the material of the bottle, whichever you may choose.
The first thing you need to do is to seal the mouth of the bottle with its cap.
Then place the bottle in warm water for not more than 15 minutes.
However, be sure to not leave the bottle for more than 15 minutes otherwise the milk or the formula will be vulnerable to many bacteria.
You must also ensure that the warm water doesn’t come till the neck of the bottle.
While it is essential to keep the water lukewarm. And you should keep shaking the bottle to ensure that the heating is even throughout the bottle.
2. Put Your Baby Bottle in an Electric Baby Bottle Warmer
This is one of the fastest ways to heat baby bottles and definitely faster than dipping the bottle in a pan of hot water.
It will take not more than ten minutes to heat up and it is a perfect accessory to take even when you’re traveling.
You can directly put the bottle in the electric warmer and control the temperature according to your convenience.
Once you’re done, you can squirt the milk on your inner wrist and check whether the temperature is best suited for your child.
3. Go for the Microwave but with Caution
It is common knowledge that you must not put baby bottles with milk or formula inside directly in the microwave oven.
Not only does it eliminates the nutrients but it also creates uneven hot spots in the content which can be too cold and too hot at alternate times. This will not be good for the baby at all.
What you can do, though, is to heat a jug of water and microwave it for one to two minutes.
Once the water is adequately hot, you can put the baby bottle in the jug and heat it the traditional way as the boiling pan of water.
Except with a microwave oven, you get to control the timing and intensity of the heat of the water.
Final Words
Babies are truly fussy little creatures and you have to make sure that you’ve touched all parameters in order to meet their needs.
Heating your baby’s bottle is one such feature of parenting that you have to master.
Once you’re done heating, make sure that you test the temperature of the milk or formula on your own inner wrist before you give it to the baby.
That way, you will have the exact idea of what the temperature of the milk is.
You should also make sure that you do not warm your baby bottle twice as it becomes a breeding ground for all kinds of bacterias.
While the aforementioned tricks are some of the best-known ways to heat baby bottles, you can rest assured that you will figure out the best way to cater to your child’s requirements in time.
It all comes with practice and a lot of patience!