Never Heat Your Baby's Bottle In a Microwave Oven. Yes, microwaves are convenient. But they have a nasty habit of heating food unevenly. Your baby could burn her tongue, throat or stomach. Have you ever been surprised by a hot spot in your food? That's something you don't want to happen to your baby's tender mouth. It is much safer to take the chill off your baby's bottle with warm water.

What Does Your Baby Like? Some like it warm, some like it cool. How does your baby like her formula and breast milk? You can feed her with bottles of formula or breast mild straight from the refrigerator, at room temperature, or slightly warm. Remember, bottles should never be hot. Try a few feedings at different temperatures to see what she likes best.

Warming Your Baby's Bottle. If your baby prefers warm formula or breast milk, then follow these steps, and never use a microwave oven. Place baby's bottle in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water or swirl it under warm tap water for a few minutes. Gently shake the bottle to warm the formula or expressed breast milk evenly. Shake a few drops onto your wrist to check the temperature. If it isn't too hot for you, it is probably just right for your baby.

NO MICROWAVES FOR BABY'S BOTTLES

Why microwaves should never be used to prepare bottles:

-Control the temperature of the bottle. It is very easy to overheat a bottle in a microwave oven. The bottle may feel cool to the touch while the liquid inside is much too hot for your baby to drink. Sometimes it can also create steam that can burn your baby or you.

-Preserve the protective properties of breast milk. Breast milk can lose its natural protective properties if a microwave causes overheating.

-Avoid serious accidents. Because the bottle is closed tightly, a pressure build-up from steam can cause it to explode in a microwave oven. This won't happen when you heat bottles with warm water.