Do you have to warm milk for newborns and babies or can you give it to them cold?

Question

My aunt had a baby and was feeding it cold milk and all of the familiy was saying it was bad, but my aunt said that she never read anying that said you could feed a baby cold milk. So can you?

Answer 1

Yes, it's fine. According to kellymom.com - a respected source for breastfeeding information: "Babies will often take cold milk, but if heating is desired, or if milk needs to be defrosted, place container or bag of milk in a cup of warm water for a minute or two."

Answer 2

You can feed a baby cold milk, but it is not recommended. It can cause the baby to have an upset stomach. The baby is made to drink breastmilk, which is body temp. Cold milk is not good for a newborn. I always warm formula for my son. I didn't stop warming my daughters milk, until she was off the bottle, and even now, she gets warm milk before bed.

Answer 3

Firstly what kind of milk was it....

Breast milk that had been expressed?

Formula?

Cows milk?

A baby shouldnt have cows milk till they are over 1 year of age.

Breast milk is warm when it is expressed, so by nature that is what should be fed to the child.. Whether it is formula or breast milk.. it should be body temp, it will be better for the babies belly. Even as an adult if I drink something too cold I get an upset stomach

Answer 4

I breast fed my first two so I was totally out of the loop with my third when I had to formula feed him b/c of medications I had to take. I asked the DR and he said I didn't need to heat the formula, and he was only 2 weeks at the time. He told me room temp was fine or cold, I just needed to be consistant b/c the baby would get use to it and would want it that way all the time. I opted for room temp water, he did and is doing fine.

I do know that if a baby has acid reflux some DRs will recommend trying cold milk b/c it settles better and less spit up. Not sure if the spit up thing is an issue with regular babies or not.

Answer 5

I guess I wouldn't give a newborn COLD formula or breast milk, but I don't think it would hurt them any. It just seems mean somehow. Once they're a touch older room temperature is fine (and cold probably is, too). I know when I stopped nursing I used powdered formula and just mixed it with water straight from the tap and went on with the feeding. No one complained and my pediatrician said it was fine.

If the baby is fine and healthy and happy then it doesn't matter.

Answer 6

Ask your Dr if they baby can even have milk.. Most baby's can't digest the milk until after a year.. The baby should be on Formula or breast milk until atleast his first birthday.. Regular milk makes them gassy and constipated.. But you should really talk to your Dr. first.. If the baby is older then a year then I find that cold milk is find during the day but at night right before bed a nice warm milk bottle helps put my son to sleep and he sleeps better too.

Answer 7

I also hope you mean breastmilk. You should never give a baby under the age of 1 cow's milk. Also, cold liquids can upset some babies' stomachs. If formula is prepared early or in the fridge, then it also needs to be warmed before giving to a baby.

Answer 8

It is harsher on a babies belly to feed them cold milk/formula. It's good to feed them warm formula or formula at room temp - but not any colder than that. They're still growing/developing and are more sensitive to things than we are, the cold formula could be harder to digest and could cause belly aches, and cold formula is more of a shock to the baby - for example, it would feel better for someone to wipe your face w/ a warm washcloth than a cold one.

Answer 9

It should be warm, body temp is the best, the best way I found that if you squirt some on your wrist you shouldnt be able to feel it either hot or cold, never give a newborn milk straight out of the fridge

Answer 10

You can give a baby cold milk.
I wouldn't suggest it though.. warm milk or even room temperature is more soothing to the baby.