Your baby is hungry. It's 3 a.m., you're not wearing pants, you've got on yesterday's ponytail, and you're not even certain you've eaten in the past 24 hours. You're exhausted and just want to make a bottle. The water from the tap is freezing, but can you mix formula with cold water? Or do you need to wait the five minutes for your ancient water heater to warm to tepid before mixing your baby's bottle?
When it comes to mixing formula, you may have heard that you need to boil the water before making the bottle, or that a cold bottle might upset your baby's digestion. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, as long as you know the water you're preparing your baby's bottle with is from a safe source, boiling it before making the bottle is unnecessary. And, unless your baby shows signs of gastric distress or upset upon being presented with a cold bottle, it's probably more to do with the type of formula rather than the temperature of it, according to the website for Dr. Sears.
Also, you prefer a warm meal, so you may just assume that the most comforting food possible would be a nice warm bottle, but do babies feel that way? Can you mix formula with cold water straight from the tap or bottle?
The Mayo Clinic stated that you can absolutely make the formula with cold water, and feed your baby cold formula. While you think it may not be their first choice, your baby may surprise you. Think about it. In the summer, what do you prefer in the heat? A piping hot cup of cocoa, or an ice cold beer? Perhaps a cool bottle of Similac will hit the spot?
Just remember, if you choose to heat the bottle after mixing it with cold water, do so slowly, by running it under warm water, until it's only barely warmer than the inside of your wrist, noted the Mayo Clinic. You never want to bring it to a boil or heat it in the microwave, both for safety and nutritive purposes.
But if you want to make baby's bottle straight from the Brita in your fridge? Go ahead. Your baby may love it, and it definitely saves time, which is a major bonus in the middle of the night while you're reading this.
