Microwaving Whole Milk?

Hello, B. L--

Personally, I avoid using the microwave for the same reason that you mentioned. First of all, if you are going to give pasteurized cow milk to your son, it has already been stripped of the nutrients that are initially present in the milk. Pasteurization kills all the nutrients because the process subjects the milk into an extremely high temperature. That is why the manufacturers add vitamins into it. Put the pasteurized milk in the microwave and you can imagine what your son gets.

Pasteur discovered the process during the time when sanitation was not very much of a priority for the milk manufacturers. It has changed since then. The best milk that human beings should consume is the raw kind. Here is the link to check out:
http://www.naturalnews.com/026280_raw_milk_cows_bacteria....

My family and I are fortunate here in California to have the capability of getting raw milk although we travel 50 miles one way to purchase it. My favorite brand is Organic Pastures where each cow has a name and they fall in line for milking in a very clean and sanitary environment. However, Organic Pastures has to include a warning in the consumption of their milk just to be able to stay in business.

Raw milk may be heated lukewarm in a pan (never in a microwave) since babies can stand only that temperature for feeding.

I am glad that you are concerned about what you give to your son. Here is a good source of information:
http://www.westonaprice.org/children/rawmilk.html

E. C

2 moms found this helpful

well since you asked...........microwaving ANYTHING destroys the enzymes sooooooooooooo DON'T!!!!!

2 moms found this helpful

Hi B.,

I never felt comfortable putting milk in the microwave and gave it to my son cold out of the fridge. He wasn't phased a bit. The microwave does zap out nutrients and I would be concerned about hot spots. It would be best to put a bottle of milk in a pan with hot water but that takes a bit of time.

Good luck,

J.

I got rid of my microwave. I feel it kills the nutrition in all food. I heat up things on the stove or oven. Makes me feel much better.
Good Luck.

I used to microwave the milk slightly, but eventually stopped and got my son used to cold milk right out of the fridge. If you really want to warm the milk you can put the bottle under some hot running water or in a pan with warm water in it.

And a great way to transition your baby boy to whole milk is to start by mixing it with w/e you're giving him already, breast milk or formula. We started by doing only 1oz of whole milk to 7oz of formula, doing that for a couple days and then changing to 2oz-6oz and so on and so forth. We were able to easily cut the formula out and now he's on fully whole milk.

It's fine to microwave whole milk....just not breastmilk. If you're really concerned just put the milk it in a ziplock bag and then put the ziplock in hot water for a little while.

Dear B.,
My son would never drink milk unless it had ice cubes in it. If he couldn't hear it rattle, he wouldn't drink it, so warming was never an issue for me.
One thing I do want to tell you is that I've heard from several different sources that you should never microwave plastic baby bottles OR put them in the dishwasher. The heat during the drying process changes something in the plastic and releases carcinogens. Or something to that effect. I don't know that heating milk in the micro hurts anything really, as long as it's in something microwave safe.
It would most likely just take a minute or so to warm the milk in a little saucepan if you're worried about it.
The only milk my son ever had warm was breast milk. He's 5'7" and 160 lbs at 14 so cold milk didn't stunt his growth.

Best of wishes!

We are told not to heat breast milk but nothing said about regular milk. We are to give ages 1-2 years of age whole milk as they need more fat for brain growth. But over 2 years we give low fat milk. But the danger of hot spots so shake the milk up good. If in doubt, ask your doctor.
F.

I have read that it is better to heat milk on stove as microwave can have harmful changes in milk composition. I have a small pot just for heating milk and it takes less than a minute to heat it. And it better to give warm milk than cold as heating makes calcium more available.
-R.

Microwaving always changes the composition of your food, no matter how long you keep it in there. It is much better for your baby if you simply heat a pot of water on the stove and warm the bottle in the hot water. Or, my inlaws simply put the milk in the pot and warm it on the stove. Either way works.

Hi B.,

This is really a point of contention in some circles. A lot of the nutritional value of milk actually is lost during pasturization, and cooking loses more. What I really want to emphasize though, is that heating food in plastic is a really bad idea. There are components of plastic (particularly soft plastics, and also many of the baby bottles on the market) that have really nasty effects in living things, including humans, and especially in young developing people. They can cause problems with sexual development and fertility, also cancers and thyroid problems. PLEASE MAMAS, USE CAUTION WITH PLASTICS! Some are better than others. There's a newer one out which is blue, a number 7, which leaches far fewer of these hazerdous chemicals. Please do some research. There is a really informative program on NPR called The Toxic Body, you can download the show from the internet. All the best to you ladies, and your family's health!

If you're asking this question, I would err on the side of caution and not microwave the milk. There are studies out there indicating that microwaving destroys nutrients and change the composition of the proteins because of the burst of energy used to warm/heat up food. If you must microwave, make sure you use a non-reactive vessel e.g. ceramic cup to warm up the milk and not the milk bottle even if it's labelled microwave safe. Also, make sure your son is far away from the microwave when it's in use.

Hi B.-
Warm it up the same way you would warm a bottle. Just put it in a pan of hot water, etc. I am not sure what microwaving does to things, but from the last few year's research, I would steer clear as much as possible. I think the key is not to leave it out too long where it can start to spoil. But in general, mom's have been giving kids warm milk before bed for years, so there shouldn't be any issues.

Hi! B.:
My baby's are 3 and 2 and I have always microwaved their milk. I don't think it's any different then anything else we microwave. You won't be heating it up so much that I would change. You're just making it warm and comfortable for him.

Warming it in the microwave does change the composition, and loses nutritional value. That really happens to anything that you microwave. What kind of bottles do you use? I use the playtex bottles with the liners....and I just put the milk in the bottle and run it under hot water for a minute or two til' it's the temp I want....doesn't take long at all! if you don't use that type of bottle, you could just put some milk in a zip lock baggy and warm it the same way.....just a thought! Good Luck!

IS the BPA free plastic okay for the microwave too? I have heard it is not good to put plastic in microwaves because it is cancer causing.

Lots of answers on this one too. Do some more online research and your answers will get even more confusing. You are already aware of hot spots, does it change the composition? Yes, however, not enough to make it dangerous or to decrease his nutrients in any significant manner. Keeping a clean microwave is more important for any food you heat in there than what foods may lose a little nutrients. I have 5 children, my twins get milk warmed (2 8 oz bottles) for 30 seconds, 15 seconds for 1 bottle. It just takes the chill off and they are transitioning into straight from the fridge cold. Good luck to you and your wonderful baby!
D.

Here's what I do. I microwave half of the milk/formula (30 seconds for about 4 oz--adjust accordingly) and then add cold milk so it's warm. Shake well. Of course, you'll still want to test it but this has worked great for me.

As for as nutrients, you can read up on that on the internet. I suppose it's possible but I didn't see anything that worried me too much.

You mentioned that you were transitioning to cow's milk. You might want try mixing it with formula in decreasing ratios for a week or so.

Good luck!

Everything I read when my daughter was on the bottle said not to microwave because parts of the milk could be scalding hot, while other parts were still cool.

I warmed the milk in the wave, shook it up well and let it sit for a few minutes. Shook again, and then I tested it on my inner arm. It was fine.

Eventually, I switched her to milk that was out of the frig and sat on the counter for 20 minutes in the bottle. It took the chill off and I didn't have to worry about getting it too hot.

Remember, they don't know it's suppose to be any other way.
Stephanie

Hi B.,

Our twins like warm milk over cold in the morning and at night - they won't drink it cold. What we do is, about 15 minutes before we know we're going to give it to them, we set their sippy cups in a container of hot tap water. That always does the trick - no need to turn on the stove or use the microwave.

I agree that you should not microwave the milk. It may seem to take longer and be more work to warm it on the stovetop, but I think it's worth that effort. I'm not sure why you even are concerned about giving him the warm milk, because in my experience children seem to do just as well on cold milk and most of the time they like it better. But if you think it needs to be warm, definitely put a pan of water on to heat and set your bottle or cup into the water to warm the milk.

Hi B.,

I was aware of the "NO's" to not microwave milk, but I did it anyway :o)

You have to be careful, though. It can get too hot too fast. All microwaves are different, but my 8 oz bottle was perfect at 25 seconds, then shake :O)

Once I found the perfect zapping time, our lives were so much eaiser :O) Just don't forget to leave the lid/nipple off when you put it in the microwave.

Oh, by the way....my boys are now 6 & 12 and they are very healthy....the microwaved bottled never affected them :O)

~N. :o)

my daughter's friend had to have warm milk at seven years old. It was kind of strange. I nursed all of our daughters, and when it was time to introduce milk I did it straight from the frige. Our youngest liked it warmer, so we set it on the counter for about ten minutes.

Please, do not do it.
There is enough info out there these days to know this is unsafe. Microwaves change the chemistry of the food, and radiates it. Radiation is not good for people, it causes cancer. Children are receiving so much radiation and toxic elements, no wonder about 60,000 of them die per year from cancer, only in this country. Microwaving plastic bottles is even worse.
His health is in your hands, please educate yourself in all areas in order to keep him safe.
Blessings

You've gotten great advice and suggestions already. I had a hard time transitioning my son to whole milk too, but it was more due to the taste and after trying what a few moms here suggested discovered what would work. My son didn't like whole milk, it is not at all similar to breast milk and he was a bit sensitive to that. What did work? 2% milk and even that took a while. A friend of mine suggested not warming it up and just letting him become accustomed to milk out of the frige. It sure makes going travel easier. I just put his milk in a cooler with ice packs and there's no worries about giving him milk while we're on the go. All the best and be very patient with the transition process. It took me a long time of just putting a sippy cup with milk on my son's tray with whatever else we were eating. At times, I was worried he would never like milk. He does and loves it ice cold.

Hi B.,

I microwave my son's milk for each serving about 1 min. It will not breakdown any nutritional value of the milk. You will be fine. Giving them something warm to eat and drink is better for their digestive system for now and the future. Same goes for us. Good luck.

Hi B.,
My advice would be to just give him cold milk. Don't get him used to warm milk because that will be the only way he drinks it for several years. You may not be able to have warm milk available all the time. My cousin's son will only drink warm milk. My daughter is 14 months and I never warmed any bottles for her. It's so much easier just to give her cold milk. Good luck.

hello B.,

in general microwaving is not healthy for little children. it puts radiation energy into food (low amounts that are un- testable) and changes the nutrition value (in testable and untestable ways). when it is possible, take one extra minute and warm it on the stove. i think your child will thank you later.

A. m

Hi B.,,

It is recommended that you do not microwave any liquids in microwaves. It kills all the nutrients in it.

I would warm it up in a small sauce pan.

Good luck.

N. Marie