To save time, many parents mix up bottles for the next day and place them in the refrigerator. This is a great strategy, just remember mixed baby formula is only good for 24 hours.
When it’s time to feed your baby, you might not want to wait for the bottle to warm up. Some parents just give the formula to the baby as it is. Drinking the bottle warm all the time could possibly lead to a learned preference for the baby. Try varying up what temperature you serve the bottle, and see if your baby really doesn’t mind.
But does cold formula upset baby’s stomach? Not really. We drink cold milk all the time, and your baby might even enjoy the milk cold – especially if they are teething!
If you have a newborn baby, you might not want to give refrigerator cold formula at first; their digestive system doesn’t need to burn extra calories or energy warming it for them.
For newborns (or finicky babies), you can take the initial chill off from the bottle by running warm water over it in the sink for a minute and swirling it. Or to conserve water, you can place the bottle in a deep bowl filled with warm water for a few minutes.
Once your baby is past the newborn stage, serving bottles directly from the fridge might end up being the preferred option for baby. Just watch your baby, and let their cues tell you what is best for them!
Another note, some babies are okay with the cold milk, but they do not like the cold nipples. Try storing your bottle in the fridge with a top (some bottles have the top without the nipple). Or you can always run the nipple under warm water at the sink before serving baby.
Never warm the bottle up in the microwave! This can create hot spots in the milk, not to mention destroy the bottles and possibly leak chemical contaminates into the milk.