For older babies (6+) then maybe not so important.
In the weaning period when I took over with a night bottle and the wife shut down her boobs I would just sleep with a pre-mixed (not from powder) formula pack next to my body. It would be more or less body temperature and the kiddo would like it :D
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/InfantandToddlerNutrition/form...
Edit: This also seems like a recent development. My children are grown.
https://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2022/timeline-chronobacter...
The NHS in the UK for example, says to do so (under "Reducing the risk of infection"):
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-...
However some, in particular Emily Oster, argue that the risk is negligible and that having an overly complicated set of steps for tired parents to follow is counter-productive:
From my understanding the current general advice from public health authorities is to use 70C/160F water.
I left my original comment as a fun anecdote in response to another fun anecdote. In reality, I think it's probably not a good idea to cook food in hot asphalt but didn't feel that really needed to be said, so didn't say it. (How many people are even going to have the opportunity to try that?) Now I am feeling like perhaps it does need to be said and cringing in anticipation of people hating on me for saying it and thereby raining on their party.
I looked up the info rather than go "citation needed." My children are grown. They have already survived whatever mistakes I made in raising them and life has changed, so some of what I did worked just fine at the time but is no longer a good idea.
I provided citations and accurate information to the best of my ability and as neutrally as I knew how in the interest of promoting food safety for people currently or in the future in need of actually feeding babies.
I am also a bit pragmatic and think that it’s most likely not dangerous. But I liken it to using a seat belt. You don’t need it until you crash.
If I was unlucky and my kid got really sick because I was lazy with water handling I would feel bad.
The recommendation appears to be just another attempt by the government to coddle and infantilize (no pun intended) their constituents.
Unless of course you were being sarcastic, in which case i recommend denoting it as such.
> If you do decide to warm the bottle, never use a microwave. Microwaves heat milk and food unevenly, resulting in “hot spots” that can burn your baby’s mouth and throat.
This seems wrong to me. How can any fluid have a “hot spot”? Can’t you just, you know… swirl it a bit and let the temperature even out? Wouldn’t this take no more than 5 seconds?
I diligently followed this advice with my first child and had to wait 5+ minutes every time for my bottle warmer to warm up the milk, while he was crying with hunger and getting both of us stressed out. Now with my second child, I just toss it in the microwave for ~18 seconds for a 4oz bottle, and it’s fine. I swirl it for 5 seconds and drip it on my wrist to be sure.
I sometimes feel like recommendations like these are written for the most braindead possible person, who would put the milk in the microwave for 5 minutes to boiling and feed it to the baby without checking the temp first. I don’t see how the slightest bit of common sense couldn’t prevent any issues here.