Can Babies Drink Cold Breast Milk?  Pros And Cons


When it comes to drinking cold milk, there may be a few things to take into consideration. First, storing the milk in the refrigerator will keep it fresh, and if your baby prefers cold milk, you may offer it. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, you can offer the milk cold, warm, or room temperature (1). Just ensure it is not too hot for the baby. Most teething babies will find relief when they drink cold milk.

Read this post that answers your concerns related to— can babies have cold milk.

Can Babies Have Cold Milk?

Your baby can feed breast milk at room temperature or slightly colder. It does not necessarily need to be warm (1). However, there is no medical evidence about cold milk consumption and the baby. Hence, you should discuss feeding cold milk to your baby with the baby’s pediatrician and then decide according to the baby’s health status and preference between cold and warm milk.

The milk should not be too hot or too cold for the baby to avoid scalding their mouth in case of hot milk. It is safe to check the temperature of the milk before feeding it to the baby. While it is said that the milk should not be hot, it is okay to feed warm or cold milk. If your baby prefers only warm milk, you can use bottle warmers that work for bottle-feeding or expressed breastmilk (2).

Pros Of Giving Baby Cold Breastmilk Or Formula

Here are some pros of feeding cold breast milk or formula milk to your baby (3):

  • Feeding the baby with cold milk is easier as heating the milk at a low temperature takes longer.
  • Feeding cold milk helps eliminate the risk of overheating the milk, which is not good for the baby, as it may lead to mouth blisters.
  • If the baby is used to drinking cold milk, it makes traveling easier. You can directly give expressed milk or bottle feed and need not worry about warming the milk.

Cons Of Giving Baby Cold Breastmilk Or Formula

Here are some cons of feeding cold milk to your baby (3):

  • If breastfed babies drink warm milk regularly, they may refuse to drink milk from cold bottles in emergencies.
  • Feeding cold milk to a prematurely born baby may not be a good choice. You should warm up the milk before feeding it to the baby.
  • Sometimes it may be difficult to mix a bottle of cold milk properly because the fat begins to separate.

Frequently Answered Questions

1. Can a baby drink cold milk and achieve optimum weight gain?

Milk cannot be the only factor contributing to your baby’s weight gain. Also, there is no evidence saying cold milk can cause weight gain. However, increasing the amount of feed may help a premature infant become healthier as it nourishes the body and increases the fat (4).

2. Can babies drink cold milk when they have a cold?

While there’s no evidence of the side effects of babies drinking cold milk during a cold, you should avoid giving them anything cold if the baby is having a cold or any other health concern as it might irritate the throat.

3. Can babies drink cold milk in the middle of the night?

Anything cold will not hydrate well and may cause digestive problems in the middle of the night, making it difficult to sleep. Therefore, while there’s no specification about not drinking cold milk in the middle of the night, it is sensible to drink warmer milk for better digestion.

4. Can babies drink milk straight from the fridge?

There is no clear evidence why you shouldn’t do it. However, since babies are sensitive and still building their immune system, it is better to feed moderately cool or warm milk or refer to special health advice (3).

5. Can cold milk cause constipation in babies?

There is no evidence that cold milk causes constipation; however, feeding too much milk may be one of the reasons for constipation in babies. Therefore, make sure that the baby is neither underfed nor overfed (5).

While overheating milk is not healthy, warm to cool milk for the baby is preferably the best. You can give the baby cold, warm, or at room temperature milk. Since breast milk is directly expressed from the breast, the milk temperature is usually the same as room temperature, i.e., moderately warm.

References:

MomJunction’s articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.
The following two tabs change content below.

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist and toddler mom with over eight years of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children. Then she worked as a nutrition faculty and clinical nutrition coach in different organizations. Her interest in scientific writing… more





Source link

toysforgirls

Toys for Girls

toysforboys

Toys for Boys

craftsupplies

Craft Supplies

babywalker

Baby Walkers

best toothpaste tablets
Best Toothpaste Tablets 2024 – Today’s Parent
tick spray
Best Kid-Safe Spray for Ticks
GettyImages 1191574624
Can You Overfeed a Breastfed Baby?
og image default
7 Books About Kindness for Kids
TP x Belize 1
5 Reasons Why Belize Should Be Your Next Family Vacation Destination
14 Easter Basket Stuffers for Kids
Easter Basket Stuffers for Kids
1 4
14 Kid-Friendly Easter Recipes Ideas to Try
clek foonf
Best Toddler Car Seat 2024
Georgian surnames
90+ Common Georgian Surnames Or Last Names, With Meanings
Nicknames For Max 1
250+ Unusual Short Names Or Nicknames For Max
Vampire last names
200+ Famous Vampire Last Names And Meanings
Belgian surnames
150+ Common Belgian Last Names Or Surnames, With Meanings
Summer Fun Takes Flight with Viviana Malls Science Fiesta
Summer Fun Takes Flight with Viviana Mall’s Science Fiesta
15 Rebus Puzzles For Kids With Answers And Tips To Solve 2
15 Rebus Puzzles For Kids, With Answers And Tips To Solve
Child temperament is unique for each child
Traits, Types, And Tips To Manage
Sharks are the top predators in the ocean
50 Fun And Interesting Shark Facts For Kids To Know
TP x Tena
I peed my pants at the trampoline park
canadian parents drink less alcohol
Canadian parents are being told they drink way too much and REALLY?!
marie curie science roundup 750x422
Can role playing encourage girls in STEM?
best new period products feature
12 cool and sustainable period products to help manage your flow
maxresdefault
Expresso Show LIVE | Parenting Advice | 9 June 2021 | FULL SHOW
maxresdefault
Daily English Conversation in Parent Teacher Meeting.
maxresdefault
SMART PARENTING HACKS AND CRAFTS #shorts
maxresdefault
Parenting styles Psych 2015