Storing And Warming Feeds

Skip to main content

1. Home
2. Babies and children
3. Bottle feeding

Back to Bottle feeding

Warning notification:Warning

Unfortunately, you are using an outdated browser. Please, upgrade your browser to improve your experience with HSE. The list of supported browsers:

1. Chrome
2. Edge
3. FireFox
4. Opera
5. Safari

Storing and warming up bottle feeds

When it comes to storing and warming up bottle feeds, it is safest to:

• prepare a fresh feed each time you need one
• give it to your baby as soon as it has cooled to the right temperature

This is because warm milk provides ideal conditions for bacteria to grow, especially at room temperature.

Safely store bottles

To safely store made-up bottles:

1. Prepare the bottles following the steps for safely preparing baby formula.
2. Place cooled bottles in the back of the fridge. Make sure the temperature of the fridge is 5 degrees Celsius or less.
3. Throw away any feed not used within 24 hours.

Safely storing breast milk

How to prepare equipment for bottle feeding

Warming up refrigerated bottles

To warm up refrigerated bottle feeds:

1. Remove the bottle from the fridge just before you need it.
2. Place it in a bowl of warm water. Make sure the water is below the neck of the bottle. You can also use a bottle-warmer. Do not warm it for more than 15 minutes.
3. Drip a little milk on the inside of your wrist to check the temperature. It should be lukewarm, not hot.
4. Throw away any feed that your baby has not used within 2 hours of starting the feed.

How to give a baby a bottle

Never use a microwave to warm feeds

Microwaves heat unevenly. They may cause ‘hot spots’ that could scald your baby’s mouth.

Page last reviewed: 6 January 2026 Next review due: 6 January 2029