CAREFUL “NUKING” FOR BABY
Taking great care when “nuking”
the baby’s milk. This is Dr.
Steven Andrew Davis, Speaking of Health. Microwaved foods may heat up unevenly,
hiding pockets of foodstuff or liquid that can be scalding hot. While this can be problem enough for an
adult, the danger can be even greater for small children. There are reports in pediatric journals about
the hazards of heating infant formulas in a microwave oven. In one study,
researchers linked the problem in part to the fact that surface temperatures of
microwaveable containers can be much cooler than that of the foods inside. For example, a small amount of formula
reheated in the bottle in a microwave oven might produce a surface temperature
at the top of the bottle of on 91 degrees Fahrenheit, while the temperature of
the formula itself could be 50 degrees higher, easily hot enough to scald a
child.
One infant, in fact, suffered severe burns of the throat after drinking a
formula heated in one.
Learning exactly how to heat fluids in plastic or glass containers in a
microwave oven takes careful attention.
Set instructions for heating formulas in microwaves can be misleading
because even slight changes in the programming of temperatures can raise them
from warm to scalding.
On the one hand, microwave ovens bring convenience into our lives. But timers and sensors and gauges
notwithstanding, when it comes to babies’ formulas, checking and
rechecking that liquid on mom or dad’s wrist is both old-fashioned and
timely. Speaking of Health,
I’m Dr. Steven Andrew Davis for CBS News.
E-Mail
drdavis@davishealth.com
Dr. Steve Davis
7810 Louis Pasteur #200
210/614-3355
