From a public health standpoint, I'd agree that once that bottle has been in the baby's mouth, it's colonized by the baby's oral bacteria.  I'd suggest discarding anything actually left in the bottle after about one hour.  Yet this is such a typical pattern, to have the entree and then wait a little while for dessert.  

For this reason, like others, I suggest small amounts at a time for actual warming.  I surely can't predict how much a baby will take at one feed.  An ounce here, two ounces there, four the next time...<g>

However a compromise would be to have a container of thawed EBM _cold_ in the fridge.  Refill the nursing bottle from the clean bottle (just like you refill your glass from the milk container or jug, you don't drink directly from it).

I checked Lawrence, Riordan & Auerbach and the current BF Answering Book and all are silent on this issue.

Also as others said, warm, cold, cool, babies often don't care.

Judith

Judith A. Hayman, RN, BSc, BScN, IBCLC 
Public Health Nurse, Lactation Consultant 
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit 

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html