cold formula

Is it okay to give a newborn cold formula or refrigerated breast milk?
This grandmother would like to know.

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

The recommendation is to breastfeed a newborn if possible, and otherwise to warm any type of feeding (lukewarm or body temperature) before giving it to a newborn.  Breastfeeding is beneficial to both the infant and the mother, and warming of any other type of feeding reduces the risk of cold stress to the baby.

Care must be taken, however, not to overheat the feeding, which obviously can also endanger the infant.