A bottle warmer is an important appliance to have for your baby’s meals. At first, you’ll use this appliance to warm up milk. After weaning, a bottle warmer can also be used to warm up baby food.
Today’s market offers a bountiful range of bottle warmers, but how to choose the best one? Read on to find it out or, if you’re in hurry, click on the links below to check out our selection.
Bottle warmers come in a range of models and designs. Some are compatible with specific baby bottles and baby food jars. Others are universal and can accommodate all types of bottles and food containers. When choosing your appliance, think about convenience.
Will you use only a specific type of bottle and only a certain type of jars? A warmer compatible exclusively with these items may be perfect. But if you’d like some more flexibility, go for a universal appliance.
Then, there are other things to consider. Here’s what to have in mind while roaming the market.
Types Of Bottle Warmers
Bottle warmers can be categorized based on its model. There are three different types of bottle warmers.
Hot Water Bottle Warmer
Ideal to use outside because it doesn’t require electricity, this type of bottle warmer uses hot water to warm up milk. The principle is simple. Boil some water and pour it into the warmer’s thermal container. The warmer can keep the water hot for about six hours.
When it’s time to warm up the bottle, just fill the second container with hot water, pouring it from the thermal container, place the bottle into the warmer and close the cover to prevent heat dissipation.
Wait for about 10 minutes until the milk or baby food is warm enough for your baby.
Although this is the simplest bottle warmer, it is hard to have temperature control with this thing. Yet, it provides an awesome solution for those moments when you have to warm up a bottle and there’s no electricity around.
Electric Bottle Warmer
This small appliance uses electricity to power a heating element which transfers heat to the bottle. It is ideal for home use and comes in all shapes and sizes. Some electric warmers also have a separate water container and double as a hot water warmer.
This type of appliance has a simple operation. Just pour water into the warmer, switch the knob or set the parameters, and wait for it to do the rest. Most electric warmers have an adjustable temperature setting and more often than not, an acoustic signal will let you know when the bottle has reached the desired temperature.
Some advanced models boast supplementary functions and may double as a sterilizer.
Travel Bottle Warmer
The travel bottle warmer is similar to the electric appliances designed for home use and it is powered by electricity. The difference is that a travel bottle warmer has a car plug and is intended to use on-the-go.
Some travel warmers come with a dual plug which allows you to connect the appliance either to the car’s outlet or to a traditional wall socket. This is particularly useful on vacation, as you’ll be able to use the same compact bottle warmer both on the road and in your hotel room.
These models may even cut down the costs of a traditional bottle warmer if you feel comfortable in using a simpler product.
How To Warm A Baby Bottle
Typical Functions Of A Bottle Warmer
From thermic preservers to true appliances, bottle warmers come in a range of shapes and sizes. Because most moms look for electric appliances, this guide focuses on them.
What makes the difference between good and stellar? The functions. Bottle warmers are pretty simple appliances but some functions can make your life easier. Here’s what to look for.
Temperature Settings
Simple versions of bottle warmers come with an on/off button or knob and no temperature settings. Yet, having some control over the temperature is great. You can choose to heat the milk at variable temps, according to the preference of your child. And you’ll even be able to use the warmer to heat baby food.
Defrost Setting
Thawing breast milk is usually a lengthy process but a bottle warmer with defrost setting can speed things up. This will save you the hassle to heat the milk in a steamer or slowly in the fridge. The best part? It’s safe. The bottle warmer will defrost and heat the liquid evenly, unlike a microwave.
Quantity Selection
This is one of the newest perks that allow you to optimize heating by selecting the quantity of milk you want to heat. If the model is predisposed to heat baby food too, this function usually includes several selections for liquids and semi-solids.
How To Choose A Bottle Warmer?
Besides the functions above, there are other features you should consider before buying. Type is one of them, and by now you have probably decided what warmer you’d like. If it’s an electric appliance, here are a few other things to consider.
- Timer: a programmable timer allows you to set a time when to have the milk ready. The intervals vary between 15 and 60 minutes.
- Automatic turn off: to optimize your energy consumption but also to avoid damaging the warmer, an auto turn-off function will shut down the appliance should you forget to turn it off after use.
- Keep warm: another nice feature is the Keep Warm, a feature that allows you to keep the milk or baby food warm for a period of time up to an hour. This function is nice to have because you’ll be able to heat the milk while the baby is sleeping and have it ready at serving temperature whenever needed.
- Acoustic or visual signal: an acoustic signal or warning light notifying you the bottle has reached its optimal temperature is another nice thing to have, especially when you’re tired or distracted.
- Display: the newest models come with a small LCD display that indicated the temperature that has been reached, the heating status and other useful information. The display is not essential, but we like it.
1. Philips AVENT Bottle Warmer
Philips AVENT is synonymous with high-quality infancy products and impresses new parents with a wide range of baby gear including bottles, food processors, and an outstanding bottle warmer. This product features a simple design and is tiny enough to fit on a nightstand. A compact dimension, however, doesn’t mean lack of versatility. Operating the unit is easy from an intuitive knob, and you’ll be able to select whether you want to warm a bottle or a food jar or to thaw frozen milk. Philips AVENT bottle warmer is designed to heat 4 ounces of milk in 3 minutes and it has an opening diameter of 78mm. It accommodates the entire range of Philips AVENT baby bottles, most other bottles and a wide selection of baby food jars. A visual signal will let you know when the warming cycle is complete. This is ideal if you want to use the warmer in the bedroom when the baby is sleeping.
Philips AVENT is synonymous with high-quality infancy products and impresses new parents with a wide range of baby gear including bottles, food processors, and an outstanding bottle warmer. This product features a simple design and is tiny enough to fit on a nightstand.
A compact dimension, however, doesn’t mean lack of versatility. Operating the unit is easy from an intuitive knob, and you’ll be able to select whether you want to warm a bottle or a food jar or to thaw frozen milk.
Philips AVENT bottle warmer is designed to heat 4 ounces of milk in 3 minutes and it has an opening diameter of 78mm. It accommodates the entire range of Philips AVENT baby bottles, most other bottles and a wide selection of baby food jars.
A visual signal will let you know when the warming cycle is complete. This is ideal if you want to use the warmer in the bedroom when the baby is sleeping.
Things We Liked
- Compact: this bottle warmer is designed to seamlessly fit on a nightstand and it is silent enough to use in the nursery or bedroom.
- Easy to use: using the Philips AVENT bottle warmer is very easy. Just fill the appliance with water, turn the knob and you’re all set.
- Even heating: the warmer is designed to stir the milk during warming, avoiding hot spots and ensuring an even warming of the liquid.
- Compatibility: designed for the AVENT baby bottles, this warmer works wonders with most baby bottles and baby food jars.
Things We Didn’t Like
- The warmer doesn’t have a temperature setting. It does come with a temperature reference table, though.
2. Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Baby Bottle Warmer
Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Baby Bottle Warmer is an alternative to the Philips AVENT and features interesting functions designed to make bottle warming easy at any time of the day or night. The appliance is simple and straightforward. It has an intuitive control panel and an easy-to-use LCD display. The control panel features an easy-touch key-pad that allows you to set the warming time, while a one-button start function allows you to turn on the warmer whenever you want. The Deluxe bottle warmer uses hot steam to warm up milk. All you have to do is to fill the reservoir with water and turn the unit on. The large capacity reservoir is thought for peace of mind and the unit will effectively heat several bottles before water refilling is necessary. Other perks include an auto shut-off function and audio and visual alerts that let you know when the warming cycle is complete.
Things We Liked
- Compatibility: this bottle warmer is designed to accommodate bottles of various sizes and comes with an adjustable basket. It also accommodates a selection of baby jars.
- Intuitive controls: the warmer comes with intuitive controls, an easy-to-use keypad and a one-button start function.
- Alerts: ideal to use even when you’re distracted or tired, the warmer provides visual and audio alerts to warn you when the cycle is complete.
- BPA-free: the appliance is designed with safety in mind and all plastic parts are BPA-free.
Things We Didn’t Like
- The warmer is very hard to clean due to its shape.
3. Kiinde Kozii Bottle Warmer
Another bottle warmer that convinced us is the Kiinde Kozii, a simple yet exceptional appliance designed to warm bottles, baby food jars, and more. The unit is safe and easy to use, creating a flowing of warm water that thaws and warms milk quickly and easily. This appliance is built in accordance with all CDC and USDA guidance, keeping breast milk, formula, and baby food safe throughout the heating process.Two things that counter-distinguish the warmer is the long-lasting reservoir and the universal warming chamber.
The reservoir holds enough water for several uses. This means you won’t have to worry about adding water during or before use, which is awesome. The universal warming chamber accommodates a wide range of bottles, jars, and storage bags.
Things We Liked
- Timer: the unit boasts a simple and intuitive timer and a simple interface that lets you know when a meal is ready.
- Auto shut-off: as soon as the warming cycle is complete, the unit turns itself off and removes the heat source from the bottle to prevent overheating.
- Universal: this warmer is designed to accommodate baby bottles, jars, and storage bags. It can thaw and warm breast milk or baby food.
- Safe: the unit complies with all CDC and USDA guidance rules and is safe and easy to use. The low temperature heats slower but preserves precious nutrients.
Things We Didn’t Like
- This appliance doesn’t have a long lifespan.
4. The First Years Quick Serve Bottle Warmer
The First Years proposes a simple and inexpensive bottle warmer ideal for parents looking for an affordable yet quality appliance. Ideated to heat up breast milk, formula, and baby food jars in minutes, the product functions in a way similar to the units above.
The bottle warmer transfers heat from hot water to the bottle and can accommodate bottles of all sizes. It is compatible with most manufacturers and it is made of BPA-free plastic.
To make things simple, the appliance comes with a water measuring vial, a basket insert for baby food jars and a basket lid that keeps pacifiers and nipples inside the basket for sterilization purposes. An extra-large light goes off when the heating is over, providing a visual warning.
Another feature we like is the auto shut-off function that is ideal in the first months. Compact and appealing, the warmer also boasts an attractive design that looks awesome in the kitchen, in the bedroom, or in the nursery.
Things We Liked
- Double function: this bottle warmer doubles as a sanitizer for pacifiers and bottle nipples. Ideal to use to sterilize small items.
- BPA-free: the bottle warmer is made of BPA-free plastic and is safe to use for baby bottles and food jars.
- Compatibility: designed to be compatible with all bottle brands, the unit accommodates wide, narrow, angled, and disposable bottles.
- Auto shut-off: besides the visual warning, the appliance also has a comfortable auto shut-off function.
Things We Didn’t Like
- This bottle warmer doesn’t have a thawing function and it only heats room temperature or refrigerated milk, formula, or baby food.
5. Baby Bottle Warmer & Bottle Sterilizer
Sometimes buying on a budget means spending more for a multifunctional product to use from birth to childhood. A good example of such a product is the Baby Bottle Warmer and Bottle Sterilizer by Babebay.
This two-in-one product is a multifunctional bottle warmer ideal to warm up breast milk or baby formula and baby food. Heating apart, the product also acts as a bottle sterilizer but can be used for a bunch of other purposes, from steaming eggs to thawing breast milk.
At a first glance, this bottle warmer may seem more expensive compared to other products on the market. However, the positive customer feedback and our user experienced convinced us of its quality. And in the end, having two products in one will save you money.
The feature we like best is the adjustable temperature which varies from 98.6 to 194°F and adjusts one degree at a time.
Things We Liked
- Two-in-one: a bottle warmer and sterilizer, this appliance delivers exceptional value for the money.
- Easy to control: the unit has a simple control panel with buttons which allow you to choose the desired function from the four possibilities.
- Adjustable temperature: a feature most bottle warmers lack is the adjustable temperature. Setting the temperature on this unit is easy, by turning a knob.
- Capacity: the appliance has a capacity of two bottles and is ideal for twins or for infant and toddler.
Things We Didn’t Like
- The warmer is a bit slower than the competition and it has no acoustic or visual signals.
Conclusion & Final Pick
There are many bottle warmers to choose from but our favorite is the Philips AVENT. Not only this brand represents a guarantee, but the unit comes at an affordable price, is compact and heats up milk or formula in a breeze.
The large bottle holder accommodates nearly all brands of baby bottles and food jars. The visual signal won’t wake up the baby if you decide to use the appliance in the bedroom and the compact design makes it easy to place it on a nightstand or nursery table.
By shaking the bottle, the appliance causes the liquid to stir and that’s another great feature as it ensures an even warming. Lastly, the unit is very easy to control thanks to the large knob. Undoubtedly, a bottle warmer to consider for your nursery.
