Once you find out you have a little one on the way, you should already start planning about the things you’re going to buy for your new baby. The baby is going to be a costly addition to the family so it would be great to purchase all your baby essentials little by little so you won’t be financially overwhelmed.
One of the things you would want to add to your baby arsenal is a baby bottle warmer. It’s interesting to note though that a lot of new parents go without it.
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Top 10 Best Baby Bottle Warmer for Breast Milk 2017
To make your work easier, here are the bottle warmers deemed the best for warming up breast milk:
1. The First Years Quick Serve Bottle Warmer
Features: This is a lightweight and compact baby bottle warmer that uses a warm bath to heat the milk up. It is made from phthalate, latex, PVC and BPA-free plastic construction and weighs only 1.4 pounds. It has an auto shut-off feature and offers a nice-sized receptacle to accommodate different sizes of baby bottles.
Pros: The price is great for budget moms. It’s really affordable and has quick heating features (heats bottles in under 5 minutes!). The auto shut-off feature ensures safety so if you forgot to unplug it, it wouldn’t be a big issue. It’s also very compact – fits just about anywhere and can be lugged around pretty easily.
Cons: Some complained about the inconsistency of its heating mechanism as the bottle gets too warm before the timer shuts off. Others suggested shaking the bottle halfway through the cycle to produce even heating.
>> See the last price of Quick Serve on Amazon
2. Dr. Brown’s Bottle Warmer
Features: It’s a quick-warming appliance made from plastic. The water receptacle fills up a lot of water, eliminating the constant need to refill it, thereby conserving time and energy. It has memory functions that allow users to save their preferred time. The LCD panel is user-friendly and has a sound alarm to alert you when the heating is done.
Pros: It has a nice, accessible price for one packed with so many features. It uses steam so it keeps the bottles safe and perfectly heated up all the time. It’s a no-brainer to use, what with the easy-to-press buttons found at the front of the machine. There’s also a count down (just like a microwave oven) so you know how much time is left. This will stop you from being agitated when dealing with a crying baby.
Cons: It might be a tad difficult to clean since you can’t get the base wet and it’s not a detachable part.
>> See the last price of Dr. Brown on Amazon
3. Tommee Tippee Travel Bottle
Features: This is a non-electrical bottle warmer with a plastic and stainless steel construction. It makes use of warm water stored in the stainless steel thermal flask. Pour the water in the plastic receptacle where it will heat up the milk bottle. It is BPA-free and has a compact and portable design.
Pros: This bottle warmer makes life so much easier for families on the go. The warm water retains its temperature in the thermal flask. It’s so easy and convenient to use, especially when you’re on the road. Even after hours, the water still remains warm. Parents can even use this at home, even when not travelling. It’s far more convenient to have it right next to the bed to reach out to when the baby needs warm milk.
Con: Some would want the set to be more compact as it can take some significant space in a regular bag.
>> See the last price of Tommee Tippee on Amazon
4. Philips Avent Bottle Warmer
Features: This bottle warmer boasts of a 3-minute heating time. Unlike microwave-warming, it produces even heating so there’s no worry of cold or warm spots. It also has a defrost setting, which is great for those freezing breast milk. It reduces the heating time and preserves nutrients in the breast milk. The whole machine is compact – no problem letting it sit on your counter top.
Pros: This bottle warmer is very affordable. What’s even better is that it has varied temperature settings so there’s no fear of going over the temperature limit ideal for heating up breast milk. Once the baby can eat solid food, it can still be used with its food heating feature. It also works fast – great if you have a crying baby to feeding. It’s also lightweight and easy to carry.
Cons: There’s a cooling time needed for the machine before it can be used again.
>> See the last price of Philips Avent on Amazon
5. Munchkin High Speed Bottle Warmer, White
Features: This is a gorgeous bottle warmer that uses steam technology to warm up milk bottles with ease. It promises as fast as 90 seconds heating time. It comes with a measuring cup for more accurate water refilling. There’s also an auto shut-off feature to ease up the worries of bedraggled parents. An adapter ring is included for heating up baby food.
Pros: Because it uses steam technology, much of the nutrients in breast milk are preserved. It works fast – easily one of the fastest bottle warmers out there. It also doesn’t require tedious clean-up. The receptacle for the bottle is fairly large to accommodate a larger-sized milk bottle. It also doesn’t take a genius to operate this machine – the controls are very easy to use.
Cons: This one also needs a cooling time after using the machine. It can be a downside if milk hasn’t sufficiently warmed up or you need another bottle to warm up.
>> See the last price of Munchkin on Amazon
6. Kiinde Kozii Breastmilk and Bottle Warmer
Features: This plastic milk bottle warmer can accommodate different sizes of milk bottles and even baby food jars. It has complied with CDC and USDA safety standards, for better and safer heating up for breast milk. It boasts of SAFEHeatTM technology, which is a technology that uses a water bath to heat up the milk without compromising the nutrients in breast milk.
Pros: If you’re using different storage materials for your breast milk such as glass bottles, or plastic bags, you can heat them up easily with this machine. It heats up evenly without damaging the nutritional value of the milk. It has an auto shut-off feature that really sets the mind at ease. Over-all, it’s one of the most reliable when it comes to ensuring that the nutrients in breast milk remain intact.
Cons: It’s more expensive than your standard bottle warmer. In comparison, the heating time is also longer than others.
>> See the last price of Kiinde on Amazon
7. The First Years Night Cravings
Features: This machine has an interesting design where the bottle warmer is attached to a cooler. The cooler is removable and can accommodate 2 bottles. It keeps the contents cool overnight, which is great if you need to preserve breast milk without freezing it. The warmer has a nice size that can work with a variety of sizes of bottles. It can also be used to sterilize pacifiers.
Pros: If you don’t want to step out of your nursery every now and then to get milk and then warm it, this is the best machine to get. The cooler is very convenient for fresh breast milk. It can store enough breast milk for hours so there’s no need to go on frequent trips to the refrigerator. The warmer also heats up bottles quickly.
Cons: Some just had a hard time figuring out how much water is needed to heat up the bottles.
>> See the last price of Night Cravings on Amazon
8. Born Free Tru-Temp Bottle Warming System
Features: This square-shaped bottler warmer can calculate the warming time depending on the size of the bottle. This eliminates guesswork so you get evenly warmed up bottles all the time. A small 5-ounce bottle can be heated up in about three minutes while a bigger one can take up to six minutes. It is compatible with most branded baby bottles such as Avent, Medela, Chicco Tommee Tippee and Dr. Brown’s, to name a few.
Pros: The fact that it eliminates guesswork makes this machine such a winner. It has the ability to calculate warming time so you don’t have to worry about overheating or underheating the baby bottles. The water receptacle only needs to be filled up once and doesn’t even need pre-measuring as the machine already calculates the amount needed for you. It looks great too!
Cons: It doesn’t come with an audible alarm so you have to check on it if it’s already done.
>> See the last price of Tru-Temp on Amazon
9. Boon Orb Bottle Warmer, Green
Features: This unique, very compact machine has a circular shape. Although compact, it actually fits different sizes and types of bottles. It can also accommodate baby food jars. It uses steam technology to warm up milk. The machine has simple, no-fuss features and an auto shut-off feature for added safety.
Pros: This inexpensive bottle warmer does a great job warming up one bottle at a time. The compact design eliminates the need for a big counter space. You can even place this in your nursery or take it with you when traveling. Warming up bottles can take less than 5 minutes. The price is also a winning feature! It has the same features as a bottle warmer with a higher price tag.
Cons: Some had issues with the green top getting stuck in the bottle. Also, it requires some cooling time before you can heat up another bottle.
>> See the last price of Boon Orb on Amazon
10. Philips Avent Express Food and Bottle Warmer
Features: This warmer ensures no hot spots for the bottles – only even heating. The design is classic and standard to accommodate different types and sizes of bottles. It can also fit toddler cups. 4 ounces of milk can be heated up in just four minutes. There is an indicator light to alert you once the heating time is done.
Pros: This really does a great job in evenly heating up milk bottles – no hotspots just like what it promised. It also works for glass bottles. It’s also easy to take the bottle out to test the temperature of the milk and then put it back in the receptacle when it needs more heating time.
Cons: It doesn’t have a temperature regulating or controlling feature so you have to manually check it if it’s getting too hot. That means standing by the bottle warmer to make sure it doesn’t overheat your milk bottles.
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Conclusion
There’s so much to love about the Boon Orb Bottle Warmer. It’s very cute and modern and has a compact feature. The price is also right on the budget and has straightforward, reliable features that you will love.
Kiinde Kozii Breastmilk and Bottle Warmer is great for those moms conscious about the nutritional value of their breast milk. It preserves those essential nutrients due to its reliable heating feature.
It’s also a great idea for moms to have the Tommee Tippee Travel Bottle and Food Warmer on hand. It’s wonderful to have not only for travels but also for home use. Just in case there are electricity outages and you can’t use your electric warmer, you can simply heat up water and store it in the thermal flask and use it as a regular bottle warmer.
All the others are great for the money too. You just have to know your budget range and the features you’d want to shell out money for. If you’re willing to splurge more, one packed with more safety features would be a greater buy.
Warm Milk versus Cold Milk for Babies
There’s actually an age-old debate about whether or not warm milk is better for babies or cold milk. Older generations are used to giving warm milk to their babies but newer moms find it more convenient to give cold milk (sometimes even straight from the fridge!), especially if their baby doesn’t mind it.
A lot of babies don’t care about the temperature of the milk because they’re force to down whatever parents offer them. Many would drink a cold formula or straight from the fridge breast milk. However, it’s still better to take the chill off of baby milk that came straight from the fridge.
During the first few months of a baby’s life, their body is still adjusting to temperature. Because of that, babies usually have a difficult time regulating body temperature. Milk that came straight from the fridge might chill their stomach and potentially cause digestive issues.
Also, warm milk mimics the temperature of milk that comes straight out of your breasts. Giving warm milk will ease up your baby and give him or her the feeling of feeding from your breasts.
What to Look for in Baby Bottle Warmers
Before scouring the market for the best baby bottle warmers, you should first find out what your options are. Identify your and your baby’s needs so you can choose the one most suitable.
Safety. This should be the first thing you should look for. What technology is being used to warm the bottles up? Is it steam or using a water bath? You would also want to find out how high the temperature for bottle warming can go. If it goes way over 199 degrees Fahrenheit, consider something else as this temperature can be unsafe, especially when heating up breast milk.
Speed. When your baby is already screaming in hunger, the last thing you’d want to do is making him or her wait for her bottle. See to it that the baby bottle warmer does a speedy job in warming milk up. It should also be easy and a no-brainer to operate so your sleep-befuddled mind won’t have to struggle hard.
Cleaning. Of course, you’d want something that is easy to maintain and clean.
How to Warm Breast Milk
Refrigerated or frosted breast milk needs to be warmed right for a baby to drink it. It’s advisable to warm breast milk first. Warming can be easily done but it’s also very important to take precautions to ensure that the breast milk doesn’t become very hot for the baby or lose its beneficial properties in the process of warming.
Method 1: Refrigerator Defrosting
- Place the breast milk container in the refrigerator. Transfer it from the freezer to the fridge. Make sure that you thaw the frozen breast milk before it becomes bad.
- Let thaw overnight. At least 8 hours is enough for it to completely defrost. Check if it’s fully defrosted by opening the container and stir the milk with a spoon. If there are still frozen chunks, let it thaw for another 2 hours by placing it in lukewarm water.
- Store up to 5 days. It’s best if thawed breast milk is used instantly but it’s safer for the baby to take it if it’s stored in the ref for five days.
- Don’t re-freeze. Re-freezing can cause the lipids in the breast milk to be damaged, and it can spoil.
Method 2: Running Water
- Place frozen breast milk under cool running water. Water should be a little cooler than the room temperature. The use of cool water is recommended at this stage because it can bring the breast milk temperature up gradually. Use cool water only when you know that the milk has thawed.
- Gradually increase running water temperature. Do this after the breast milk is thawed. Increase the temperature to warm then warm to hot slowly to destroy few enzymes in the breast milk and for even heating. Stop it when water steaming begins.
- Warm chilled breast milk under warm water. If the milk was thawed in the ref or actually stored in the ref, skip the use of cool water and directly place the container under warm water.
- Swirl the milk around. Ensure that the milk is warmed evenly by swirling the bottle.
Method 3: Warm Water Bath
- Heat a pot of water. Fill the pot halfway and heat over medium heat. Pull the pot off the stove before the water simmers or before it boils.
- Place the milk in hot water. You can let the bottle sit in the pot or swirl it around the hot water.
- Make sure that there’s even temperature. Swirl the container to even out temperature.
Method 4: Bottle Warmers
- Read instructions. It’s essential to read instructions thoroughly before using bottle warmers.
- Note if warmer uses steam or bath. Some bottle warmers warm bottles in the hot water bath but most of them use steam.
- Fill the water reservoir. Fill tap water up to the reservoir until it reaches the fill line of the bottle warmer.
- Put the bottle inside. Make sure that the breast milk bottle is secured before inserting it into the bottle warmer compartment.
- Set control dial and warm the breast milk. Follow instructions to know how high or low the temperature dial should be set, if there’s a dial. Press “start” and wait for it to click off.
You can choose to follow either of the methods above that best suit the situation to warm breast milk effectively. All methods are proven to warm breast milk easily and are used by breastfeeding mothers today. Breast milk is always the best for babies. But if the breast milk is refrigerated, of course, it needs to be warmed to make it more appetizing to the baby. Warming breast milk full preserves its nutritional properties which are very essential for the nutrition of babies.
