The 10 Best Bottle Warmer for Breast Milk
Are you on a hunt for a bottle warmer that makes feeding time more convenient and preserves the nutrients in breast milk? Read on to learn why you need a bottle warmer for breast milk, features to look for and the best bottle warmer for breast milk.
Is it ever happen to you that you forgot defrosting your frozen breast milk for next feed at night and woke up with adorably impatient, screaming baby?
You know… what I mean…
At this point, you will realize how important it is to have bottle warmer that defrost and warm milk with push of a button.
When I checked off best baby bottle for breastfed baby from my third trimester checklist, my friend -with whom I was shopping -suggested me to buy a bottle warmer.
I laughed at her… literally… and told her that it is a luxury item and I don’t need it.
3 months later.. When i introduce a bottle to my baby and learned how to bottle feed, i was asking her about the best bottle warmer for breast milk !!!!
No matter however you have chosen to feed your baby, when baby is hungry and crying, all you care about is warming milk quickly. For that, let one of the best bottles warmers for breast milk has to offer help you manage your time little better.
Here, in this guide we will cover the best bottle warmers for breast milk that will not only help you offer perfect temperature breast milk to your baby-that is not too-cold or hot, but will save you loads of time preparing bottle.
Do I really need a Bottle Warmer?
First time mothers tend to go overboard with unnecessary baby items, that they never end up using. So, when you are checking off your third trimester pregnancy checklist, make sure you know what is “life saver” and what is “complete waste of money”.
Bottle warmer falls in to “life saver” category because it makes feeding time easier in so many ways. For example,
- Quickly warms breast milk (every seconds count)
- Helps you avoid scalding your baby’s tongue
- Or offering too-cold milk
- Bottle warmers can warm food too
- Bottle warmers can also alert you when milk or food is ready
Investing in a bottle warmer really depends on you and your situation. If you are exclusively breastfeeding or using formula, you do not need a bottle warmer. If you have twins than having bottle warmer saves you lots of time of preparing bottles.
Also, if you are planning to travel with a baby than there are technologically advanced bottle warmers that are wireless and few models that you can use in car as well.
Cost is also a factor. With the amount of money, you might be better off warming bottle under warm tap water. However, if you want consistent breast milk temperature for your baby every day than you need a bottle warmer.
Another good reason why use a bottle warmer is that breast milk should not be warmed using microwave for following reasons (Source), in case you don’t know already.
- Breast milk heats unevenly in microwave causing hot spot in breast milk, that could scald baby’s tongue.
- Microwaving at high temperature can destroy its nutritional and immunological properties.
So, decision of getting bottle warmer is about safety, mere convenience, frequency of use and consistency.
So, now that you have decided to buy a bottle warmer, let me help you pick a good bottle warmer.
What Should I Look for in a Bottle Warmer?
Before you go and hunt for a bottle warmer, you should first find out what your options are and what is your and your baby’s need. Here are some things to look for in your bottle warmer.
Types of bottle warmers:
- Steam vs Hot water bottle warmer: Bottle warmers are designed to warm breast milk either using steam or a bath of hot water. Major difference between both types is that steam is faster to warm the milk, whereas water bath is more gentle and warms milk evenly but takes longer time to warm milk than steam do.
- Electric vs Non-Electric bottle warmer: Electric bottle warmers are counter top plug-in device like any other appliance in your kitchen. While non-electric bottle warmer are battery operated or insulated bags or plug directly into the car via an adapter, designed to use on the go. Downside to bottle warmer that use insulation to warm milk is that milk need to be warmed beforehand.
- Multipurpose (Bottle and Food Warmers)
Some models are designed not only to warm breast milk but also baby food jars when your baby is old enough to start solids. They come with removable tray or basket.
Some warmers also have bottle cooler or capacity to warm two bottle simultaneously.
Now look at the things to consider when buying a bottle warmer.
Safety:
This is the first thing to consider. Is it safe to handle? Because most of the time you will be carrying your baby in your arm while preparing a bottle for your baby. Also, is it safe for breast milk? You also need to find out if you can control the temperature to avoid the over-heating of breast milk.
Speed:
It should be quick and user-friendly. When your baby is hungry and screaming, you do not have 10 min to program it and wait until milk is warmed.
Cleaning:
You should also consider buying something that is easy to maintain and clean.
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The 10 Best Bottle warmer for Breast Milk 2020
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1. Dr. Brown’s Bottle Warmer
Life is easy when you have bottle warmer that takes care of some of the things that you are supposed to take care of. This bottle warmer alerts (audio and visual) you when the milk is ready, so you don’t have to check on it while you are consoling your screaming baby. Another unique feature is, it can remember your temperature setting to your liking, so you don’t have to set it every day.
How it works:
Dr. Brown’s bottle warmer uses electric steam heat to warm baby bottles and food jars. It requires filling up water reservoir on the side, that too, after warming several bottles.
Ease of use:
It has easy to operate and clear LCD panel that displays your settings. One-button start function is very useful for parents who are not tech savvy. It has an auto shut off power saving mode that kicks in after 8 minutes.
This warmer’s basket accommodates a variety of bottle sizes.
Weight: 2lb
Dimensions: 5.5” x 7.9” x 9.6”
Time it takes to warm breast milk:
5oz bottle from the refrigerator – About 3.5 minutes
Frozen breast milk – About 6 minutes
9oz bottle from the refrigerator- About 6 minutes
Also, there is a list on the back of the warmer for a guide on how long milk/food take to heat.
Cleaning:
The smooth exterior of Dr. brown’s bottle warmer make it easy to clean. The water reservoir needs to be cleaned regularly to avoid mold build up. You can clean it with vinegar solution to keep it hygienic.
How to Use Dr. Brown’s Bottle Warmer:
You should read the instructions on how to use this bottle warmer carefully. Let’s look at the operating instructions for this model
Pros:
-
- Auto shut off function
- One touch start function
- Any standard bottle can fit in warmer’s compartment
Cons:
-
- Mom-like bottles (wide) are too wide to fit
- Water reservoir opening is too small to fill water in.
- Plastic on the warmed bottle gets hot to remove from the warmer.
2. Kiinde Kozii Baby Bottle Warmer
With this warmer, you can warm anything in any bottle of your choice whether it is glass, metal, plastic or food bag. You can get a maximum use of it into toddler years when you introduce solids to your baby. Also, this unit is versatile enough to pop in frozen breast milk bags straight from the freezer, so you do not need to defrost frozen milk overnight.
Kiinde Kozii bottle warmer is not the most automated warmer in this list because you need to set the timer to warm the milk or food each time, but it gives you alarm when set timer is over.
How it Works:
This bottle warmer uses a warm water bath to gently heat breast milk, formula and food instead of using steam.
Unique feature about this model is that water never reaches a dangerous temperature because it uses a low temperature warming process called SAFEHeat technology. This technology helps avoid hot spots and keeps nutrients inside your baby’s milk intact.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
You need to determine how hot you want the bottle by setting the timer. Once you test it out with the bottle type you use, its easy to set the timer for next session. Usually 4oz bottle takes 4 min to warm.
Ease of Use:
Unlike other model, you do not need to measure exact amount of each time and water stays in the reservoir for next use. Also, SAFEheat technology makes it safe product if you have older kids around the house.
Weight: 1.85lb
Dimensions: 5.2” x 7.4” x 7.4”
Cleaning:
It needs cleaning up at regular interval because of the water reservoir. It can get moldy if not maintained. You can use soap, vinegar or diluted bleach.
How to Use Kiinde Kozii Bottle Warmer:
You should read the instructions on how to use this bottle warmer carefully. Let’s look at the operating instructions for this model
Pros:
-
- Can be used with glass, metal, steel, plastic bottle
- It follows CDC and USDA guideline to safely thaw and warm milk.
- Do not need to measure water for every use
Cons:
-
- Expensive
- Not designed as portable device
- No memory function. Need to set timer at each use.
- No keep warm function.
3. Philips Avent fast Bottle and Food Warmer
This affordable warmer is a safe and easy way to make mealtime ready in three minutes. It is the most compact warmer in this list, makes it suitable for bedside table for nighttime feeding. Plus it will work on most sizes and shape of the bottles.
Unique feature of this model is that it warms liquid evenly to avoid hot spots or scalding the milk by circulating the water and milk continuously as it warms. Also, comes with a separate defrosting setting for frozen milk.
How it Works:
These warmer uses water bath to warm the food and liquids. It warms evenly by circulating milk and water continuously making sure that there are no hot spot in milk unlike microwave.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
5oz bottle from the refrigerator – About 4.5 minutes
Frozen breast milk – About 6 minutes
9oz bottle from the refrigerator- About 7.5 minutes
Also, there is a comprehensive available to guide on how long milk/food take to heat. If you are in rush to warm the bottle or defrost frozen milk, you can use the highest temperature setting.
Ease of Use:
It requires adding water and turning timer on each time you warm liquid or food. Although it does not have an audio alarm to alert you when timer is done, but a light blinks to indicate that the contents are properly warmed to a safe temperature.
Weight: 1.55lb
Dimensions: 5.8” x 6.3” x 5.5”
Cleaning:
It requires dumping water out of unit after each use and also requires monthly cleaning with vinegar to descale the warmer.
How to Use Philips Avent Bottle Warmer:
You should read the instructions on how to use this bottle warmer carefully. Let’s look at the operating instructions for this model
Pros:
-
- Affordable
- Compact design suitable for bedside table
- No hot spot in milk
- Very lightweight
Cons:
-
- Require feeling up water at each use
- No timer
- No auto off feature
4. Tommee Tippee Portable Travel Baby Bottle Warmer
This model allows you to warm baby bottle on the go. If you are frequent traveler, you do not need to stop at each gas station to warm baby bottle.
This unit, made of thermos flask -to keep water warm for several hours- and reservoir- to warm the bottle, can do the job on the go. It’s all about convenience!!
How it Works:
It uses water bath to warm the bottle for the baby. The thermos keeps the water warm for long time All you need to do is pour warm water in plastic reservoir provided and pop the bottle in to warm even 4 hours after you left your house.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
The thermos seriously keeps water warm for long time. So, you can warm bottle for your baby under 5 minutes.
Ease of Use:
Made of easy to handle two parts- thermos flask and white container. You need to fill the thermos with hot water when you leave your house.
The plastic is BPA free, and the lid fastens securely so that you do not need to worry about any water spills while trying to warm your baby’s milk.
Weight: 0.75lb
Dimensions: 2.8” x 11.4” x 13.2”
Cleaning:
You just need to clean thermos and white container, no small parts. Super easy!!
How to Use Philips Avent Bottle Warmer:
You should read the instructions on how to use this bottle warmer carefully. Let’s look at the operating instructions for this model
Pros:
-
- Affordable
- It can be used with bottles of any shapes and sizes
- Easy to use
- Portable unit can fit easily in a diaper bag
Cons:
-
- It doesn’t work best for frozen milk.
- It doesn’t fit into the car cup holders.
- Working with hot water carries risks.
5. Boon Orb Bottle Warmer:
This is the best modern and fun bottle warmer in the market perfect suitable for an ultra modern kitchen. If you don’t mind accurately measuring water level to heat up the bottle, then warmed bottle is ready with a press of green button.
How it Works:
This unit uses steam inside its sphere to warm milk in the bottles and baby food jars. It automatically shuts off when food or liquids are warmed.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
2 Ounce of milk from refrigerator – about 3 minutes
4 Ounce of milk from room temperature- about 90 seconds
Ease of Use:
It is tedious not fun to have to measure water level accurately when you have a crying baby in your arm, but once it is done, bottle will be warmed with a touch of green button. It will auto shutoff when warming cycle is done but there is no audio alert to notify you.
You will get a measuring graduated tube to measure water and separate basket with the unit to warm food jars.
Weight:1.54 lbs
Dimensions: 6.2” x 6.2” x 5.5”
Cleaning:
Simply rinse it with vinegar water and pour it out. You can also heat up the solution to remove any scale build up.
How to Use Boon Orb Bottle Warmer:
You should read the instructions on how to use this bottle warmer carefully. Let’s look at the operating instructions for this model
Pros:
-
- Modern, sleek look uses less counter space
- Auto shut off
- The non-skid base
Cons:
-
- No audible alert
- Can not be used with glass bottle
- Comotomo bottles do not fit in the unit
6. Munchkin High Speed Bottle Warmer
This extremely powerful unit is the fastest in this list promises to warm your bottles in just 90 seconds. We also like its compact design weighs only 1.5 pounds making it easier to carry around if you ever need to.
This is also another unit in the list that requires measuring water accurately using included cup. But audio alarm and the auto shut off features makes it a great purchase.
How it Works:
This unit uses hot steam to warm milk and food. The Munchkin’s bottle warmer warms up fast because it is designed to keep heat around the bottle while warming instead of it escaping.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
This unit warms your baby’s milk bottle in just 90 seconds given that you add just the right amount of water using the included measuring cup based on the temperature and size of the bottle.
Ease of Use:
The clearly labeled measuring cup allows you to pour required amount of water in the warmer. Then place the basket with the bottle inside the warmer and press the orange button. However, a five-minute cool down period is necessary between warm-ups.
It fits most bottles sizes and shapes. The adapter ring included with the unit, helps to warm small container more effectively as it prevents steam from escaping from the sides.
Weight: 1.4lb
Dimensions: 5.5” x 6” x 6.5”
Cleaning:
You can clean it with soap and vinegar to remove build up from water.
How to Use Munchkin High Speed Bottle Warmer:
You should read the instructions on how to use this bottle warmer carefully. Let’s look at the operating instructions for this model
Pros:
-
- Fastest among other units on the list.
- Auto shuts off feature with a beep and a flash.
- Comes with a lifting basket to avoid burning while lifting warm bottle.
Cons:
-
- The high heat can damage more delicate bottles or glass.
- Many parents complain that the steam is just too hot and chars the milk.
- It needs a little trial and error to find the right amount of water for your bottles.
7. The First Years Quick Serve Bottle Warmer
This convenient 2 in 1 design allows you to not only warm bottles in few minutes, but also allows you to sterilize pacifiers with heated water. Isn’t it amazing!!
This unit works with any kind of bottle – wide mouth, narrow, angled and even disposable bottle – and warms up breast milk, formula or baby food jar in no time.
Also, compact design does not take much of your counter space and easy to carry it around with you on tips.
How it Works:
This unit uses steam to warm up any food or liquids. The warmer comes with an attached measuring vial to measure water for each warm up.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
It can take 2-5 minutes depending on size and temperature of the food and liquids. It takes 3 minutes to warm up 125 ml in medela bottle.
Ease of Use:
It requires you too measure water to your need each time when warming up. Once this is done, all you have to do is place bottle in the unit and press a button.
This unit allows you to fill the water vial to your required level and stored in the front of the unit in advance making it easy for middle of the night feed.
The unit comes with a basket so you can sterilize more than one pacifier at a time. The auto shut off feature covers you when you are busy consoling your fussy baby.
Weight: 1.43lb
Dimensions: 8” x 5” x 5”
Cleaning:
Cleaning with soap and vinegar is recommended to avoid build-ups.
Pros:
-
- Affordable
- Auto shut off feature
- Comes with basket to sterilize pacifier
- Good with any sizes and shapes of the bottle
Cons:
-
- Need to measure exact amount of water each time
- It takes some trial and error to figure out how long to heat a bottle with this unit
- Inside of the unit is plastic, so some parents complained about melted plastic smell
8. Grownsy Fast Baby Bottle Warmer
If you are looking for an impressive and unique fast baby bottle warmer that keep bottle ready for a baby on demand, then you can easily go with Grownsy ‘s fast baby bottle warmer. This is the only unit in the list that caters to twins!!
The unique 6 in 1 design will not only sterilize your baby bottles but will also defrost and warm breast milk, heat formula, keep bottle warm and heat infant food that too with a reasonable price. Also, open adjustable cover is perfect for different sizes and shapes of the bottle.
This fast bottle warmer has smart built-in sensors for heat preservation mode to keeps the milk, water and food at desired temperature for 24 hours in order to fit your baby’s preference.
How it works:
This unit uses warm water bath to warm the milk and food. Baby food is warmed using water insulation and can also keep food warm for 6 hours. It uses steam to sterilize varieties of items such bottles, pacifiers, baby spoon, glass bottles, breast pump or baby accessories.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
This unit has fast heating technology to warm food or liquids in three minutes without any harm to milk. It also allows you to choose to fast warm or slow warm a bottle depending on your need.
Ease of Use:
This unit requires you to pour water up to the mark on a basket. Then put a bottle in and press your desired button. Surprisingly, everything can be done using one hand so you can carry your baby with you while warming the bottle.
This do-it-all machine has easy to read LCD on-screen and touch screen to read the real time temperature and adjust things accordingly.
In addition to this, the unit includes auto-shutoff so you do not need to worry about food overcooking.
Weight: 2.34lb
Dimensions: 6” x 6” x 0.4”
Cleaning:
Monthly cleaning with water and vinegar is recommended to descale the unit. To descale the unit efficiently, let the appliance operate for 10 min on milk warming setting with water and vinegar.
Pros:
-
- User Friendly and only need one hand to operate
- Buttons are easy to use, and digital display shows you how long the bottle has been heating up
- Fast heating technology and gives more accurate temperature
- Made from BPA-free material
Cons:
-
- The temperature is in Celsius not Fahrenheit
9. THE FIRST YEARS 4-IN-1 Remote Control Bottle Warmer
This baby bottle warmer is the only one in this list with a remote control!! A sleep-deprived parent’s dream !! Place your bottle in the warmer and preset the length of time before you head to bed. Not to worry, unit will keep it cool until baby’s ready for next feeding. When baby is ready, use remote to hit warm and sleep until its ready.
How it works:
This unit uses steam to warm the milk and food jars.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
The heating time is actually comparable to traditional warmers due to having a cover. It traps the steam inside the warming unit directly around the bottle. Because of that, the ice has little to no impact on heating times.
It takes between 3-5 min to warm refrigerated milk depending on the size and type of the bottle.
Ease of Use:
This Unit comes with a lift-out basket, water reservoir, cover, 2 ice packs, warming time reference drawer and remote. Has an LCD display that shows time remaining in the warming cycle.
Unique feature of this unit is that you can prefill water reservoir with water and unit will automatically dispense the appropriate amount of water needed for the set warming time.
Weight: 3.45lb
Dimensions: 5” x 11.9” x 12.6”
Cleaning:
You can simply wipe out surface and inside warming chamber with dump cloth. Regular cleaning of inside warming changer with water and vinegar is required to remove mineral deposits.
Also, water reservoir, lift-out basket and freezer bottle are dishwater top rack safe.
How to Use The First years Remote Control Bottle Warmer:
You should read the instructions on how to use this bottle warmer carefully. Let’s look at the operating instructions for this model
Pros:
-
- User friendly
- Consistent temp of milk
- You can remotely start warming cycle
- No need to measure water each time.
Cons:
-
- No alert at the end of warming cycle except that remote will indicate solid light when cycle is done.
- Unit comes with only one remote.
- Can’t buy additional ice packs.
10. Chicco NaturalFit Digital Baby Bottle Warmer
This simple, straight-forward bottle warmer is made to preserve the nutrient in milk with its multiple efficient warming option specifically for defrosting. The unique feature about this model in the list is that it has a timer delay option. You can set up the bottle and warmer well in advance and have your baby’s milk ready when she is ready.
How it Works:
This unit uses water bath technology to warm food and liquids.
Time it takes to Warm Breast Milk :
This model is somewhat slower compared to other models in the list. It takes about 6 minutes to warm 3oz of refrigerated milk. However, consistent warming temperature and safety makes it good choice for families.
Ease of Use:
This warmer is lightweight and compact easy to use at home or you can take it with you when out and about. It requires measuring recommended amount of water depending upon the amount and size of bottle each time.
Delay timer and auto shutoff features makes life easier for nighttime feeding.
Weight: 1.6lb
Dimensions: 5.5” x 5.5” x 6.8”
Cleaning:
Need to descale it with water and vinegar regularly for it to work efficiently.
Pros:
-
- Compact and lightweight -good for home and travel
- Compatible with variety of bottle sizes and shapes
- Auto-shutoff feature
Cons:
-
- Some mom complained about it being slow in warming milk.
What To Keep In Mind When Using Bottle Warmer
Here are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when using your bottle warmer for breast milk:
- Check the temperature of the warmed breast milk: Always check the temperature of the milk by putting few drops of milk from the bottle to your palm after warming before offering to your baby.
- Mix you bottle after warming: Breast milk tends to separate when stored. So do not forget to mix thoroughly before feeding.
- Do not overheat your milk: Overheating can diminish nutritional value and anti-infective properties of breast milk.
- Once thawed, do not refreeze: Use thawed breast milk within 24 hours or discard it.
Final Words
Parenting shouldn’t be that hard when you allow technology to lend you a helping hand. The purpose of the best bottle warmer is to warm a bottle quickly and safely so you can minimize the time your baby spends in crying.
This comprehensive list contains well researched bottle warmers that will serve your purpose and won’t break your bank.
Whether you are looking for best fast bottle warmer (Munchkin High Speed Bottle Warmer), Safest bottle warmer (Kiinde Kozii bottle warmer or Philips Avent Bottle Warmer), best bottle warmer for twins (Grownsy Fast Baby Bottle Warmer), best bottle warmer for travel (Tommee Tippee Travel Baby Bottle Warmer) or overall best bottle warmer for breast milk (De. Brown’s Bottle Warmer), you will find something for you here!!
Now over to you mom- do you use a bottle warmer? If so, which one is your favorite and why? Leave a comment below.
