When looking after your baby, you want to be extremely careful. Babies are very vulnerable to both chemicals as well as illnesses. This is because they have not been able to build up an immune system that is capable of fighting off even the most common diseases around. Due to this very reason, it is extremely important to make sure that you are buying the best, most trusted products out there for your baby.
Buying the wrong products can not only alter the health of a baby, but it can also have lifelong effects on it as well. These are just a few of the many reasons why you should be looking hard to find the best bottle sterilizer and bottle warmer for your baby.
Why do you need a Baby Bottle Warmer?
You may be thinking to yourself, why would I buy a baby bottle warmer when I can just use the microwave? The thing is, if you are breast feeding and heat up your milk in the microwave; this causes the milk to lose a lot of its nutrients, and vitamins.
If you are feeding your baby formula, heating it up in the microwave can cause hot spots within the baby bottle that you might not notice. You can end up burning your baby’s mouth and due to the fact babies are so sensitive, it can go even further and you could end up burning their stomach.
There are multiple benefits to having a baby bottle warmer. The warmer will consistently bring the milk (whether it be formula or breast milk) up to the same temperature every time. You don’t have to worry about burning yourself, or burning your baby.
Some baby bottle warmers are even portable allowing you to take them with you wherever you go. Some versions can be charged using cigarette lighters, outlets and even batteries.
Why do you need a bottle sterilizer?
You may be wondering what the purpose of a baby bottle sterilizer is, when you can just buy a few baby bottles and throw them into the dishwasher. The problem with this scenario is dishwashers aren’t always the most reliable cleaners in tight spaces such as inside baby bottles.
There are plenty of benefits to having a baby bottle sterilizer. You will no longer have to worry about the harmful bacteria produced by your milk or formula as you know that the baby bottle will be clean each and every time.
What to look for in a bottle sterilizer and bottle warmer
When looking for a baby bottle sterilizer and dryer, there are a few things that you should make sure you are taking into account. Having a look at bottle sterilizer reviews as well as bottle warmer reviews can give you an amazing inside look into what the product is actually like; by real people who have actually bought it and tried it.
If a lot of people have purchased the product a quick scroll through the reviews will likely give you a fair amount of useful information. Things such as price, quality, design, purpose, and faults of the product all get talked about in the reviews.
What are my options for a baby bottle warmer?
There are a few different kinds of bottle warming options out there and each of them have their own advantages. Whether you are looking for the fastest bottle warmer or a universal bottle warmer so that you can warm other things; there are options available.
Portable:
The main disadvantage with this option is that sometimes they have heating issues, and you could run out of power when you need it. The power issue is due to most of them being a battery operated bottle warmer, some are also heated using boiled water.
Plug in:
Generally the most reliable baby bottle warming option. These are a lot less likely to break down on you. In some models they can overheat and you have to wait until they cool down again, also it is less portable and more of a hassle to take with you if you are going somewhere.
Multi-use:
These models can store cold milk in one section, and heat up your milk in the other. The main disadvantage to this system is that they are a lot more technical and can often be confusing.
Once you get the hang of how much water you need to use to heat up the milk, these are wonderful bottle warmers with the added bonus of a mini milk fridge.
What are my options for a baby bottle sterilizer?
There are many options when it comes to a bottle sterilizer. Depending on whether you are feeding your baby formula or breast milk, you may prefer one over the other. Carefully read the options below; then hopefully you can make a better educated decision on what kind of baby bottle sterilizer is the best option for you.
Cold water sterilizers:
For this option, you will need to purchase sterilizing tablets or liquid. You mix these in with cold water and then soak your baby bottles in the liquid for at least 30 minutes while the bacteria is being removed. After taking out the baby bottles you must then rinse them with recently boiled water (boiled to remove bacteria) so that the baby bottles will no longer have as much of a “clean” taste to them.
The one major disadvantage to this method is that the “clean” taste left behind by the baby bottle sanitizer is often hard to get rid of and it may turn your baby off of using the bottle.
Microwave sterilizers:
The big bonus to microwave sterilizers is that they require no chemicals or any rinsing. If you leave the microwave sterilizer closed, your baby bottles will remain sterilized for up to 24 hours. Generally microwave sterilizers take anywhere from 2-8 minutes depending on how many watts your unit has.
The one major disadvantage to this method is that you can’t sterilize metal (think baby spoons, metal rings on baby bottles etc).
Electric steam sterilizers:
Generally considered as the most convenient way to sterilize, due to there being more room available. Electric steam sterilizers involve just plugging into the wall and waiting anywhere from 5-15 minutes for the job to be complete.
The major disadvantage of these units is that they are generally more expensive and require more electricity to use than the other sanitization methods that are on the market.
So which brand of bottle warmer should I get?
Luckily for you we have gone through some of the companies that make the best bottle warmers, the breakdown of the electric machines that these companies make are below:
Munchkin bottle warmer:
This first plug in model weighs a modest 1.4 pounds. It uses steam to heat milk as well as baby food, quickly and evenly. It does not use microwave power and therefore assists in preventing losing the nutrients contained within the milk or food that is being heated.
This machine has an automatic shut off system so you don’t have to worry about leaving it plugged in. It also comes with a measuring cup so you can measure out the precise amount of water that you need in order to heat up the bottle. It is advertised to be able to heat up the bottle in as little as 90 seconds.
Born free bottle warmer:
This model features a unique cooling system. Capable of keeping 2 bottles cool for up to an 8 hour time frame. With this bottle warmer, you won’t have to run back and forth between your fridge and bottle warmer all day. This bottle warmer has a unique reservoir capable of deciding for itself how much water it needs to use.
All you have to do is fill it up once a day and then it will be ready to use. The unique dial contains a variety of bottle sizes that adjust the length of time that the warming will take place during. It advertises being capable of warming in as little as 3 minutes which is quite an impressive feat.
Avent bottle warmer:
The 2nd bottle warmer on our list actually comes in 2 different models. Both models are plug in units, and have their own unique advantages. The Philips Avent fast bottle warmer can heat up milk in as little as 3 minutes. You have the option of altering the temperatures based on what you need, it also features a defrost function. Defrost meaning it can get hot enough to melt down frozen baby food or milk.
The second version that Philips makes is called the premium bottle warmer. This bottle warmer doesn’t heat up quite as fast as the “fast bottle warmer” but it has a lot more features. For instance it has a keep warm function. If something comes up and you can’t feed your baby right away, instead of completely reheating the milk you can have it warm for you when you come back.
Another great feature of the device is that their premium version always keeps milk at safe drinkable temperatures. It also features automatic shut off and a progress indicator so that you know when things are ready.
Dr. Browns bottle warmer:
This bottle warmer features an LCD control panel which lights up at night. The unit does more than just light up though. When the product inside gets up to temperature, it sets off an alarm to let you know that it is ready.
It is a smart bottle warmer and can be programmed to automatically heat at a certain time of the day. It fits the majority of bottles on the market and weighs only 2 pounds.
Here is a breakdown of some of the portable bottle warmers on the market:
Tommee Tippee Bottle Warmer:
This is a high quality, portable, food and bottle warmer. Made of stainless steel; it is capable of storing hot water due to a thermal flask. Just put hot water into the Tommee Tippee bottle warmer and take your bottle with you.
You will be able to heat up your baby bottles anytime as the Tommee Tippee bottle warmer will stay hot for hours.
GOLOHO baby bottle warmer:
This portable warmer has a few more controls on it than the other ones on our list. Featuring a temperature control dial.
This device has a stainless steel warming chamber that is both easy to clean, as well as does the job better than plastic models. Again, this model features a BPA free design and is one of the lighest warmers available weighing just 467 grams.
Second Nature bottle warmer:
This is another portable warmer and this is the only battery operated portable bottle warmer on the list. Due to the added function and capability of this machine, it is a lot more expensive than the other portable bottle warmers on the list. This bottle warmer is capable of warming bottles and/ or food in 10-20 minutes. It comes with one ThermaCell battery cartridge which is capable of charging the device for 20-30 uses. This product features an automatic shut off feature that is on a timer, just set it and forget it and your baby bottle will be warm for you when you come back.
Taking a step away from warmers, we are going to have a look at some of the best sanitizers available:
Wabi sterilizer:
This is a great sterilizer that has an auto shut off feature in it as well. It has multiple options for drying available. For example: in case you are just sanitizing something small, you can change the drying time to as little as 30 minutes. If you have the maximum load of 8 bottles then maybe you want to extend the drying time, it can be set to up to one whole hour in length.
This product is FDA food grade approved and therefore you can be sure that your baby will not be exposed to any toxic chemicals as a result of using the sterilizer. This sterilizer is extremely easy to use, you just load it up, put some water into it, and press it on.
Philips Avent 3-in-1 electric steam sterilizer:
This sterilizer is another one that is a great value for your money. The sterilizer completes a cycle in just 6 minutes. One downside to this sterilizer is that after a cycle is complete, you can’t use the sterilizer for at least 10 minutes because it has to cool down from the previous cycle first.
This sterilizer is advertised to kill 99.9% of bacteria and offers a variety of size configurations such as small which can be used for cup lids, pacifiers etc. Medium, which can be used for forks, spoons, small plates, breast pumps etc.
Finally, large can be used for maximum storage of both bottles and anything else that you would like to sterilize. The sterilizer does have an automatic shut off feature. Leaving the lid on top of the unit closed will allow your dishware to stay sterilized for up to 24 hours.
Tommee Tippee electric steam sterilizer:
The Tommee Tippee electric steam sterilizer is another popular brand of sterilizer on the market. Featuring a chemical and BPA free system that kills up to 99.9% of all germs during the sanitization process. This sanitizer is both easy to use and is capable of sanitizing 6 bottles in as little as 5 minutes.
This unit is a fair bit heavier than some of the other sanitizers on the market, it weighs 4.8 pounds making it a bit more of a set it and leave it type of sanitizer.
If you are interested in a portable sanitizer, there is actually one sanitizer available on the market:
HyGenie Portable Bottle Sanitizer:
This bottle sanitizer uses UV ray technology, rather than steam in order to sanitize the bottles. It works because the UV rays attack the germ cell walls and then attack the nucleus, resulting in their eventual termination.
It is capable of eliminating 99% of harmful germs which is very good for a portable unit. This unit is easy to use and takes as little as 7 minutes for the whole sanitization process.
If you are interested in sanitizing using a tablet sanitizer, then you may want a baby bottle cleaner set to go with it:
5 piece bottle brush cleaner kit:`
This baby bottle cleaner set contains a large nylon brush in order to clean out the interior part of a bottle. A bottle nipple brush, as well as a straw brush; both very hard to clean spots without a proper tool to clean them with.
A sponge brush to clean out any debris, as well as a stainless steel straw brush are also included within the set. The perfect set for any of your baby bottle cleaning needs.
Steramine Quaternary Sanitizing Tablets:
These tablets come in a bottle containing 150 sanitizing tablets. It is recommended that you use one tablet per gallon of water that you are cleaning with. This is a widely used commercial sanitizing tablet, but it can be used in households as well.
In case you have any questions on bottle sanitizing, or bottle warming; here are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions:
How do I know if my bottles will work for the bottle warmer/ bottle sanitizer?
The best way to find out if your bottles are going to work for a particular sanitizer, or a particular bottle opener is to read reviews on the products because this is basically the major topic in discussions on these products as people try to use them to do all sorts of different activities.
You can even post a comment yourself and ask someone if a particular item will work with the machine and it is very likely that you will get a response. If you are still having troubles you could either buy one of the largest ones available, so you can be sure that it will work; or you can contact the manufacturer directly and ask them.
How do I know if I am paying a reasonable price for what I am getting?
It is important to do proper research and decide what is best for your unique situation. You need to decide important questions such as: do you need a portable unit? Does the unit need to be a certain size?
How much can you afford to spend? Is the extra features that you get with a more expensive bottle warmer or bottle sanitizer worth the extra cost? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before you can decide on what a reasonable price is for you.
Is it safe to buy products off of Amazon?
It is a good idea to make sure you are buying from a reputable seller off of amazon before you purchase your product. If you purchase from amazon directly you can be sure that the product is safe to buy.
Sellers with thousands of reviews and high percentage ratings are also safe to buy from. Do your research before purchasing anything online and you shouldn’t run into any problems.
Are bottle sterilizers necessary?
Keeping your baby bottles sterilized is a great way to reduce the risk of your baby becoming sick. You can also be assured that your bottles are clean, chemical free and will not be harmful to the baby in any way.
How to clean a bottle warmer?
If you are unsure of how to clean a bottle warmer, there is likely a manual that came with your unit that explains what needs to be done in order to clean the unit. In general terms though, taking apart the unit and cleaning each piece that comes into contact with you, or anything that you put into the bottle warmer is a good idea.
This way you can be reassured that no old grime or residue is getting in your baby’s food or milk.
How long should I be warming up my baby’s food and milk for?
There is no specific age in which you have to stop warming up your baby’s milk and food. Your baby is its own human being and may prefer cold milk, or it may prefer taking it warm because it is closer to its own internal temperature.
As for food, depending what you are feeding them you may want to warm it up. .Just think to yourself how you would rather eat it, your baby probably thinks fairly similar to you.
Are bottle warmers safe for breast milk?
It is completely safe to heat up breast milk using bottle warmers. Just remember that if you decide to heat up your breast milk in the microwave, or boil it, it can destroy antibodies, vitamins and minerals that make the breast milk so healthy.
Most bottle warmers can also be used to heat up other things such as hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and baby food. Make sure you read the product description as well as reviews before assuming that the product does something that it might not do.
Which bottle warmer works with Medela?
If you are worried which bottle warmers work with Medela make sure you contact the manufacturer; you can also find answers to questions like these if you look in the reviews section underneath the product that you are looking to buy. The larger the sanitizer or bottle warmer, the more likely it is that your Medela products are going to be compatible with it.
How long do bottle warmers take?
Generally a bottle warmer doesn’t take very long to start working. If you get a portable version rather than a plug in version, they often take longer to heat up due to the fact that their power source isn’t as large. If you are looking for it to be done as soon as possible, you may want to consider that the purpose of this device is to make things warm for your baby, but not too warm so that they get burnt.
Being patient if the health and safety of your child is at risk shouldn’t be too big of an issue. In saying that, some bottle warmers do work faster than others and you can be sure to choose one of the quicker ones.
How to clean a bottle sterilizer?
In order to clean a bottle sterilizer, it is a good idea to get tablet sterilizers or some anti-bacterial soap. Take apart the sterilizer as much as possible and clean any parts that you, or anything that you put inside the sterilizer comes into contact with.
Remember that the purpose of this machine is sterilizing things. You want the sterilizer to be as clean as possible, or it will not be doing its job properly.
How often should I get new baby bottles?
It is important to maintain your bottles so that they are in good sanitary condition. If you are unable to get them clean due to any mould, calcium build up, or you notice the bottle changing colour; it is important to get new bottles as the only thing you are potentially harming is your baby’s health.
Should I feed my baby formula, or should I breast feed?
This is often a hugely debated issue and it definitely comes down to personal choice. You are more than capable of feeding your baby your very own milk. Animals do it in the wild, humans can safely do it too. There are tons of nutrients, vitamins and healthy minerals contained within breast milk, but they also put a lot of these into baby formula.
Depending on whether or not you care about money, breast feeding is also the free option of the two. Formula is fairly expensive and you are bound to use more than one container of it over the course of your baby’s growing.
If in doubt over what you should use, make sure you do plenty of research into both options, as well as look at all the different formula options because they don’t all contain the same things inside them.
How often should my baby be eating or drinking?
Generally, babies will let you know if they are hungry or thirsty. If they are crying, likely they are tired, hungry, thirsty, hurt, or want some attention. If you get into a routine with your baby they will start to get an idea of when feeding and drinking time is.
Just remember that your baby is a human being. If they had a really deep sleep and sweat a lot, then they might need some extra milk. If they rolled around or had a temper tantrum, they might have burned some extra calories and will need some extra food in their body in order to make up for that.
I am scared some of these sanitizing machines/ bottle warmers are not chemical free, what do I do?
Look for specific bottle warmers and sanitizers that are both FDA approved and BPA free. If there is no information regarding these things, you can contact the manufacturer and they will tell you what the product is made from.
It is completely understandable that you want to know what your baby is being exposed to, so don’t feel bad phoning a company or expressing concern with regards to things like this. You are just being a good parent.
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of Baby bottle sanitizers and warmers. There are a ton of options out there and it can be very hard to narrow them down. Just remember to think about your own unique situation and when and where you are going to use them.
For instance, deciding whether you need a portable device or a plug in unit will have a huge impact on the price as well as the features of the product. When in doubt, get a second opinion.
Remember that anyone who is a parent has gone through almost all of the same problems that you are going through. Hope that this article has got you thinking, and that it will help you better decide what is best for you, but, most importantly what is the best for your baby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all baby bottle warmers portable?
Not all baby bottle warmers are portable. While some models offer portability and can be charged using different power sources, others are designed to be plugged into an electrical outlet for reliable heating.
Can I use a bottle warmer to heat breast milk?
Yes, it is safe to use a bottle warmer to heat breast milk. Using a bottle warmer helps retain the nutrients and properties of breast milk compared to heating it in a microwave or boiling it, which can result in nutrient loss.
How often should I replace baby bottles?
Baby bottles should be replaced if they show signs of damage, such as cracks, discoloration, or difficulty in cleaning. It’s also recommended to replace them periodically to ensure hygiene and safety. Check the manufacturer’s guidelines for specific recommendations.
How do I know if a bottle sterilizer is chemical-free?
Look for bottle sterilizers that are FDA-approved and labeled as BPA-free. These designations ensure that the product has undergone testing and meets certain safety standards. If in doubt, you can contact the manufacturer directly to inquire about the materials used in the sterilizer.
Are bottle sterilizers necessary?
Using bottle sterilizers can help reduce the risk of harmful bacteria in your baby’s bottles. While it’s not absolutely necessary, regular sterilization can provide additional peace of mind regarding cleanliness and hygiene.
