6 Best Bottle Warmers to Ensure Milk is the Perfect Temperature
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Quick Summary
$46 Some people say that you don't need a baby bottle warmer — and for some families, that may be true. But, if you’re short on time or like taking the guesswork out of preparing baby’s bottle, then a bottle warmer is a worthwhile investment. (And one that can be used later in your baby’s life, as several can heat baby food as well as formula and breast milk.)
How we chose the best bottle warmers
The best baby bottle warmers heat baby’s bottle quickly and efficiently, so you can get your little one fed ASAP. But each warmer is slightly different. To help narrow down your choices, What to Expect staff and community members say you should consider the following factors when choosing a bottle warmer:
- Capacity: Each baby bottle warmer has a distinct capacity, which includes how many bottles it can hold at once as well as what size bottle it can warm. If your baby tends to drink a lot of ounces at once, just double-check to ensure the warmer can accommodate the appropriate bottle size. And, parents of multiples may want a bottle warmer that can accommodate two bottles at once.
- Heating time: The time it takes to heat your bottle depends on the amount of milk you're heating, and the settings on the bottle warmers: Some even have “quick warm” options for when you need a bottle ready fast. That said, with improper use, almost all bottle warmers can overheat and scald milk, resulting in a breakdown of nutrients. Be sure to read and carefully follow directions.
- Size: Baby bottle warmers come in a wide range of sizes, from petite machines that are just a few inches wide to larger models that require some solid counter space. Consider how much room you have for your bottle warmer, along with how often you plan to use it. If baby is mostly or exclusively bottle fed, it’s likely you’ll want to leave your warmer out on your counter for convenience — ensuring you have room for that is crucial.
- Versatility: Today’s bottle warmers offer many more perks than their older counterparts. Some can accommodate a range of bottle types, and a few are even universal, which means that they’ll work with any baby bottle. If you're breastfeeding, you'll likely also want to look for a warmer that can fit breast milk storage bags. And, some baby bottle warmers can warm baby food jars and pouches, too, which is a nice perk as baby gets older or to help with feeding siblings.
Each of the bottle warmers on our list received overwhelmingly positive reviews for this criteria.
Why Trust Us?
What to Expect is the world’s most trusted pregnancy and parenting brand for a reason. Our product recommendations are based on expert parent insight, advice from medical professionals and feedback from the millions of parents and parents-to-be in our community. Our editors adhere to the highest research and reporting standards and our team of vetted OB/GYNs, pediatricians and other health professionals ensure our recommended products are safe and effective for you and your baby.
Best Overall Bottle Warmer
Philips Avent Fast Bottle Warmer
- Small
- fast
- easy to operate
- Hard to see water level with larger bottles
- no audible beep when done
Winner in the 2023 What to Expect Feeding Awards, the Philips Avent bottle warmer can do what other devices do at a fraction of the cost. In addition to the low price point, parents love how incredibly easy it is to use. Simply add water, turn the dial to the number of ounces you need heated, and it’ll give you a perfect bottle in about five minutes.
In addition to being a massive hit in the What to Expect community, it’s also a clear favorite among What to Expect staff. Multiple parents on our team use or have used this machine for their babies, with the speed, compact size and amazing price as stand-out features across the board.
“My favorite parts are the speed that it warms bottles and how easy it is to change the water and use in general,” says Sarah Darby, What to Expect’s Senior SEO Content Strategist.
Karen Sly, Finance Manager at What to Expect, agrees with the speed being a huge perk. “I love how quickly it warms a bottle and that it doesn't take up too much counter space,” she says.
Melissa Bykofsky, Executive Editor at What to Expect, is actually still using her Avent bottle warmer two and a half years later. “I still use it to heat up milk for instant oatmeal quickly before school,” she says. “It’s not intrusive to keep on the counter in a small kitchen.”
In addition to its speed, parents also love some of the extra features on the Avent, which you normally wouldn’t expect on such an affordable warmer. For starters, it includes an indicator light to let you know when baby's meals are ready. It’ll even keep bottles warm for up to one hour after heating, which means you don’t have to rush to grab the bottle right away.
“A surprise added perk is that the warming light stays on for an hour, so I used that to determine if the bottle was still safe to give my baby,” adds Sarah.
One thing to keep in mind: A couple of staff members said their models started to overheat milk as time went on. “When I'm heating a 5oz bottle, I set the volume to 3oz in order to achieve the desired temperature,” Karen says of her second-hand model. Sarah agreed, adding that hers started doing the same around the year mark. “It was definitely not dangerously hot, but more than skin temp,” she notes. This might be worth keeping in mind for parents who want to use the bottle warmer for several years, that it could be a little more finicky as it ages.
Weight: 1 pound
Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 7 inches
Auto shut-off?: Yes
What it heats: Bottles, bags, baby food
Best Bottle Warmer for Breast Milk
Kiinde Kozii Safeheat Pro
- Small
- easy to clean
- water doesn’t have to be replaced each time
- Pricey
- heats slowly
Instead of using steam, the Kiinde bottle warmer quickly heats up a water bath that gradually brings milk to the right temperature; the best way to avoid burning breast milk and losing nutrients. But even though it’s optimal for breast milk (in bags or bottles, by the way), it also works wonderfully to heat formula and pureed food.
It has an attachable water filler so you don’t have to bring the entire device to the sink whenever you need to add water. There’s also a lift-out basket, making it easy to fill the stainless steel chamber and retrieve the bottle or bag once it's ready without burning your fingers in the process. Although the warmer automatically shuts off when the timer ends, the water doesn't drain by itself, so you'll need to remove the bottle or bag to avoid overheating. Parents love how easy it is to clean, and also praise Kiinde's customer service, which includes on-call lactation consultants.
Weight: 2.3 pounds
Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 7 inches
Auto shut-off?: Yes
What it heats: Bottles, bags, baby food
Best Bottle Warmer for Formula
Baby Brezza Instant Warmer Advanced
- Works instantly
- three temperature settings
- nightlight for overnight feedings
- May leak slightly
- bottle measurements can be hard to read in dim light
Speed is important for many parents, and nothing warms a bottle of formula faster than the Baby Brezza Instant Warmer Advanced. This device isn’t like traditional warmers. Instead of warming up a bottle you’ve made, the Instant Warmer dispenses warm water on demand. And since the tank holds 50 ounces of water, you can fill it once in the morning and make bottles all day without needing to refill.
There are three temperature settings; room temperature, body temperature and warmer than body temperature, which parents say allows them to prepare bottles to their baby’s preference. Baby Brezza’s warmer also has a built-in nightlight, making it easier to whip up bottles in the middle of the night. You could even keep this in your child’s nursery for more convenience.
Weight: 5.5 pounds
Dimensions: 14 x 14 x 7 inches
Auto shut-off?: Yes
What it heats: Bottles
Best Bottle Warmer for Twins
Grownsy 8-in-1 Fast Milk Warmer
- Works fast
- adjustable temperature
- can sterilize
- keeps milk warm
- Instructions can be confusing
Perfect for families with twins, Grownsy's baby bottle warmer can warm two bottles at once. It has adjustable temperature settings so you can get your bottle as close to your baby’s preferred level of warmth. And, if you’re looking for a two-in-one option, it can also sterilize bottles, which will be useful with newborns. Parents were able to use the Grownsy bottle warmer for both formula and breast milk because of the different levels of heating, and many appreciated that it worked for most bottle sizes. What’s more is that this machine has a surprisingly compact size for accommodating two bottles.
One downside, however, was that some parents found the buttons difficult to tap and that the instructions were confusing. However, the Grownsy bottle warmer can remember your settings, so parents noted that it was easier to use after they figured out their preferred settings.
Weight: 2 pounds
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8 x 9.6 inches
Auto shut-off?: Yes
What it heats: Bottles, baby food
Best Travel Bottle Warmer
Tommee Tippee Portable Travel Baby Bottle Warmer
- Simple design
- lightweight
- inexpensive
- Flask gets hot to the touch
- will leak if cap isn’t properly secured
Even those who don't use an electric bottle warmer at home might find the Tommee Tippee travel bottle warmer handy. The metal thermos keeps water warm while you’re out with baby, whether on errands or vacation. When it's feeding time, simply pour the warm water into the ceramic container, then submerge your bottle in the water until it’s warmed through. And since it’s only 8 inches tall, you can easily carry it in your diaper bag. Parents were impressed with how long water stayed warm in the thermos, many saying it was good for up to six hours. Although you could use a regular thermos, this lid of this warmer is designed specifically to hold baby bottles and food jars to just make things easier.
Weight: 12 ounces
Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 8 inches
Auto shut-off?: N/A
What it heats: Bottles, bags, baby food
Best Bottle Warmer with Sterilizer
Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Baby Bottle Warmer and Sterilizer
- Works quickly
- last-setting memory
- alarm signifies end of warming
- Can only warm or sterilize one bottle at a time
Dr. Brown’s bottle warmer and sterilizer does a little of everything. It warms bottles quickly with steam, and it has an auto shut-off that will prevent bottles from overheating. The sterilizer can eliminate 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria off bottles and other feeding accessories in under three minutes, which you may find useful for newborns or just getting a deep clean every now and then. However, the main drawback to this device, especially if baby will be primarily bottle fed, is that it can only warm one bottle at a time.
Parents liked how customizable this device was in order to get bottles to the exact temperature their babies preferred. It’s also quite compact, so you can easily leave it on the counter.
Weight: 1.3 pounds
Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 6 inches
Auto shut-off?: Yes
What it heats: Bottles, baby food
Our Experts
We utilized results from the What to Expect Feeding Awards, which polled more than 1,500 caregivers in the What to Expect community.
Additionally, we consulted several What to Expect staff members, including:
- Sarah Darby, Senior SEO Content Strategist, mom of a 1-year-old
- Karen Sly, Finance Manager, mom of a 2-year-old and 5-month-old
- Melissa Bykofsky, Executive Editor, mom of a 2-year-old
Finally, we canvassed What to Expect’s community boards to learn which baby bottle warmers parents liked best and what features they most appreciated.
FAQs
Do I need a bottle warmer?
Although you don’t need a bottle warmer, they can definitely save you time and take away any guesswork. As the American Academy of Pediatrics notes, warming breast milk or formula in the microwave can result in uneven heating. Additionally, using a microwave can cause the bottle to feel cool even though the milk inside is hot. Not only does that potentially destroy some of the nutrients, but it could burn your baby’s mouth.
If, however, you decide to warm a bottle on your own, you can do so by heating water over the stove and placing baby’s bottle in the warmed water afterward. Although it can be difficult to get the temperature just right throughout and can be more time consuming than a bottle warmer, it doesn’t require purchasing any additional devices and won’t take up counter space.
How do I use a bottle warmer?
Every bottle warmer operates differently, so it’s important to read the manufacturer’s instructions first. That said, most bottle warmers can't defrost frozen breast milk and the ones that say they can might still overheat it, resulting in a loss of nutrients. It’s better to thaw frozen milk in a bowl of water or in the fridge overnight before using the warmer.
Some warmers use steam to heat the bottles (which can sometimes overheat them), while others rely on heated water inside the warmer (which is a more gentle but slower heating option). Although a baby bottle warmer can be a big help, you will always need to test the final temperature of your baby's bottle before offering it to your little one. Shake a few drops on your inner wrist is the best way — it should feel lukewarm, never hot.
- WhatToExpect.com, Here’s How to Bottle-Feed Your Baby, May 2021.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, How long can baby bottles sit at room temperature?, August 2022.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, How to Sterilize and Warm Baby Bottles Safely, August 2018.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Proper Storage and Preparation of Breast Milk, January 2022.
- Infant Nutrition Council of America, Bottle Feeding, Accessed May 2023.
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