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If you are planning on bottle feeding your baby with breast milk or formula, heating the bottle with a bottle warmer can be a lifesaver. When your child gets hungry in the middle of the night or even during the day, having a good bottle warmer will save you more effort and time as you can feed your baby quickly. It will also make things run more smoothly.
This piece of baby equipment can be used to warm breast milk, thaw frozen milk, warm baby food, or even baby formula. They typically use hot water or steam to warm your baby’s bottles to a safe temperature and evenly. Plus, many models have special settings to make sure that the breast milk is warmed up without losing its nutrients. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the things to consider when purchasing a baby bottle and some of the benefits of owning a baby bottle.
What types of bottle warmers are there?
Steam vs. Hot Water
The primary difference between most bottle warmers is whether they use a bath of hot water or steam to warm the milk. Warm baths usually heat more evenly and gently but they take longer to heat when compared to steam. On the other hand, Steam heats faster but can scald your baby if you are not careful.
Electric vs. Non-Electric
Some bottle warmers are plug-in appliances and you just need to connect them to an electrical outlet. You can use them in either hot water or steam and are perfect if you will be using them at home. On the other hand, non-electric styles usually depend on battery power for it to keep the baby milk warm and are ideal when you are traveling.
Car or Travel Bottle Warmers
A lot of non-electric baby warmers are designed to be used in the car. Some use battery power, some use well insulated while others just need to plug it in your car via an adaptor and connect it to your car DC connector. These kind of bottle warmers are smaller in size and does not contain water to spill.
Combined Bottle and Food Warmers
Some countertop warmers are made to heat up milk bottles and baby food jars. These food warmers come with a removable basket or tray but may require some extra care to keep them clean. Some allow you to heat 2 bottles at the same time and this makes them ideal if you have twins.
How to choose the best bottle warmer for your baby
- Types: Ideally, there are 4 main types of bottle warmers. There are typical home bottle warmer that you can keep on your kitchen counter and uses a pot of water to warm the baby milk and there is another type that uses steam to warm up the bottle. Another type is the one that uses electricity to power it while others use batteries. There is a travel bottle warmer that requires you to plug it into the car battery while others rely on a thermos where you fill hot water in the morning. If you want a flexible baby bottle warmer, then you can choose a travel bottle warmer and if you want one only to use at home, then you can choose a kitchen counter bottle warmer system.
- Time: If your child cries most of the time, then you need bottle warmers that will warm the baby’s milk as quickly as possible. You can get an ultra-fast bottle warmer that can warm the bottle in less than 2 minutes. Such kind of bottle warmer uses steams heat technology to warm the baby bottle in less time and at a comfortable level. Moreover, you can get the one that hits for a long time to keep the bottle ready in case of random cravings from your child.
- Heating method: This is another important factor that you should put into consideration when purchasing a baby bottle. Some people immerse the bottle in the hot water to warm it. Another common method used is to use steam technology to warm the bottle. Another option is to warm the bottles using the same technology that is found in an electric blanket. Although steam heating is one of the fastest methods to warm the bottle, it cannot be necessary for each option. For instance, if you want to warm frozen milk, then you need to warm it slowly for it to maintain the nutrients and vitamins in the milk.
- Safety: It is tricky to heat a bottle full of milk since you want it to have a slightly higher temperate than your child’s temperate (about 37 degrees Celsius). A lot of bottle warmers out there usually overheat the milk and you need to wait again to allow the milk to cool down. Regardless of the bottle warming technique that you are using, you need to check the warmed milk temperature to minimize the risk of burns before feeding your child.
- Ease of Use: The bottle warmer should make feeling your child easy and quick. Get the one that does not need complicated assembly. What’s more, look for the one that will heat your baby bottle evenly and fast. Also, pay attention to the cleanup needed. Make sure that it can be easily wiped down and emptied.
- Easy cleaning: Before purchasing any bottle warmer, consider the type of cleaning required after use as well as the type of materials used to construct the bottle warmer. For instance, a stainless-steel bottle warmer requires wiping or hand washing with a damp cloth. On the other hand, bottle warmer made of plastic materials are manageable to clean up and can be put in the dishwasher.
Is it okay to warm baby formula in a bottle warmer?
Yes, you can warm your baby formula in a bottle warmer. However, it is important to follow the given instructions from the manufacturer whenever you are warming the baby formula. In addition to that, you should never heat baby formula using a microwave as it can result in uneven heating and tiny hot areas can burn your baby.
Are Bottle Warmers Safe for Breast Milk?
There is nothing wrong to warm Breast Milk with bottle warmers. They provide an excellent way to warm baby formula or breast milk that has been refrigerated or thawed. Some warmers can heat the breast milk that is straight from the freezer. All you need is to make sure that the bottle is not heated more than the body temperature.
How to Use a Bottle Warmer?
Ideally, bottle warmers come in different sizes and shape these days. However, they all perform the same function- to warm refrigerated milk to the body temperature. A lot of bottle warmers use a reservoir or chamber to house hot water. You then place the bottle into the chamber and it is heated slowly to avoid scorching the milk or hot spots.
Whenever you are using a bottle warmer, you need to remember 2 things: first, you should not leave the bottle to be warmed for a long period to prevent any fire hazards. Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when using the bottle warmer. Next, never reuse milk that has been formerly warmed since it will encourage the growth of harmful bacteria.
What Are The Benefits Of Bottle Warmers?
- It’s a time-saver
Parents who use baby bottle warmers save more time since time is essential whenever they are dealing with a restless baby that only wants to be fed. If you use the bottle warmer, it will make feeding your baby faster when compared to warm it in boiling water or pouring hot water on the bottle. What’s more, the bottle warmer frees up daddy and mommy to do other things when the bottle is warming out and this is not possible with other conventional methods.
Since it requires little to clean up after you use a bottle warmer, it will save mothers time in the long run. On other approaches, you need to use additional dishes or pots to clean it.
- Safe for your baby
Utilizing a baby bottle warmer can be the perfect way to ensure that the bottle temperature is consistently maintained. Moms will feel more confident that their child’s bottle has the right temperature when compared to other approaches to warming baby milk.
- It keeps the nutrients in breastmilk intact
If you warm Breastmilk incorrectly, it can lose nutrients, especially when you use the microwave. Removing essential nutrients in your child’s milk composition will make it reduce its quality. However, using a baby bottle warmer will ensure consistent and adequate heating of milk while preserving the nutrients.
- Warm milk is healthy for your baby
Since the usual human body temperature is 37°C, your baby will appreciate a bottle that is warmed at this temperature. A baby bottle warmer will ensure that the milk is warmed at the right temperature and your child will not be burned by an overheated bottle.
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Conclusion
With the best bottle warmers it can make life easier, it will allow you to warm the baby bottle with less fuss and will make the job done quickly. We hope that this article has helped you find the best bottle warmer for your baby.
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