In the constant clash of opinions regarding whether bottle warmers are necessary or not, where do you stand? Do you think they are really helpful? Or do you think they’re just a waste of space?
If you’re a first time mother, and you have no idea about this topic, then you’ve come to the right place. As a mom, all you want is what’s best for your child. So it doesn’t matter what other people’s opinions are – you just want the facts.
So on this article we’re going to give you exactly that: the answer to the question “do I need a bottle warmer?”
How a Bottle Warmer Works
Before we answer that, let’s first clear things up for those moms who don’t exactly know what a bottle warmer is or what it does. Bottle warmers are electric machines that can hold at least one bottle of breast milk. Once activated, it starts agitating the water molecules, therefore “exciting” it and causing it to heat up. After a few minutes, your bottled breast milk is warm and ready for your baby’s consumption.
Of course, this kind of product is aimed for women who have too little time on their hands and have to rely on breast pumping every now and then, to make sure they can provide breast milk for their baby even when they are not around.
If you prepare a few bottles of breast milk and keep them refrigerated before use, the tendency is you will want to warm it up before giving it to your baby. There are many ways to warm a bottle, and this is the reason why public opinion on bottle warmers is divided, up until now.
We will focus on both sides of the argument, so you can decide for yourself whether you need to buy a bottle warmer or not.
Reasons Why You Need a Bottle Warmer: Bottle Warmers are Faster
Sure, there are plenty of ways to warm a bottle of breast milk after it has been refrigerated. But if your baby is crying and you need a warm bottle pronto, you’re going to be thankful you have a bottle warmer around to do the job quickly.
Some methods, such as warming it up using a tub of hot water just take forever to finish. If you want it done fast, you will need a bottle warmer.
Also, if you’re warming more than one bottle per day, it is perhaps a better idea to invest on a bottle warmer. It’s also very easy to use.
It is more efficient
Specifically designed for the sole purpose of warming breast milk, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that bottle warmers are good at what they do. Other methods may not be as reliable as a bottle warmer.
It is also more consistent. The bottle is always warmed at all sides, meaning all the fat that may have gotten stuck to the sides during refrigeration will get right back into the mixture.
According to babygearlab.com it can also help in ensuring your baby’s safety by enabling you to choose the right temperature.
It is more convenient
If you have a bottle warmer ready to go, all you have to do is plug it in, place the bottle, and wait. It’s as easy as that! Having a bottle warmer just makes life so much easier. And if you’re a busy person, you’re going to be able to save a lot of precious minutes, thanks to the convenience that these products can provide.
It is not that expensive
You don’t have to get anything fancy. In fact, you can get a bottle warmer for as low as $20! And here we’re talking about safe and efficient models. You won’t be putting a hole in your pocket.
You will definitely be investing money, but you can easily find affordable and reliable machines out there.
It is more baby-friendly
Let’s say that your child happens to like his or her milk only at a certain temperature. It would be far easier to control if you have a bottle warmer. It is also easier to make sure the milk you serve is neither cold nor scalding.
Reasons Why You Don’t Need a Bottle Warmer: There Are Easier Ways to Do it
While we don’t recommend putting your bottle in the microwave, there’s an alternative method to warm bottles without using a warmer. You can microwave a mug of water, and then afterwards you can take it out, and dip the bottle of milk into it.
More or less, the warmth will be consistent all around the bottle. Many parents agree that you don’t really need it.
It takes up space
Unless you can get a really small and ergonomic model, or unless you have a big storage area, a bottle warmer will take up space on your kitchen counter. This goes against its convenient functionality, because there are more useful appliances that you can have in those spaces instead of a bottle warmer.
Babies are fine with room temperature
The necessity of warm milk isn’t exactly clear either. Most babies will be fine with room temperature bottled milk. So this puts in question the necessity of the bottle warmer. Sure, the investment won’t be a lot, but does your baby actually need the warm milk? Some babies even drink cold milk.
The Bottomline
At the end of the day, it is a matter of preference and convenience. Does your baby only drink milk at certain temperatures? Do you need to warm multiple bottles per day? If so, then a bottle warmer might be the right thing for you.
The best thing we can take from these arguments is that a bottle warmer is a convenient and helpful gadget to have around – but it is not a necessity. Still, should you decide to buy a bottle warmer, we suggest going with a high quality one such as the Philips AVENT Bottle Warmer. You’ll love how quickly this machine works.
Read all about it by clicking here
To summarize
- Bottle warmers are fast, consistent, reliable, and easy to use
- Bottle warmers are safe to use
- Be sure to check the temperature of the milk by putting a drop on your wrist after warming with any method
- Bottle warmers can be inexpensive
- Bottle warmers are not necessary, unless you are completely busy and you need to warm many bottles per day
Do you have any questions regarding bottle feeding, breast pumping, and bottle warmers? Leave a comment below.
Hi, This is Emma Baster; As a mom, I spend my free time caring for my kids. I’ve read a lot on the Internet to improve my childcare skill and bring the best to my kids. Eruditemommy shares my knowledge and experience through helpful posts. I hope you enjoy them!
