Bottle Warmer Or Microwave: Which Is The Better?

Are you considering choosing between a bottle warmer or a microwave? Many moms go into a shopping frenzy once they realize that they are pregnant. Because of the overexcitement, many of them end up purchasing things that they may not need. So, careful attention must be paid to things when shopping for the baby to avoid purchasing what you will not end up needing.  

Bottle warmers and microwaves are some of the items that expectant mothers buy. Do you really need the two of them, or one of the two will be perfect for you?  We will review the two items (i.e. bottle warmer and microwave) below and help you decide the right one to buy between the two.       

Bottle warmer

A bottle warmer serves the purpose of warming the feeding bottle so that your baby can be fed with adequately warm food anytime he is hungry. A bottle warmer may be considered unnecessary by some, but it is a convenient item to add to the list of items you’ll purchase in preparation for your baby’s arrival. Check below for some of the features you need to bear in mind about a bottle warmer.

Advantages of Bottle Warmer

• You can preset the temperature, and this enables easy heating of the baby’s bottle. You can set the temperature to heat the bottle to a desirable temperature level.
• It can help preserve the nutrients in breast milk for mothers who prefer to breastfeed their babies.
• Since the temperature can be adjusted, it prevents overheating of the bottle, thereby preventing scalding.         
• The bottle warmer can serve as both a warmer and a sterilizer.
• It equally warms up the feeding bottle quickly and efficiently

Cons:

• The temperature settings on the bottle warmer can be unreliable at times, leading to overheating the bottle’s content.
• Even if the temperature settings work normally, the bottle warmer can take a long time to warm up.

Microwave

Pros:

• The time required to warm up the food is very short. So, your baby’s food can be warmed up adequately for a short period.
• A microwave can heat the food  without  affecting its nutrients or taste
• What is more, the microwave is very easy to clean and maintain
• You can use a microwave to defrost baby foods also
• Its energy consumption is meager, and this makes it an energy saver

Cons:

• The radiation produced by microwaves makes them dangerous to health. The radiation can leak if the microwave gets damaged.
• Microwaves can even cause uneven heating of the baby food, leading to food poisoning.
• The microwave can equally dry up the baby food since it works by removing water from foods.

How They Compare

Both bottle warmer and microwave have their pros and cons, and we will base our discussion on those differences.  

From the above, a microwave cannot heat the baby food evenly, which is a consequence of the standing patterns of the waves in the microwave. A microwave cannot penetrate foods beyond 1.5 inches and, therefore, may not heat foods evenly. This is never the case with a bottle warmer that creates even warming of foods by penetrating the food deeply and creating even heating, making it a better choice than a microwave.

Furthermore, a food bottle warmer does not dry up the food, unlike a microwave. So, the food will still maintain its consistency after being heated in a bottle warmer, unlike when you use a microwave.    

While a bottle warmer may have some outstanding features; its temperature setting may not be reliable – leading to the overheating or inadequate heating of the baby food.  If it is overheated, it can cause scalding. If you must use a bottle warmer, make sure you read reviews about it first to know if its temperature settings work as described by the manufacturers.

In terms of safety, a microwave is way safer than a bottle warmer. This is because a microwave has a more solid structure than a bottle warmer. A microwave is usually stationed in a particular spot, whereas a bottle warmer can be moved around, thereby subjecting it to accidents and damages more frequently than a microwave.

If you must use the bottle warmer, you should put it in a place where it will not get in the way of human traffic and avoid moving it from that location as much as possible. The bottle warmer should also be kept away from the reach of children.

How to Buy Safely

After concluding on the one to buy between a bottle warmer and a microwave, the points below will assist you in choosing the right brand among the products on sale out there today.

• Read reviews before you buy that product. The reviews can help you to choose right at all times.
• It would help if you equally considered the return policy. Go for that product only if the return policy is appealing.
• Microwaves and bottle warmers come in different sizes. You should consider the one that is just perfect for your purpose to get value for money.

FAQ

How long can you keep cow milk in a bottle warmer?

A bottle warmer is the better choice for heating cow milk for the baby since it heats the cow milk evenly against the microwave that does not provide even heating. If the bottle warmer warms the cow milk up to 135 degrees Celsius or 275 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be kept in the bottle warmer for as long as is necessary.

After disconnecting the warmer from a power source, it can take several minutes to return to room temperature.  You can keep the cow milk in it even for a longer period than that.

Can you microwave cow milk for the baby?

Yes, you can microwave cow milk for the baby, but the heating will not be even, which is why the use of a bottle warmer is more preferable to microwave for this purpose.

Bottle warmer or Microwave: Which is the best?

The information above can help you to choose between a microwave and a bottle warmer. This way, you will not make mistakes when choosing between the two.  It will help if you read reviews before you pick any of the products and consider the number of features accessible in that particular brand before buying.