I will remember to turn it off........ (Avent Bottle Warmer)

Member Name: jens26

Product:	Avent Bottle Warmer
Date:	05/12/04 (1440 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy To Use, Safest Way to Warm Bottles

Disadvantages: No Off Switch

I bought our Avent Bottle warmer second hand when I has pregnant with my son, I was not sure how much I would be using one as I was planning on breastfeeding for as long as possible but for £2.50 I couldn’t say no.

****Cost****

As I have said I bought mine second hand, but I have just checked on various websites and Toys R Us are selling the Avent brand for £17.99, Mothercare are selling their brand for £17.99 and Boots are selling their brand for £17.99 – so for once the shop makes are not cheaper. I would recommend shopping around though as I do recall seeing this bottle warmer on sale for as much as £25.

****What is it?****

This may seem obvious but the bottle warmer is used to heat up milk or another liquid in a bottle and also baby foods that are in a suitable container. It is recommended that you do not use a microwave to heat up baby milk and food as this can cause heat spots which can burn a baby’s mouth – just think when you heat up foot in the microwave how un-evenly it warms it, one part of the food may be bubbling away while another part is cold.

The main things that attracted me to this particular bottle warmer (apart from the price!) was the fact that it could hold the wider Avent bottles, also the Avent brand – I had heard a lot of good feedback about their products and best of all it looked easy to use.

****How to use it****

To use you simply plug the warmer into the electric socket, put the bottle into the top of the warmer and add water into the same hole that the bottle is in so that the water comes just above the level of the fluid in the bottle. There is a dial on the front with the numbers 1,2 and 3 that you turn depending on how hot you want the milk and the size of the bottle. As a general rule the first two settings are for a very small bottle and the top setting is for large bottles and food. There is a light on the front that goes on when you turn the power on at the mains (there is on on/off switch on the actual bottle warmer) and the light goes off as the water reaches a certain temperature – this does not mean however that the bottle is at the correct temperature it is just a guide.

The amount of time that the bottle or food takes to heat up depends firstly on how much liquid there is to heat up and secondly what temperature it was when you started i.e. has it just come out of the fridge or is it room temperature? As a guide there is a sticker on the side of the warmer that gives you an idea, like a large bottle to be heated to 20 c would take 4 mins on number 3. I have found that it is best just to jeep checking and you will get used to how long it takes. I have found that food does take a very long time to heat up and you do have to keep stirring to evenly warm it.

****Maintenance****

The only maintenance involved with the bottle warmer is that depending on how hard the water is in your area every so often you need to de-scale it, where I live this means about every month as the water is so hard. The de-scaling sachets are available in Boots and Mothercare and it is really simple to do and these contain no chemicals.

****Good Bits****

It is really simple to use, it takes most sizes of bottles and it is really hardwearing and reliable. As I said I bought mine second hand and I didn’t really start using it on a regular basis until my son was 6 months old as I was breast feeding up to this point. I used it until he was a year old on a daily basis and it still looks as new and I have had no problems with it.

****Bad Bits****

I have asked around a few people who have also used this bottle warmer and they have all said the same thing to me - there is no off switch. As most things seem to either automatically turn off or have an off switch I have lost count of the times that I have forgotten to turn it off at the mains and remembered in a panic an hours later and the warmer is boiling dry – just shows how hard wearing it is though as it is still working!

One other small point I have found as my son got older is that you can’t put beakers with handles in it as it is not wide enough, this is not a major issue though.

****Overall****

I am not sure that it good value for money or not at £17.99, it is certainly very handy but does the same job as a jug of boiling water so depends on how much you want one. Its great for at night as if you leave water in ready you haven’t got to go downstairs and boil up the kettle.

Overall I am glad I have the Avent Bottle warmer and I would recommend it to other parents but I would not say that it is an essential item.

I think I have covered every thing but if you have any questions please ask.

Thanks for reading my review.

Jens x

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