How to Use Bottle Warmer: Proven Ways to Exercise Safety
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Are you experiencing difficulty keeping the milk bottle hot at the ideal temperature? Do you feel overwhelmed by your baby screams whenever he is hungry and there is no warm milk available? Are you scared of your baby getting a tummy ache?
After answering all these questions, are you thinking about buying a bottle warmer? Well, one of the things that some parents rely on is the bottle warmer while some parents never touch it at all because they prefer other methods of heating the bottle.
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Personally, I love using the bottle warmer because it is convenient and my baby is very particular with his milk having the right temperature. Even when my family travels, I bring the bottle warmer with us because it saves my day.
I am aware that one of the reasons why some mothers avoid using this device is because they aren’t sure how to use the bottle warmer appropriately and safely - and that is what we are going to talk about in this article.
Different Ways of Heating Breast Milk or Formula
When breast milk needs to be warm, most mothers have various methods in place. Let us check out each method and their potential uses.
Microwave
Heating a formula in the microwave is not recommended. There are two reasons why it is not advisable to heat formula or breast milk in the microwave.
Reason 1: Microwave kills the nutrients
Does microwave kill the nutrients? This reason is scientifically baseless unless the milk bottle is left in the microwave for a long time.
Reason 2: Microwave develops hot spots
What is the significance of reason #2? Well, if your microwave the breast milk or formula, the microwave has an uneven way of heating, thus developing hot spots. This simply means that the formula may be too hot at the center and lukewarm on the sides. These hot spots can cause scalding.
Warm Running Water
For mothers who always prefer the safer side of things, heating the formula or breast milk under warm water is safer and more practical than using a microwave. With warm running water, you can prevent your baby’s mouth from burning.
Hot Bowl of Water
Putting the breast milk or formula bottle in a hot bowl of water is also an effective means of heating. However, extra caution is necessary. Make sure before giving the bottle to your baby, the external surface is cool.
Using a hot bowl of water is free but can be extremely inconvenient. Because it is a bowl, the heat evaporates easily thus leaving the bottle slightly heated. By the time your baby is hungry, you will need to prepare the hot bowl of water again.
Why Do You Need Bottle Warmers?
As parents, we juggle with lots of responsibilities. The to-do-list goes on and on especially to secure the safety and comfort of our babies. At their age, they are highly delicate and need extra care and attention to every single thing which builds their foundation and promotes their healthy development.
The innovativeness of some companies has made the lives of mothers easier and simpler. Bottle warmers are among the products manufactured by established companies to help moms feed their little ones on time.
If you want to make your life simpler, then, bottle warmers are a big help. Feeding babies, particularly the infants, is a daunting task because they demand milk every time. Hence, to reduce the efforts of getting up, warming the bottle, and feeding the baby, bottle warmers will save you time and energy.
How about putting the bottle warmer in your room so you can have available warm milk all the time? Well sure! That is always possible if you intend to utilize the bottle warmer for heating your baby’s milk.
The Pros and Cons of Using Bottle Warmers
Just like most products, bottle warmers have their advantages and disadvantages. By knowing the pros and cons, you will enjoy the uses of the products and avoid activities that can damage them.
The Pros
HANDY
Bottle warmers are compact and light and can be carried anywhere. Whether you are traveling or going out to work, bottle warmers will always be there to save the day. Some bottle warmers make use of outlets or batteries. Those that utilize outlets allow you to charge it anytime. Other bottle warmers have an outlet which you can plug on the cigarette lighter of your car.
UNIFORMITY IS THE KEY
When you warm up the formula or breast milk on the stove, you may have probably observed that some part is warm and another part is cool. This is uneven heating and would not be good for the baby because it can lead to uneasiness in the stomach.
Heating a formula or breast milk in the microwave does not also guarantee that the milk is going to stay warm all the way. There will be parts that are not going to be warm enough. Bottle warmers offer uniform heating no matter what the temperature is.
NO ROOM FOR LONG WAITING
When you heat the breast milk or formula in a microwave or stove, you will most likely check it now and then to make sure that the liquid is heating. When you use the stove, heating the bottle takes time.
Bottle warmers work to speed up the milk warming, thereby enabling you to save a lot of time. Bottle warmers can sustain the warmth of your baby’s milk for long periods at a constant temperature.
TEMPERATURE INCREASING GRADUALLY AT A CONSTANT TEMPERATURE
When milk s exposed to extreme temperatures, it can easily lead to spoilage. Hence, compared to a stove, it is better to utilize bottle warmers. One significant aspect of this device is its ability to maintain the milk at a constant temperature. The temperature usually increases to heat the milk gradually and uniformly.
LOOKING FOR STORAGE, NO PROBLEM!
That’s right! Bottle warmers function as storage for milk bottles and can maintain the temperature even for long hours. If you wish to store your baby’s milk for later use, bottle warmers make that possible for you. When milk is stored at a constant temperature, it does not spoil easily.
The Cons
BOTTLE MELTING
When you purchase bottle warmers that have poor qualities, they can get hot easily, thereby melting the bottle itself.
NOT ENOUGH WARMTH
Some mothers complain that the milk they placed on their bottle warmers does not warm up easily or all the way through. The temperature is not appropriate for the milk bottle, and it gives them so much stress, particularly when their babies are already screaming in hunger.
TAKES TOO LONG TO WARM UP
One of the complaints that parents also have about bottle warmers is the time it takes to warm up. Some bottle warmers take too long to warm the milk up at an appropriate temperature. Manufacturers of bottle warmers claim that it takes four to nine minutes to heat up the bottle. Nonetheless, that depends on the model or type of bottle warmer being utilized.
Types of Bottle Warmers
Before we discuss how to use the bottle warmer, it would be good to familiarize ourselves with the different types of bottle warmers.
Standard Bottle Warmer
The standard bottle warmer is the most common model of bottle warmers that can hold one milk bottle. At first, you need to place the bottle in the middle of the warmer and top off the bottle warmer with water before turning it on.
One of the basic components of a standard bottle warmer is that it lights off the moment the milk achieves the best possible temperature. It likewise incorporates a regulator that maintains the water temperature. Some mothers encourage others to purchase a bottle warmer that has a timer feature on it.
Car Bottle Warmers
Car bottle warmers have a component which you connect to the cigarette lighter of your car or a power socket so that you can heat up the food or milk of your baby. The drawback with this kind of bottle warmer is that it takes a couple of minutes before it heats up; making your baby scream because of a grumbling tummy.
Feeding-system Bottle Warmers
This type of bottle warmer works better than the standard bottle warmer. A feeding-system type can warm up the milk and has a feature that allows to cool down the bottles accordingly, making everything ready for warming.
Flask Types
Flask types of bottle warmers are similar to a thermos. All that is required is to fill the container with boiling water and put the cover to avoid spillage. When warming the milk bottle, put the container inside, and sit tight for a couple of minutes before it warms up. The great thing about flask types bottle warmers is that the water maintains the hotness for long hours.
Portable Bottle Warmers
The portable bottle warmers are the simplest type of warmers. If you are traveling, you can heat up your baby’s milk easily. Nonetheless, it will take a longer time to warm up the filled container compared to other models of bottle warmers.
Safety Instructions Before Using Bottle Warmers
Before using any device, it is important to consider the safety instructions to avoid any untoward accidents. Here are some safety procedures you need to follow.
Read and follow the instructions carefully:
- When there are kids near you, closely supervise the use of the appliance.
- Precautions must be exercised before moving the bottle warmer with hot liquids.
- To use the plug cord, disconnect the appliance or unplug the cord from the outlet.
- Reduce the risk of tripping over or entanglement by using a short power cord.
- When in use, the bottle warmer has hot water in it. Take extra caution to avoid spillage or splashing of water when discarding the contents of the container.
- Bottle warmers have a polarized plug. To lower the risk of possible electric shock, the polarized plug is designed to fit into the outlet in only one way. Should the plug fail to fit into the outlet, try reversing it. If it still fails to fit, contact a licensed electrician.
- Before giving your baby his milk, make sure it is at a safe temperature. Unplug the cord. Never leave the cord with your baby’s reach.
- Always shake the milk bottle to prevent injury. Check the temperature of the milk before serving it to your baby.
- Avoid touching the surfaces because they may be hot. Allow the surfaces to cool before touching them. Protect yourself from electrical shock by not immersing the device or the power cord and plug in any liquid or water.
- Take off the plug from the socket when not using the bottle warmer. Remove plug when taking off the parts and before cleaning and let the device cool down.
- Avoid using the bottle warmers with damaged plug or cord or following any malfunction.
- Avoid using when the bottle warmer has been damaged or dropped. Bring the appliance to a service facility for repair or examination or mechanical and electrical adjustment.
- The use of attachments or accessories not suggested by the manufacturer may result in injuries.
- Avoid using outdoors.
- Avoid letting the cord hang over the counter or edge of the table, or come into contact with hot surfaces.
- Avoid placing the bottle warmers near an electric burner or a hot gas or even in a heated oven.
- Avoid using an extension cord with bottle warmers.
- Avoid using the bottle warmer other than what it is designed for use.
- Avoid modifying the plug.
- Avoid using glass bottles because sudden temperature change can cause it to break.
- Avoid placing your hand in the warming chamber.
How to Use Bottle Warmers
Before using any bottle warmer, make sure not to plug it until there is water in it.
- Fill the bottle with water by determining how much water you will need to heat the bottle. Remove the tube from the back of the warmer and pour water into the compartment.
- Put the large basket in the warming compartment.
For bottles with wide mouth
Put the container into the big warming basket.
For standard reusable
Put the adapter ring in the large basket. Make sure that the top edges are flush. Put the milk bottle into the bottle warmer.
For disposable bottles
Utilize the lift-out basket and avoid using the adapter ring. Put the bottle into the lift-out basket and the large basket.
- Plug the cord into the receptacle and switch the power button ON. When it starts to light up, it means that the bottle warmer has already started the heating process.
- Wait for the light to turn off as this indicates that the warming up cycle is over. The bottle warmer shuts off automatically. Remove the milk bottle quickly so that heating discontinues. Since the bottle is hot, allow at least a minute for it to cool down. Adjust the quantity of water next time if the bottle is too warm. If it is not warm enough, then use less water next time. Make the necessary adjustments to achieve the appropriate temperature.
Here is a more detailed illustration of how to use the bottle warmer:
Conclusion
Purchasing a bottle warmer is one of the wisest and most practical decisions you can make. With bottle warmers, you can save time and energy and carry it around wherever you go. Bottle warmers are also excellent in making sure that your baby’s milk does not spoil easily and the temperature is maintained.
If you are thinking how to use the bottle warmer, always remember to take extra cautions before using it and follow the suggested steps in this article.
Did you find this article helpful? Share with us your tips on how to use bottle warmer more conveniently.
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