It may seem obvious, but it’s important to thoroughly read your bottle warmer’s instructions before using it. The last thing you want is to accidentally feed your baby scalding or still-cold milk. (BestReviews)

One of the simplest ways to warm bottles is to use a baby bottle warmer. Many of them can also be used to warm baby food. Some of them can cost $100 or more, but you don’t need to spend that much to get a quality product.

The best budget baby bottle warmer is the Philips Avent Fast Baby Bottle Warmer. It warms evenly and only takes minutes to get to room temperature.

Budget baby bottle warmers come in several varieties but some of the most common are:

Budget baby bottle warmers typically only heat one bottle at a time. Some warmers can heat two bottles at once, or one bottle while sanitizing small items such as pacifiers if it’s the sanitizing type. Larger capacities might be outside your budget.

Most budget baby bottle warmers don’t take up much more counter space than the bottle does. Others can take up a considerable amount of space, especially if they’re large-capacity. You should have options, even on a tight budget.

When your baby is crying from hunger, every second lasts an eternity. The best warmers understand this and warm bottles as fast as possible. The best typically need roughly three minutes with some of the slowest needing as long as 10-plus minutes.

Baby bottle warmers can generate enough heat to cause some damage, a fact that makes reaching inside to remove your bottle somewhat dangerous. As such, the best warmers have baskets with a lip on the outside you can use to lift the contents out without risk.

Newborns need to eat roughly every two or three hours. That means you’ll need to feed them multiple times during the darkest part of the night. As such, the best warmers include lights so they’re easier to see and operate.

Auto shut-off is the best setting to have since it prevents overheating. Some warmers stop heating based on a timer, others stop when it detects the milk at a set temperature or when the water reservoir runs low.

Bottle warmers, in general, can easily exceed $100. As such, budget warmers for most people top out at $50. You can also find them for less than $20 if your budget is strict.

A. Not always. Most budget warmers have universal chambers, meaning most types and sizes of bottles should fit without issue. Many of these universal chambers can also fit baby food jars so you can still get some use out of it once your baby grows out of milk.

That said, it doesn’t hurt to play it safe and buy the matching warmer for your bottle.

A. That depends on the warmer, but generally speaking, it's as easy as scrubbing with some soap and water. If you use hard water, you may need to use a mixture of vinegar and water to get rid of mineral deposits.

Double-check your warmer’s instructions for specifics, and also take note of how often it needs to be cleaned. Some warmers need cleaning after every use while others can go a few days between cleanings.

Philips Avent Fast Baby Bottle Warmer: available at Amazon and Buy Buy Baby

Our take: This heats quickly and can also warm up baby food.

What we like: It takes as little as three minutes to warm five ounces of milk. It uses a three-light indicator system so you can gauge how far along it is at a glance. It's also compatible with most baby bottle brands.

What we dislike: It doesn't have a timer nor does it have an auto shut-off feature, so it can overheat your milk if you don't see the light ring's completion.

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Travel Baby Bottle Warmer: available at Amazon and Buy Buy Baby

Our take: This warmer is both the most budget-friendly and the simplest to use.

What we like: It's essentially a small thermos with a plastic sleeve on top; you fill the thermos with boiling water and pour some into the sleeve to warm your bottle. The thermos can keep water hot for hours and the sleeve is wide enough to fit any bottle.

What we dislike: A few customers had issues with leaking thermoses. Others had issues with rusting. It's a little too large to keep in small diaper bags.

Chicco Digital Bottle And Baby Food Jar Warmer: available at Amazon and Buy Buy Baby

Our take: This bottle is surprisingly advanced for the cost.

What we like: You can select the starting temperature of your bottle from frozen, refrigerated and room temperature, and you can also select from four bottle sizes. It has a timer and an auto shut-off feature, plus the display is illuminated.

What we dislike: Several purchasers reported that it can be difficult to keep clean, but others reported the opposite. It's light enough to slide around when trying to push the buttons.

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Jordan C. Woika is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

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