Travel bottle warmers are used for warming up cold bottles of milk when traveling with the baby. They are used in cars, airplanes, restaurants, hotel rooms and amusement parks.
Parents need to realize that portable warmers inevitably have lower performance compared to home units. Lower reliability and longer warming times (15 to 30 minutes) can be expected. Prices range from $10 to $40.
Electric Travel Bottle Warmers
Electric bottle warmers (Sunshine Kids, The First Years, DEX Products, Munchkin) are the most common. Powered from a car's 12 volt lighter socket, they are like a mini electric blanket.
Advantages
- Easy to use
- Can be used many times without running out of power. Practically unlimited power is available from the car battery
- Can be used in the car without having to stop at a rest area. Good for long distance trips on highways
Disadvantages
- Possible to overheat the bottle. Needs to be constantly supervised
- Can only be used in the car
Hot Pack Travel Battery Warmers
Hot pack (heat pack) warmers, such as those from DEX Products, are the reverse of the cold packs used in drinks coolers. A hot pack is placed in an insulated bag together with the bottle.
The hot pack needs to be heated up in boiling water before use. The solid chemical inside the pack turns liquid when boiled. The heat energy is retained in the liquid chemical until activated. This means that even after the liquid cools down, the pack can still heat up.
Clicking a button on the pack gives the liquid a mechanical shock, activating it and causing it to solidify and heat up.
Advantage
- Self-contained, can be used anywhere
Disadvantages
- Preparation (boiling) needed before use
- Limited heating capacity, can be used once until reheated again
- Can be accidentally triggered if the pack is knocked, making it useless when needed later
Butane Travel Bottle Warmers
With butane warmers (such as those from Second Nature) a small flame is used to generate heat to warm up the bottle. They use disposable ("Thermacell") butane cartridges.
Advantages
- High capacity, can warm about 20 bottles per cartridge
- More portable than electric warmers
Disadvantages
- Use of a flame means that it is unsuitable for some situations (on an airplane, in a sealed up car)
- Needs constant resupply of hard-to-find butane cartridges
Home Bottle Warmers For Traveling
An inverter can be used to convert a car's 12 volt DC to 120 or 240 volts AC. This means that a standard home bottle warmer can be run off a car's lighter socket. Some home warmers have purpose-built inverter adapters (from the manufacturer) for use in cars.
However most car circuits can deliver a maximum of only 100 watts, so only low power heaters can be used.
Advantages
- Good performance and high reliability
Disadvantages
- Should only be used when car is stationary, because hot water can spill out, causing a mess
- Possible to overload the lighter circuit and blow a fuse
- Inverters can create a lot of electrical noise, possibly damaging the bottle warmer's electronics
The Best Travel Battery Warmer
Whatever the type of travel warmer used, it is a good idea to test it out a few times before setting off for a trip.
A vacuum flask of hot water and a suitable water container makes a good backup warmer in case the travel warmer fails. Most airplanes and restaurants will also be happy to provide a cup of hot water.
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