Beaba BabyMilk Review
The Skinny
Compare to Similar Products
This Product
Beaba BabyMilk | |||||
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Awards | |||||
Price | $65 List | $58 List $35.99 at Amazon | $75 List $74.99 at Amazon | $35 List | $26 List $18.97 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Auto shutoff, audible beep | Simple to operate, versatile, consistent temperatures | Water bath, user-friendly, versatile, timer in minutes | Simple, safe, keep bottle warm for up to an hour | Inexpensive, travel friendly, easy to use |
Cons | Hard to use, strange lid design, potential for steam injuries | Average heat time, frequent maintenece | Expensive, no end of cycle beep, multiple cleaning steps | Slower | No auto-shutoff, only works for one bottle |
Bottom Line | Strangely designed warmer with increased chances for steam related burns | Bottle warmer with average heating time, but safe and effective for breastmilk | Consistent, simple, and works with any bottle | Excellent value with a simple design that is easy to use | An innovative way for on-the-go families to heat baby's milk |
Rating Categories | Beaba BabyMilk | Tommee Tippee 3-in-... | Kiinde Kozii | Chicco NaturalFit | Tommee Tippee Trave... |
Warming Efficiency (25%) | |||||
Ease Of Use (30%) | |||||
Health/Safety (40%) | |||||
Ease of Cleaning (5%) | |||||
Specs | Beaba BabyMilk | Tommee Tippee 3-in-... | Kiinde Kozii | Chicco NaturalFit | Tommee Tippee Trave... |
Heat Technology | Steam | Water Bath | Water Bath | Water Bath | Water Bath |
Temp or Timer Based | Timer | Timer | Timer | Temperature | N/A |
Auto Shut Off | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Audible Beep | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Water Resevoir | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Wide Bottle Capacity | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compatible w/ Glass | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compatible w/ Breast Pump Bags | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Time to Warm to 99F | 12:00 min:sec | 7:40 min:sec | 12:00 min:sec | 9:15 min:sec | 5:38 min:sec |
Wait Time Between Warmings | In the event of a subsequent heating cycle within an hour, heating time must be reduced | Not listed | If Kozii feels warm around the base (from recent use), decrease warming time by 30 seconds. | Allow bottle warmer to cool completely (approx 30 min) | None |
Dimensions | 10.5"H x 5.25"L x 4.75"W | 7.5"H x 6"L x 5"W | 6"H x 6.4"L x 4.7"W | 6"H x 5.5"L x 5.25"W | 7.75"H x 3.5"L x 3.5"W |
Temp. & Time at Auto Shut-Off w/ Warmer Chart Recommended Setting (4oz Refrig. Milk in Glass w/ Silicone Sleeve) | 2:30 min:sec 76F | 5:00 min:sec 86F | 5:30 min:sec 79F | 9:00 min:sec 94F | NA |
Max Temp if Left in Warmer 12 minutes | 108F | 109F | 94F | 104F | 111F |
Our Analysis and Test Results
BÉABA (bay-ah-buh) is over 25 years old and creates French-designed baby products. The company launched with a steam cooker and blender to make baby food and grew into gear that includes multiple items from feeding to apparel.
Performance Comparison
Health and Safety
The BabyMilk earned a slightly above average score for health and safety thanks in part to the steam technology it uses. Steam offers a higher potential for burn-related injuries over water bath warmers. Following the instructions for this unit yields safe content temperatures even if the bottle remains in the chamber for up to 12 minutes after the heat cycle ends. With a final temperature of 92F at 12 minutes, it is still below body temperature, which is good. When cranked to the maximum heat potential outside the manufacturer's guidelines, it can produce a bottle with contents as warm as 123F, which is significantly over the 104F temperature when breastmilk starts losing nutrients.
Ease of Use
The BabyMilk has some challenging features, earning it a decent score in the ease of use metric. This unit has an average user guide and an automatic shut-off with an audible beep that indicates when the heat cycle is over.
This warmer has an easy to see fill line, even though it is under the bottom plate. However, the instructions can be confusing if your bottle or contents don't conform to the chart. For example, our 4-ounce glass bottle was not on the chart. We also feel that this model has a higher chance of spilling and injury due to the strange design and difficulty putting the top on. We regularly struggled with putting the lid on and getting it lined up correctly, making it harder to use.
Warming Efficiency
The BabyMilk isn't as efficient as other steam warmers, earning it a slightly above average ranking for warming efficiency. While it heats quickly (using the instructions) for a single cycle with a shut-off at 2:30 minutes, the bottle contents are only 71F. When used at maximum settings outside the instructions, it still only reaches 77F. While it is nice that it isn't too hot, it also isn't that close to body temperature, which is the ideal temp for feeding.
Never feed your baby a bottle without first checking the temperature to ensure it isn't too hot. It's essential that you swirl the bottle before testing to mix in any potential hot spots. Place a few drops on the inside of your wrist; the liquid should be warm but not hot. The inside of your wrist is more sensitive than your finger and a better indicator of heat.
If you need to heat a second bottle right away, you should reduce the heating time to avoid overheating the contents. This reduction could take some trial and error to get it right.
Ease of Cleaning
The BabyMilk has some cleaning challenges with a fairish score for this metric in our tests. The steam cover and basket are dishwasher safe, and regular wiping with a clean, dry cloth is suitable for daily maintenance. Every 50 cycles, this unit needs to be descaled, which could be as often as every ten days if you heat bottles an average of 5 times per day. This cleaning is significantly more frequent than other warmers with an every month schedule. The descaling can also take overnight if the mineral deposits are resistant. Overnight soaking means you'll be without your warmer when you may need it the most.
Manufacturer's Video
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