This article about the Best Travel Bottle Warmers was written by baby travel expert Celine Brewer and may contain affiliate links.
When it comes to feeding, all babies have their own preferences. While some will happily drink their milk cold, others will scrunch up their little noses at even the thought of something not the perfect warm temperature.
How do you warm a baby bottle when traveling?
The easiest way to warm a baby bottle when traveling is by using a portable bottle warmer. With several options to choose from, new parents have the choice of going high tech or keeping it simple. If your baby needs milk at the perfect temperature, then one of these baby bottle warmers for travel will become one of your baby travel essentials.
My Top Picks for Travel Baby Bottle Warmers
I know you don’t always have time to read the full article, so here are my top picks for the best bottle warmers for travel:
Overall Best Travel Bottle Warmer:
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Portable Travel Baby Bottle Warmer – The most highly rated and easiest to use. The Tommee Tippee bottle warmer is ideal for travel!
Best Battery Operated Travel Bottle Warmer:
The Baby’s Brew – If you want a battery operated bottle warmer instead of searching for hot water, the Baby’s Brew is the best option.
What You’ll Find in this Article on the Best Travel Bottle Warmers:
Best Travel Baby Bottle Warmers
Granted, on a spectrum of “must-haves” to “nice-to-haves,” a baby bottle warmer for travel can seem like one of those accessories that lies somewhere in the middle. If your baby insists on having warm milk, then a travel baby bottle warmer will be a lifesaver during a vacation with a baby.
Here are the best portable baby bottle warmers for travel:
The Baby's Brew Portable Bottle Warmer
The Baby Brew portable bottle warmer (read our full review) is ideal for travel. It's a battery-powered bottle warmer that can heat your baby's bottle to the perfect temperature. The set comes with both a formula dispenser for formula fed babies, but for mom's who breastfeed you can purchase the bottle warmer only.
Not needing an electrical outlet or even a power bank, allows parents to easily feed baby on-the-go. Just make sure it's fully charged each night and it will hold that charge for 8-12 hours.
With a slow heat technology and four different heat settings, you can rest assured you'll get the right temperature without any dangerous hot spots in the milk all within 5-10 minutes.
Note: This unit comes with the charging cord but it also requires a 3A power adapter that does not come with the unit. You can also purchase bottle adapters or the formula dispenser separately.
Use code BABYCANTRAVEL15 for a discount!
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Portable Travel Baby Bottle Warmer
The best rated baby bottle warmer for travel, this no-bells-and-whistles bottle warmer will show you that sometimes (actually, most times) simplicity is the best way to go. With no need for a power bank or cords, this is one of the best travel bottle warmer options!
Designed based on the principles of water-beds, the Tommee Tippee travel bottle warmer has a thermal flask that will hold your hot water. When ready, pour the water in the container to warm up your baby bottle or baby food. The large container will major bottle brands.
Baby Cub - 3 in 1 Portable Baby Bottle Warmer
With multiple temperature settings that work to get that just right temperature for your baby, the Baby Cub travel bottle warmer is another great option.
It has manual temperature adjustments and a travel formula dispenser. So regardless if your baby is breastfed or formula fed, this portable baby bottle warmer will work for you!
It will work with many major bottle brands out of the box but it also has adapters for other baby bottles. You'll get a travel bag, the formula dispenser and the USB charge cable with the Baby Cub.
Kiinde Kozii Voyager Travel Bottle Warmer
This product is one of the most sought-after baby bottle warmers for traveling by car or flying with a baby. While many automobiles and flights have USB ports, they’re more often than not occupied. Plus, not everyone drives the latest model, which is why this simple, no-electricity warmer makes sense.
All you need to do is fill up the innovative triple wall, vacuum insulated, stainless steel container with boiling water. It acts as a water bath and keeps your milk bottles at the desired temperature for hours. The fact that this bottle warmer fits perfectly into most cup holders and diaper bags only makes it more accessible as well as a space saver.
The warmer is equipped with two different sizes of cups too, allowing you to heat up a bottle and warm up a container of baby food at the same time.
Befano 2022 PRO Portable Bottle Warmer
With a rechargeable battery that enables a longer than average operating time, there's no wondering why this stylish high-tech baby travel bottle warmer is one of the most luxurious on our list. This traveling baby bottle warmer allows you to heat the milk in your baby bottle directly rather than through the use of water, making it easier to achieve the perfect temperature.
In addition to monitoring the milk's temperature in real-time, the sensitive temperature control sensor also ensures it doesn't overheat or remain frozen. This helps take care of your baby's digestive system. This baby bottle warmer for car, picnics, camping or travel offers 4 temperature settings to choose from and takes just 4 minutes to heat 4 oz. of milk to a 104 °F.
And that's not all! This baby bottle travel warmer even maintains it at that temperature for about 12 hours with the help of the 35W power output.
Papablic Mini Portable Baby Bottle Warmer
A true space-saving essential; this on the go baby bottle warmer has a simple and convenient design that easily tucks away into your diaper bag. The provided thermos does a great job at retaining the temperature of the hot water inside of it for at least 6-8 hours and works efficiently to evenly warm your baby’s milk.
Note that while this warmer does fit most major bottle brands, its compact design and narrow mouth prevent it from being compatible with the wider bottles in the market like Tommee Tippee bottles.
98° Digital Munchkin Travel Bottle Warmer
This Munchkin travel bottle warmer has no trouble heating either breast milk or formula to 98.6 °F every time and holding it at that temperature for 30 minutes. This means adios to the confusing water tanks and thousands of measurements! The package includes 4 adaptors in order to ensure it fits every major nursing bottle out there.
Quick and easy to use; screw on your bottle of choice and heat your milk uniformly with ease.
The only thing that knocks off a point for this electric bottle warmer is that the unit does need to be plugged in and it does not come with a battery backup in case of USB incompatibility. Its small size and precise mechanisms, however, still make it a great option for hotel stays where electricity is easily and readily available.
Types of Portable Baby Bottle Warmers
Portable baby bottle warmers heat milk in a hassle-free way and are designed to work well for different situations and environments. Most baby bottle warmers for travel use hot water while some others use induction heat to warm the milk directly either with a built-in battery pack or USB charging cable.
Hot Water Travel Bottle Warmer
If you don’t want to worry about cables and electricity while on the go, this is the kind of back-to-basics, hassle-free travel bottle warmer you want. A lot of parents prefer this on-the-go bottle warmer as it allows them to prepare their baby’s bottle in advance.
This type of portable bottle warmers securely stores hot water to use to heat your baby’s bottle. These can also be used as baby travel food warmers!
Water baths also ensure gradual and uniform heating of milk so as not to modify its natural properties. Plus, nothing beats its versatility. You can use yours to heat up frozen breast milk, food packets, or even warm up your coffee!
Baby Bottle Warmer with USB, Battery or Plug
In situations where the milk bottle hasn’t been pre-heated or where there isn’t a provision for it to be heated through a hot water bath, electric or battery-operated baby bottle warmers prove to be more convenient.
An in car bottle warmer works quicker making them ideal for cold milk bottles or preparing baby formula and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Compact enough to carry in your baby’s diaper bag, a car bottle warmer is preferred by parents whose first priority is efficiency. Just hook it into a car charger, power plug, or a mobile power bank and you’ll be ready to go! They’re the perfect companion for road trips with a baby.
Features of the Best Portable Bottle Warmers for Travel
If you are one of those parents who has a bottle warming station at home, you might be wondering if it’s really necessary to buy a dedicated baby bottle warmer for travel. The answer is yes!
The key difference between the two is that the former needs an electrical outlet while most portable bottle warmers are either USB compatible, quipped with a battery pack or require hot water in a thermal flask. This, along with their compact size is what really makes them portable in the truest sense. Below are the features to look for in the best travel baby bottle warmer for your family.
Compactness and bottle compatibility
While nursing bottles do come in a variety of shapes and sizes, most popular brands follow some sort of standard sizing system which makes it convenient to find a compatible baby bottle warmer. Some travel bottle warmers also come with adapters for wider/narrower bottles that break the standard as well, so knowing the exact dimensions of your baby bottles will come in handy when deciding on which to buy.
Keep in mind that no matter the size of your warmer, you want it to be constructed in a way that makes it compact and easy to stow away in your backpack diaper bag for travel.
Ease of cleaning
The best bottle warmers should mostly be made up of washable/wipeable and leakproof components to make clean-up hygienic and free of hassle. This proves especially useful during travel when the opportunities to conduct a deep clean might be few and far between.
Don’t forget a compact bottle drying rack to make all your bottle cleaning a little easier!
Length of warming time
Travel, no matter how planned out, is always unpredictable when with a baby. One thing you can and should be able to control is food and feeding times, which is why having a baby bottle warmer that takes 45 minutes to heat up your milk is an absolute no-go. Most of the bottle warmers on our list have a warm-up time between 10 and 15 minutes, which is the ideal amount of time you want to look for.
Technical requirements
Different bottle warmers have different specifications and hence have their own set of requirements.
- Diaper bag bottle warmers require the milk in the feeding bottles to be preheated before placing them in the insulated compartments. They will also require a power bank hooked up to the inner USB port of the bag.
- Thermos-type bottle warmers require water that is hot in the thermal flask. This type of warmer does not require electricity and hence does not come with any pesky cables or plugs.
- Electric or battery-operated bottle warmers need to be connected to a power supply/ power bank in order to start heating your bottle. Some need have a rechargeable battery so you can leave the cords behind for the day. These typically have multiple heat settings to get the right temperature.
Other Baby Travel Gear
Pin It For Later!
This post was written & edited by:
Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.
Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.