Tommee Tippee Easi-Warm Review

In the early 1960s, three Californian brothers were in the plastic business when they decided to attempt the creation of a spill-resistant cup for toddlers. The original cup had a weighted bottom to keep it from tipping over, and they named the product after their dog, Tommee. Hence the name Tommee Tippee. A British businessman was one of the first to see the value in this product. He took the idea and turned it into a business entirely devoted to baby and toddler products. Today, Tommee Tippee is part of the Mayborn Group, and their feeding accessories are available worldwide.

Performance Comparison

Health and Safety

The Easi-Warm did not perform well in our health and safety tests. These tests are a combination of temperatures at max setting and using the manufacturer's directions. We are looking to see how long before the warmer heats bottle contents over 104F degrees (where nutrition degradation can begin) and when it gets hot enough to potentially burn the user or the baby. Because there is no auto-shutoff, this warmer can continue to heat milk indefinitely until you remove the bottle or turn it off. Combining this with the quickness of heating, you have a higher probability that milk will get too hot quickly. This warmer heated milk to 96F degrees at the hottest setting at 5.5 minutes. It passes 104F around 6 minutes. If you get distracted or forget to set your timer, the temperature of the bottle contents goes up swiftly, and by 12 minutes, it's over 145F degrees! By comparison, some of the competition struggled to even reach body temperature by then.

Warming Efficiency and Consistency

The Easi-Warm is one of the lowest-performing options in our consistency testing. These tests are performed by following manufacturer guidelines, heating the bottles over multiple tests, and comparing the range and consistency of the temperatures. At 6 minutes, the Easi-Warm has a range from 86-111F. This is a range of 25 degrees, which means you really have no idea what the final warming temperature might be. The range doesn't really decrease until almost 9 minutes when the contents were recorded at temperatures from 117-131F. This is a 14-degree range, but no matter how you slice it, they are all too high for safety or nutrition. Overall, we think the lack of consistency means you can't be sure how warm your bottle contents might be, even if you use the same bottle, at the same temperature starting milk, and at the same time.

Quickness of Warming

The Easi-Warm is one of the fastest warmers in the group, and it is the real bright spot for this warmer. We ran tests using the manufacturer's instructions and tracked the temperature of the bottle contents over time. We then repeat the warming over five trials. On average, over five trials, it takes about 6 minutes to reach body temperature (the ideal goal). Some trials got there in 5 minutes! When the water heating the bottle reaches the goal temperature, the light on the dial turns off. This does NOT indicate that the bottle contents are warm. It will turn back on if the water temperature gets too low. You need to set a timer based on the instructions to know when your milk might be warm enough.

Ease of Use

This warmer should be easy to use as it has a limited interface and a very simplistic design, but alas, it is not. The Easi-Warm earned one of the lowest results in the group for ease of use.

The instructions are written in a font that is so small it could be impossible for some parents to read. The heating chart only offers information on Tommee Tippee bottles and sizes that might not directly relate to your own bottles of different sizes or materials. If you aren't using on-brand bottles, you'll have to do some trial and error to determine the best heating settings.

The unit turns on and off to keep the water warm, but there is no auto-shutoff, no timer, and no temperature readings. So, there is really no indicator of when it is done or how long it needs to sit in the chamber to be warm. All you have is the instruction guidelines that recommend times based on oz. Requiring parents to use a separate timer feels like a design flaw and something parents will likely forget to do late at night with a fussy baby. This warmer is a strange combination of extremely straightforward design but difficult to use.

Ease of Cleaning

The Easi-Warm did not score well in our tests for ease of cleaning. The cleaning instructions are in very small font as if an afterthought. While straightforward, of emptying water and wiping the inside, we wonder if this really gets anything clean. The descaling instructions are also quite small and include buying a descaling detergent or using a vinegar solution. The process is not presented that well and is somewhat confusing, and we wonder how well it will work. It first seems to be largely wiping clean but then offers more but not enough to feel confident you are doing it right. The manufacturer's manual states:

It seems to imply that you need a commercial descaler or that the vinegar bottle includes descaling instructions you should follow. We wish they were most straightforward and direct to avoid confusion or doing it wrong.

Should You Buy the Tommee Tippee Easi-Warm?

The Easi-Warm is not the best warmer in the bunch, no matter what your goals might be. While it does heat bottles swiftly, it can easily overheat them, given its simplistic design that includes no auto-shutoff. Because of the ability to overheat bottle contents and disappointing consistency of warming, we think the risk of potentially creating a bottle that is too hot or contents with degraded nutrition. Given the higher price, we think parents aren't getting much bang for their buck, and the risk is not worth the cost.

What Other Bottle Warmer Should You Consider?

Our preferred warmer is the First Years Gentle Warmth Digital because it has a reasonable price, is fairly consistent, and is easy to use and clean. However, if you want the most consistent option for predictable warming that is also somewhat faster, the Baby Brezza Safe and Smart is the best if your budget allows it.

Manufacturer Video