On The Fly Bottle Warmer

What bottle-feeding mama hasn’t become frustrated trying to find a way to warm a bottle while away from home at some point or another?
When the P&N staff asked me if I could review an On the Fly bottle warmer for them, I almost jumped for joy. Since I haven’t had a lot of luck with other on-the-go bottle warmers, I was all for trying out a new one in hopes that it might actually work … but I was also a bit skeptical.
So, here’s what I thought: First off, I have to say that the On the Fly warmer is a lot cuter than all the others I’ve tried. (I know that I should be more concerned with how well it works, but well, cuteness does matter!) It’s a small, portable bottle warming system that is simple to use—you simply slide your bottle into the fabric sleeve, and then attach the warmer and fold the fabric back down over it. (You have to pull the sleeve up over the bottle and then slide it back down after the warmer is in place, but it’s seriously incredibly easy to do. Even my 4-year old could do it! And no, she’s not the one drinking the bottles.)
According to On the Fly’s website, the warmer “is intended to slowly heat and maintain a tepid temperature for water with mixed formula or premixed formula.” It’s nice because it’s truly hassle-free—no electricity, no unnecessary pieces—and it actually did work for us. I love that it holds its heat for up to eight hours, so the same warmer can be used on multiple bottles—you can bet this little baby will be traveling with us when we fly out to California to see my husband’s family for Thanksgiving. I imagine that it will be a dream come true on the airplane (for both my family and the flight attendant who won’t have to cart hot water back and forth for us every time my little guy gets hungry).
One thing to note is that it can take up to 30 minutes for the bottle to warm, so you have to plan ahead. If baby is hungry NOW, that’s a long time to wait for a bottle to warm up, so you might be requesting that bowl of warm water after all. But since my son is on a pretty good schedule, I know about when he’s going to need to eat and can begin heating his formula in advance.
Also be aware that On the Fly warmers cannot be used with bottles that use liners (like Playtex Drop-Ins) and that the packaging recommends consulting a pediatrician before using to heat breast milk, so it might not be for everyone. But it is made to accommodate both regular-sized and bigger bottles—think BornFree, AVENT, etc.—and it also fits most glass bottles, so it definitely is a good option for most bottle-feeding moms. And it comes in two sizes, Large and Small, so you can get the right fit for both 4- and 8-oz. bottles.
So what’s my final take? I like it! It worked great for us, and I plan to use it quite a bit through my baby’s bottle-feeding days.
Price: $30-$35
Buy it: ontheflybottle.com