In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

First Years Gentle Warmth Digital Review

A competitive warmer for a lower price with lots of features and setting that doesn't overheat contents
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first years gentle warmth digital bottle warmer review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $28 List
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Manufacturer:   TOMY
By Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz  ⋅  Apr 2, 2024
71
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#3 of 11
  • Health and Safety - 35% 8.7
  • Warming Efficiency and Consistency - 25% 7.0
  • Quickness of Warming - 20% 4.0
  • Ease of Use - 15% 7.7
  • Ease of Cleaning - 5% 7.2

The Skinny

The First Years Gentle Warmth Digital is a top-ranked bottle warmer with many settings and features. It did a great job in our tests of not overheating contents and thereby protecting the nutritional content of the bottles. It has a very affordable price for those on a budget, and it is easy to use and clean. This warmer is slow, really slow. And whether you wait for auto-shutoff or continue heating it beyond this point, it is a struggle to get it over 98F degrees. On the one hand, this means less risk of contents that are too hot, and on the other, it means planning ahead and potentially soothing a little one for ten minutes or more while you wait. We did find that with some trial and error, we found setting outside the manufacturer's recommendations to get the contents warmer, but it was still a long time in the process. However, despite this, we love the price, ease of use, and ease of cleaning of the Gentle Warmth. We think the consistency of the settings to warm the contents trumps the speed. These details make it one we'd recommend to a friend.
REASONS TO BUY
Doesn't overheat
Many settings
Affordable
Multiple features
REASONS TO AVOID
Slower
Finagling to find best settings
Editor's Note: The Gentle Warmth is part of a new update in testing bottle warmers. This update launched on March 29, 2024.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Best Value Award Editors' Choice Award    
Price $28 List
$30.99 at Amazon
$60 List
$59.30 at Amazon
$22 List$22 List
$19.75 at Amazon
$39 List
$17.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line The lower price, features, and multiple settings are appealingA higher-price warmer that is easy to use and can heat consecutive bottles but it isn't very fastSimple and effective warming but requires prep work and could possibly be done with things you already ownCheaper warmer that is easy to use but doesn't heat consistently or enoughWhile it has a simple design, it is higher priced and doesn't offer an auto-shutoff to avoid overheating
Rating Categories First Years Gentle... Chicco Digital & St... Kiinde Kozii Voyage... The First Years 2-i... Tommee Tippee Easi-...
Health and Safety (35%)
8.7
8.7
4.5
5.1
1
Warming Efficiency and Consistency (25%)
7.0
5.6
7.2
2.3
5.4
Quickness of Warming (20%)
4.0
4.7
6.5
7.5
8.5
Ease of Use (15%)
7.7
8.8
7.1
6.1
3.7
Ease of Cleaning (5%)
7.2
7.0
8.3
7.4
4.6
Specs First Years Gentle... Chicco Digital & St... Kiinde Kozii Voyage... The First Years 2-i... Tommee Tippee Easi-...
Heat Technology Water Bath Water Bath + Steam Water Bath Water Bath + Steam Water Bath
Measured Time to Auto Shut-Off 10:21 min:sec 7:22 min:sec 10m:30 min:sec 3:42 min:sec 4:30 min:sec
Measured Temperature at Auto Shut-Off 83.4°F 73.9°F 100.2°F 54.0°F 79.6°F
Measured Max Temperature 88.4 °F 92.2 °F 117.2 °F 108.7 °F 143.8 °F
Bottle Compatibility Works With Most Baby Bottles Compatible with a wider variety of materials (glass, plastic, and silicone) Fits most pouches, bottles, and jars Compatible with Most Baby Bottles

*Safety warning against using glass bottles as sudden change in temperature may cause them to break
Fits a wide range of branded baby bottles and food jars
Additional Info/Features Keep warm for 1 hour Delayed start function Portable Some parts machine washable None
Compatible with Glass Not Specified Yes Yes Not Specified Not Specified
Compatible with Silicone Not Specified Yes Yes Not Specified Not Specified
Compatible with Pump Bags Not Specified Yes Yes Not Specified Not Specified
Compatible with Plastic Not Specified Yes Yes Not Specified Not Specified
Compatible with Wide Neck Bottles Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
From Frozen Capability Yes Yes No No No
Baby Food Heating Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Temperature or Timer Based Timer Timer Manual Temperature Manual Shut-Off
Auto Shut-Off Yes Yes No Yes No
Audible Beep Yes Yes No No No
Consecutive Warming Wait Time Not Listed Can unplug unit dump old hot water and refill with room temp water for consecutive heating cycles Can do a consecutive warming until thermos is out of water Wait 10 min before heating the next bottle Not listed
LED Indicator for Completed Heating Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Measured Weight 1 lb 3.6 oz 1 lb 8.4 oz 14.8 oz 1 lb 2.6 oz 1 lb 1.4 oz
Measured Dimensions 5.2 in x 4.9 in x 10.3 in 5.2 in x 5.1 in x 12.4 in 3.8 in x 3.8 in x 8.6 in 4.6 in x 6.2 in x 7.2 in 4.8 in x 4.8 in x 6.0 in
Contents Kept Below 113ºF/45ºC Yes Yes Yes No No
Keep Warm Function Yes, up to 60m No No No No

Our Analysis and Test Results

First Years is a part of Tomy. They offer all kinds of baby gear, from feeding tools and potty training to nightlights and bathtubs for infants.

Performance Comparison



first years gentle warmth digital bottle warmer review - because the gentle warmth never gets the contents very hot, it helps...
Because the Gentle Warmth never gets the contents very hot, it helps protect the nutritional profile of milk keeping its temperature under 100 F degrees.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Health and Safety


Because the Gentle Warmth never gets milk very warm, there is a better chance you won't be risking nutritional degradation or scalding. This warmer has enough features to prevent overheating and protects little mouths and the user from possible burns when used according to the instructions.


This warmer takes close to 10 minutes to heat the milk to 98F degrees. A potential breakdown of nutritional value in milk has been shown in studies at about 104F degrees, which the Gentle Warmth didn't reach until about 11 minutes. So, as long as you don't forget it, the likelihood of injury or nutritional impact is lower.

first years gentle warmth digital bottle warmer review - we ran multiple warming tests on the gentle warmth, monitoring the...
We ran multiple warming tests on the Gentle Warmth, monitoring the temperature of the contents for consistency.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Warming Efficiency and Consistency


The Gentle Warmth earned one of the higher scores for consistency. These tests include monitoring warming milk using the manufacturer's suggested settings.


In our tests, the Gentle Warmth had an average temperature of about 83 F degrees at auto-shutoff, with a range of 78-89F degrees. At 12 minutes, the range closes somewhat to 83-93F degrees.

first years gentle warmth digital bottle warmer review - we monitored how quickly the gentle warmth could raise content...
We monitored how quickly the Gentle Warmth could raise content temperature to preferable drinking levels.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Quickness of Warming


This is not the quickest warmer in the group, with a lower-than-average score in this metric. Because of this, it can take some finagling to find the right settings to heat the bottle adequately.


This unit shut off at 10 minutes, but it never reached the minimum temperature of 98 F degrees we had been looking for. Even at 12 minutes of warming time, it was still only 88 degrees F. While most little ones won't refuse a meal at this temperature, some babies might, and closer to body temperature is preferred by most babies. On the upside, you likely won't be overheating your milk in this warmer.

first years gentle warmth digital bottle warmer review - the settings on the gentle warmth largely rely on the starting...
The settings on the Gentle Warmth largely rely on the starting temperature of the bottle and the amount of liquid in the bottle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use


The Gentle Warmth is easy to use with simple instructions, intuitive design, and auto-shutoff. While it didn't score as high as some competitors, it did manage an above-average result.


The instructions are simple but not well laid out. Settings are based on the starting temperature of the milk (cold/frozen) and the amount of milk being heated. Water filling is up to the line of the bottle contents, making it straightforward to fill the chamber. The buttons are easy to press with one hand, and we think many parents will be able to sort the settings without the manual.

The Gentle Warmth is one of the easier options to clean.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Cleaning


The Gentle Warmth is one of the easiest options in the review to clean. While you cannot submerge the unit, you can clean it with soap and water, rinse it, then dry it. It also has a cover to keep out dust and other grime when not in use.


This warmer has a sterilizer feature that allows it to descale. It includes filling with a 3 to 1 ratio of vinegar to water and running the cycle. You can continue to let it sit if descaling needs more time.

It is best to avoid spilling milk or formula accidentally into the...
It is best to avoid spilling milk or formula accidentally into the Gentle Warmth bottle chamber as the heating element has a cover that inhibits access.
The Gentle Warmth has a removable plastic basket to help lower and...
The Gentle Warmth has a removable plastic basket to help lower and raise the bottle into the water. It is easy to clean and dry.

This is better than those that require sitting overnight, and there is less downtime before you can use the warmer again. The heating element has a cover on it, making it hard to clean, so be very careful not to let anything but water or vinegar contact it.

The Gentle Warmth parts are all large enough to wipe clean without special tools like a bottle brush.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Should You Buy the First Year's Gentle Warmth Digital?


The Gentle Warmth is a potential contender if your goal is fairly consistent heating with an easy-to-use design. This higher-ranking option is one we loved during testing for its ease of use, cleaning, and better results for health and safety. This warmer managed better than average consistency as well, making it a warmer that is tough to beat. If you want a high-ranking option that is also reasonably priced, the Gentle Warmth is hard to beat.

What Other Bottle Warmer Should You Consider?


If you want high-ranking and faster warming, then the Baby Brezza Safe and Smart is one to consider. This tech-driven option heats quicker and more consistently, but it will cost you more to purchase. The Chicco Digital Bottle Warmer & Sterilizer scored similarly to the First Years, but if you love Chicco products and want something somewhat easier to use, then it might be worth the added cost.

Manufacturer Video



Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz