REASONS TO BUY
Easy to use
Useful fill lines
Heat consecutive bottles
REASONS TO AVOID
Spendy
Not very fast
Chicco Digital Bottle Warmer & Sterilizer Review
An easy warmer with lots of features that can heat consecutive bottles, but is slower to heat
Credit: Abriah Wofford
RELATED: The Best Bottle Warmers
Our Verdict
The Chicco Digital Bottle Warmer & Sterilizer is a basic top-ranked bottle warmer. It uses water bath technology and features auto-shutoff, helping prevent overheating that can cause burns. The unit is great at protecting the nutritional contents of the milk it heats, and it is easy to use with simple settings based on bottle type and the amount of liquid to be heated. The Chicco warmer is also easy to clean, and we appreciated the descaler icon that lets you know when it needs a deeper clean. This unit is on the spendier side with a higher-than-average price, but it isn't the most expensive option we tested. It also struggled to get milk higher than 96F degrees, even on maximum settings. However, at least it's unlikely to overheat the contents, which is safer for little ones and prevents nutrition loss. The Chicco is a good choice for many, and we think most families will be happy with its performance.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Chicco Digital Bottle Warmer & Sterilizer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Bottle Warmer | Most Consistent Bottle Warmer |  Best Budget Bottle Warmer | ||
| Price | $60 List $59.99 at Amazon | $80 List $79.99 at Amazon | $28 List | $22 List | $22 List $19.75 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A higher-price warmer that is easy to use and can heat consecutive bottles but it isn't very fast | A useful app and easy-to-use interface make this expensive warmer appealing | The lower price, features, and multiple settings are appealing | Simple and effective warming but requires prep work and could possibly be done with things you already own | Cheaper warmer that is easy to use but doesn't heat consistently or enough |
| Rating Categories | Chicco Digital & St... | Baby Brezza Safe an... | First Years Gentle... | Kiinde Kozii Voyage... | The First Years 2-i... |
| Health and Safety (35%) | |||||
| Warming Quality (25%) | |||||
| Warming Time (20%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Cleaning (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Chicco Digital & St... | Baby Brezza Safe an... | First Years Gentle... | Kiinde Kozii Voyage... | The First Years 2-i... |
| Heat Technology | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath | Water Bath | Water Bath + Steam |
| Max Temp | 92.2 °F | 105.9 °F | 88.4 °F | 117.2 °F | 108.7 °F |
| Frozen Capability | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Baby Food Heating | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Audible Beep | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Measured Dimensions | 5.2 in x 5.1 in x 12.4 in | 6.0 in x 6.6 in x 11.8 in | 5.2 in x 4.9 in x 10.3 in | 3.8 in x 3.8 in x 8.6 in | 4.6 in x 6.2 in x 7.2 in |
| Contents Below 113ºF/45ºC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Time to Reach 80F | 8.5 min | 5.5 min | 10.0 min | 5.0 min | 5.0 min |
| Time to Reach 98F | N/A | 9.5 min | N/A | 10.0 min | 7.5 min |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Chicco (kee-ko) launched in 1958 with Pietro Catelli at the helm. It is now a component of the Artsana Group. Chicco is one of the most popular baby brands in Europe and the United States. Chicco creates gear for newborns to preschool age and is distributed to more than 120 countries.
Performance Comparison
The nutritional profile of the bottle's contents should be safe with the Chicco as it struggled to heat contents over 98 degrees F in our tests.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Health and Safety
The Chicco has one of the best results in our health and safety testing. Our tests indicate it has features like auto shutoff and slow warming water, which helps prevent burns during use, as well as an overheated bottle.
Using it within the manufacturer's guidelines, it isn't likely that the bottle's contents will reach over 104 degrees F. This is the temperature at which the degradation of nutrients begins to occur. Even at the highest setting for up to 12 minutes, it never reached over 101.7 degrees. So even if you get distracted while warming, we think there is less risk of burns, scalding hot milk, or nutritional compromise.
Water can be added to the Chicco with the bottle in place.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Warming Quality
The Chicco did not warm contents very consistently in our tests. When using the manufacturer's directions based on bottle type and liquid amount, we could not achieve similar heating results time after time.
Wether using glass or plastic bottles, the Chicco failed to heat liquid contents consistently in our tests.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Given that it never overheats, this might not be a deal breaker, but it could be frustrating if your little one is picky about temperatures and eating.
At auto shutoff, we recorded temperature times ranging from 67F to 82F. It isn't very reassuring to use the same bottle, same settings, and same milk to get results that are so varied.
We monitored the internal temperature of the contents of the bottle while testing to compare temperatures to other warmers and to track when and if nutritional degradation might occur.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Warming Time
The Chicco earned a below-average result for quickness of warming using the manufacturer's settings. This unit took longer than others to heat milk over 98F degrees, with an average high temperature of only 96F degrees and an auto shutoff of 7 minutes.
Even after 12 minutes, this unit rarely got liquid hotter than 98F, even if we surpassed the recommended settings. While your baby is unlikely to complain about 96 degrees, it would be better if it could reach a body temperature similar to breast milk.
The Chicco is super easy to use with no special cup or accessories needed.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Use
The Chicco earns a high score for ease of use and is one of the easiest in the group to use.
It is a straightforward warmer without the bells and whistles that can make it harder to operate. It has an internal fill line for heating and clear instructions in the manual.
The Chicco interface is relatively straightforward, and settings are based on bottle type, liquid amount, and starting temperature.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
There is no card or instructions on the unit, but the settings are not hard to remember. Settings are based on the bottle type, amount of liquid, and the starting temperature, which is cold or frozen.
It also includes auto-shut-off to help prevent the contents from getting too hot. You can heat a subsequent bottle immediately by replacing the water bath water with fresh water and starting over.
Ease of Cleaning
The Chicco earned an above-average result for ease of cleaning, with only a couple being easier to clean.
Cleaning entails turning it off, emptying the water, and wiping it with a cloth. Easy peasy. This unit has a descaling light to tell you when it needs to be done, which we love. It requires soaking overnight, so you won't be able to use it during this process. The process is straightforward, and the instructions are clear. It is easy to clean with a bottle brush and cloth.
The Chicco is easy enough to use with only one hand if you need your other for holding your little one.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Should You Buy the Chicco Digital Bottle Warmer & Sterilizer?
The Chicco is a higher-ranking warmer that might be the right one for you, even though it missed winning an award in our review. This warmer has a slightly higher-than-average price, but it is super easy to use, easy to clean, and is unlikely to get too hot and damage the nutritional profile of the milk in the bottle. It could be a contender for anyone who wants to ensure nutritional consistency and wants a warmer that is simple and easy to use.
What Other Bottle Warmer Should You Consider?
If you want a fast warmer, the Chicco is not the right choice as it took too long to reach 98F+ degrees. The Philips Avent Fast is one of the fastest options in the group and is good for those who want heating done quickly. Alternatively, if you want consistency, ease of use, and other useful features, the First Years Gentle Warmth Digital is one of our favorites that preserves the nutrition of contents by avoiding higher temperatures.
Manufacturer Video
—Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz
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