In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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Out of the box, we liked the simple, compact look of the Philips AVENT Express. Unfortunately, that simple design left us with a more than complicated experience. The AVENT has a stiff, bulky cord that nearly negates the warmer's small size and it's settings and flashing light left us playing a guessing game…something we're not fond of during a late-night feeding. We also have concerns that the warming temperature it too high, and it is too easy to overheat breast milk in this warmer. Studies show that breast milk quality deteriorates rapidly if warming temperatures are too high, and we feel the Philips AVENT Express presents a risk in this regard.
REASONS TO BUY
Compact unit
Albeit a cumbersome cord
REASONS TO AVOID
Messy to fill
Poor instructions
Bath water too hot
No audible timer
Confusing flashing light
The Philips AVENT Express was discontinued in September of 2015.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Philips AVENT Express uses a warm water bath (as opposed to steam) to heat bottles. At first, this seemed like a simple concept, with no vials or reservoirs to fill. Just set the bottle in the warming chamber and add water to just above the milk level. Well, in reality, you have about a 1/2 inch space between the wall of the warmer and the bottle itself to pour the water in and you'll most likely need a pitcher or a cup (neither are provided) to do so without making a complete mess.
Philips AVENT Express from above.
Credit: Lindsay Ellis
Turn the unit on (note that the on-off switch is on the back side) and turn the dial to the appropriate setting. The instructions say it will flash when it's done, but there is no audible timer or beep, so it was easy to miss. We often lost track of the flashes and just went with a separate timer. The unit continues to flash and cycle until you turn it off or unplug it.
We tried leaving it on after removing the bottle and the water just kept getting warmer and warmer with no end in sight. After 10 minutes of being left on with no bottle, we tested the temperature; it had risen an additional 10 degrees, from 167 F(75 C) to 185 F(85 C). Even after unplugging the unit, we found it still steaming 10 minutes later! We feel this is a serious safety concern as it leaves hot water fully exposed to little hands, or maybe even the possibility of complete evaporation leading to a fire hazard.
Likes
The unit itself is small and compact with no extra parts to keep track of.
Dislikes
Confusing instructions.
No timer or auto shut-off, left dangerously hot water exposed.
We found it best to refill it with each use to get an appropriate water level.
We did not find the flashing light to be helpful at all.
Last, but not least, we worry about the fact that the warming temperature it too high. This makes it simple to overheat breast milk in this warmer. We measured warming temperature (of the outer bottle, not the milk) of 167 F (75 C), which suggests that the milk on the inner side of the bottle may be too hot.
Conclusion
The Philips AVENT Express did not score well in our testing. Using it proved cumbersome and it was hard to be consistent without the outside help of an audible timer. Too high a warming temperature presents an additional risk, and one we'd prefer not to take.
