When you’ve got a new baby on the way there are thousands of decisions you suddenly need to make – what sort of cot will they sleep in? Which is the best pram to invest in? How do you make sure your car seat is as safe as possible?
But perhaps the most important – and, arguably, the most fraught – is how you’re going to feed them. If you’ve decided that formula is the way to go, you’ll need to invest in a whole new range of kit, from bottles and teats to sterilisers.
As for making up the bottle itself, that’s a whole other process that involves making sure you have the right ratio of water and formula, as well as ensuring it’s the perfect temperature. Luckily, there is a way to simplify everything into one streamlined process: invest in a prep machine.
What is a prep machine?
Prep machines take the hassle out of making bottles by blending the right amount of formula powder with the right amount of water – within seconds they’ll dispense a perfectly made-up bottle of formula, making the normally laborious and time-consuming process a breeze (this is particularly important when you consider that newborns generally feed between 10 and 14 times a day). They’ll even make sure it’s at the right temperature, a godsend for any parent who knows how painful it can be waiting for a just-made bottle to cool down for that 2am feed.
How do I choose the right prep machine for me?
There are a variety of machines available on the market, from simpler models to high-tech options that come with plenty of bells and whistles. First, you’ll want to set a budget – prep machines aren’t the cheapest of items, but there’s a fairly wide scope of prices, so make sure you know what you’re comfortable paying and what you want it to do.
If you want it to mix the formula for you, it’s likely to come at a higher price point, while simpler machines that just get the water to the right temperature tend to be cheaper.
Next, make sure to take into consideration the look and size of the model – you need to ensure it will fit on your countertop and be in keeping with the rest of your home (or as much as possible at least, baby kit isn’t always known for its beautiful design). It’s also important to make sure you know what sort of cleaning your machine requires, so you can factor in how high maintenance it’s going to be.
Here we’ve rounded up the best baby prep machines to buy now.
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Baby Brezza Formula Pro Advanced
This might be one of the most expensive prep machines on the market, but it’s also the fanciest, so it’s no surprise that the brand says it’s the number one best-sellingâ¯formulaâ¯prep appliance worldwide. The new and improved model promises to prepare the perfect bottle of formula faster and easier than ever before, with the machine only taking around 15 seconds to make a bottle, saving up to 30 minutes every day.
What really sets this machine apart from others on the market is the fact that you can make up a totally customised bottle, choosing the exact amount of formula you want to use (most others only offer a few choices) and three different temperature settings. The streamlined design means it fits easily into tight spaces and it comes with a handy formula compartment, so you can always see when it needs topping up.
However, unlike some other models, it doesn’t have a bacteria filter, so it’s recommended you use cooled, pre-boiled water in the tank to make up the bottles rather than tap water.
Buy now £235.00, Amazon
Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Day & Night
Tommee Tippee is a new parent’s go-to brand for everything from bottles and sterilisers to weaning bundles. They also happen to have one of the best and most popular prep machines on the market.
The Perfect Prep Day & Night is one of the most efficient around and prides itself on making up a fresh, body temperature formula feed in just two minutes – that’s about 10 times faster than using a kettle. It's very easy to use – simply choose your feed size, add your formula to the bottle and place it on the stand. A 70°C ‘hot shot’ of water will then be added in, to kill off any bacteria. Pop the lid on the bottle and shake it well, before putting it back on the stand to add the rest of the cooler water and hey presto: a perfect bottle of formula.
It comes with lots of clever features, like an adjustable base to fit different bottle shapes, a special anti-bacterial filter (meaning you can use water straight from the tap rather than boiling it first) and soft lighting and adjustable volume control for those middle-of-the-night feeds.
It’s also super easy to clean, taking about 10 minutes at the touch of a button. We’ve got friends who love it so much they’ve invested in two, one for the kitchen and one for their bedroom.
Buy now £129.99, John Lewis
Babymoov Milky Now Bottle Prep Machine
This clever machine follows NHS guidelines to ensure it prepares a speedy, hygienic bottle of formula for your baby. First off, it boils a full tank of water to 100°C before cooling it to 70°C (known for being the optimal water temperature to kill off any bacteria within formula). The machine will then maintain that perfect temperature through its ‘keep water hot’ function for up to six hours.
The only downside is that you have to then cool the bottle yourself to a drinkable temperature for the baby, either in the fridge or under a cold tap, and it takes 11 minutes for the water to cool from 100°C to 70°C, making it a much longer process than others on the market. That being said, it’s still easier than simply using the kettle, and the benefit is that it guarantees the formula is bacteria-free and made in keeping with specific NHS advice. It’s also very easy to clean, thanks to its stainless-steel water tank and special “clean” function.
Buy now £67.46, Amazon
UneeQbaby Formula Kettle
This piece of kit is a good option if you’re looking for something a little more affordable, as while it doesn’t mix the formula with the water like some prep machines, it still makes getting your bottle to the perfect temperature much easier than simply using the kettle.
The signature integrated cooling system reduces cooling time by 45 per cent, and once you’ve got the temperature you want, you can maintain it for 24 hours – brilliant for those overnight feeds.
The simple design looks much more like a kettle than a bulky prep machine, meaning it won’t look out of place in your kitchen – the brand even markets it as a great way to make your own hot drinks, as well as formula. It can also be used to defrost and heat up breast milk to the right temperature, The latest version features an inbuilt night light, which is great for when you’re trying to navigate using it late at night.
Buy now £51.45, Amazon
Nuby Rapidcool Portable Baby Bottle Maker
If you need to make up bottles on the go, this handy device from Nuby is great to have stashed in your changing bag. It’s refreshingly easy to use – all you have to do is boil some water, measure your formula powder and then add them both to the RapidCool. Mix it well, turning it up and down for at least five seconds, and then as soon as the green Nuby logo lights up, your feed is ready to be dispensed into your baby bottle. It’s very quick to use, with a 120ml ready to serve in just two minutes.
We loved being able to carry this around to make sure her feeds were at the right temperature wherever we went. We also liked that it hardly makes any noise, making it a brilliant option for night feeds too. While it may not have the whizzy functions of bigger, more advanced prep machines, it’s very easy to clean and set up, making it a great no-hassle option for days out and about.
Buy now £34.99, Amazon
Vorsprung Baby Bottle Maker
This whizzy machine from innovative tech company Vorsprung is the fastest on the market, delivering perfectly made formula bottles in under 10 seconds. It’s also the only one we’ve come across that connects to your smartphone, meaning you can control it remotely through a very easy-to-use app – particularly useful when you’re fumbling around in the dark during the middle of the night.
One of the safest and most hygienic options around, it prides itself on conforming to NHS guidelines by heating the water up to exactly 70°C every time and has a built-in cleaning mode of 95°C to ensure full disinfection.
You can customise the temperature, bottle size and concentration of formula to suit your baby’s needs, and there’s even special bottle sensor technology, which prevents the formula from overflowing or dispensing without a bottle. The only downside is it’s one of the most expensive options on the market, but when it comes with this many features you can see why.
Buy now £245.95, Amazon
Bellababy Bottle Maker
Bellababy is known for making affordable, easy-to-use baby items like breast pumps and bassinets, and now the brand has turned its attention to baby bottle makers. While this machine doesn’t mix the formula and the water together, it does definitely speed up the process by making sure the water is at the optimum temperate for the bottle. Simply pour water into the top compartment and choose the desired temperature – the machine will then heat it up in a matter of minutes.
The ‘keep warm’ function ensures you have water at the correct temperature 24/7, and the detachable tank makes it reassuringly easy to clean. It doesn’t come with loads of high-tech features, but at under £50, it’s one of the cheapest ways to make the whole process of mixing up bottles of formula a little easier.
Buy now £44.99, Amazon
Verdict
When it comes to making up bottles with ease, my top pick would have to be the Baby Brezza Formula Pro Advanced, which delivers a perfect bottle of formula in under 15 seconds and looks great on any countertop.
For a more affordable option, I’d recommend the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Day & Night, which is pleasingly easy to use and clean.
