[ad] Dualit Baby steam steriliser and bottle warmer review

[AD – This post is a paid partnership with Dualit Baby]

I’ve always used Dualit appliances at home, especially their toasters – for me the brand is synonymous with timeless quality and good, fuss-free design. For 75 years this British manufacturer has been using their engineering expertise to create reliable household essentials that are designed to make life easier. And with a three month old baby in the house and my hands full juggling different balls, that’s exactly what I need. Anything that can save me time and effort is a win for me.

I was excited then to try the new Dualit baby product range, comprising a Steam Steriliser, a UV Steriliser and two Baby Bottle Warmers. Simply designed and easy to use with a clean, contemporary look, these baby essentials make sterilising, defrosting, and warming milk quick and stress-free. And while function now takes a high priority in my life and home, it was the streamlined design that caught my eye and sealed its place in my kitchen.

From about two weeks of age, we’ve been doing mixed feeding. How you feed a baby can be a touchy subject but I don’t really understand why. We’ve found a best of both worlds approach that works well and suits us all. During the day Ophelia mainly breastfeeds, topping up with expressed milk where she needs it, with one final formula bottle feed before bed at 7pm. It gives flexibility to our routine and freedom to my day – meaning my husband and I can share the load equally, and I can get some of my independence back.

It quickly became apparent when we introduced a bottle that we were going to need some equipment to see us through the bleary eyed sleepless nights and the urgency that a hungry baby requires. To begin with we were sterilising bottles in a big saucepan on the hob – and although our induction hob heats up quickly, it still added time to the day and was all of a bit of a mess to be honest. We could only do a couple of bottles at a time and the saucepan was always left with a smear of limescale. And that’s forgetting the various intricate pump parts that needed sterilising too.

So let me introduce you to our saving grace – the Dualit Baby Steam Steriliser and Dryer (affiliate link – RRP £69). A simple white and grey unit with a removable upper rack for teats, lids and pump parts, it can sterilise up to six bottles in as little as 15 minutes. We usually set it up at the end of the evening and then have all our bottles ready for the next day should we need them.

It couldn’t be easier to use – there’s one dial that features four settings, from quick sterilisation to a 60 minute cycle that dries the bottles completely. You simply fill the base with a dash of water, pop your bottles in the rack and off you go. There’s no need for chemicals or cleaning agents, the steam does all the hard work for you, killing 99.9% of harmful bacteria. And with all the various bits and parts that make up a bottle, we’ve also been using the Steriliser as storage until we need them – any bottles will stay sterile for up to 24 hours inside the sealed unit.

Considering it takes six bottles, the Dualit Baby Steam Steriliser is fairly compact with its softly curved rectangular silhouette. It sits neatly on our counter top but as we’ve got a fairly small kitchen, it’s also lightweight enough to move out the way when we’re not using it.

Also part of the range is the Dualit Baby UV Steriliser (affiliate link – RRP £299). Not only can you sterilise baby items, but you can also use it to clean car keys, mobile phones, remote controls, money and all sorts – perfect for these Covid times when you’re a bit more wary of the bacteria on your belongings! Powerful and chemical-free, the UV steriliser also has the added advantage of a deodorising cycle to remove any unwanted odours.

The Dualit Baby Single and Double Bottle Warmers can be used to sterilise, defrost and warm up bottles, whether it is baby formula or expressed breast milk. Later in the baby’s life, it can also be used to heat up baby food or puree, without worrying about the heat spots you can get with a microwave. I think they’re at a really great price point considering the longevity of use.

The Double Bottle Warmer (affiliate link – RRP £39) is ideal for hungry babies and twins, while the Single Bottle Warmer (affiliate link – RRP £35) fits in perfectly in our kitchen where worktop space is at a premium. I think it’s also something we would likely take away with us on holiday to make life easier on the go – it would be so simple to just plug it in at an Airbnb or in a hotel room without worrying about how you’re going to warm up any milk to the desired temperature.

The Single Bottle Warmer has a simple control panel which allows you to select the volume of milk in the bottle. You fill the water bath with water and place your bottle in the warmer. The machine will then calculate how long it will take to heat it to a safe temperature for you and begin the cycle to gently warm the milk. It works in effect like a Bain Marie, without you having to time it or check the temperature’s just right. There is even a ‘Fast Warm’ function, which quickly warms up milk 20% faster than the standard cycle. For a 6oz bottle for example, it takes 8 minutes.

If you didn’t have the Steam Steriliser or UV Steriliser, both bottle warmers also have a sterilising function, allowing you to sterilise one or two bottles at a time (depending which warmer you had – the single or double). Again, another factor that could come in useful when travelling; having everything in one neat machine.

It’s safe to say that the Dualit Baby Steam Steriliser and Bottle Warmer have become a mainstay in our kitchen. I don’t even mind having them out on display everyday, blending in as they do with the simple white tiles of the splash back. I think the grey trim of the machines even matches the grey of the cupboards. It’s like it was almost planned!

Giveaway! To WIN a Dualit Baby bundle of your own, don’t forget to enter my giveaway on Instagram. Simply follow myself @catesthill and @Dualit_Ltd and tag a friend in the comments of this Instagram post (click here to be directed to it) to be in with a chance of winning, good luck! 

Terms and conditions: Open to UK followers only. Entrants must be over the age of 18 and prizes are subject to availability. The giveaway will close on the 17th July 2021 when one winner will be chosen at random and notified within 24 hours by direct message on Instagram. This giveaway is not associated with or endorsed by Instagram.