Jimmy started having a bottle of expressed milk on the day he was born. I expressed as was getting engorged then went for a lay down and when I got up my Mum and Jonny had given it to him. I wouldn’t have given one so soon but it seemed to be perfect because not only did he take a bottle but he went back to the breast no problems too. This was a whole new experience for me because Florence was 100% breast-fed from the breast only and I didn’t even try her with a bottle until she was six weeks old when she took it once and then never again!

In the early weeks and months Jimmy would have one most evenings and as time went on I even gave him the odd bottle of formula too, although I have to say I do still feel better if he has breast milk so I do that very rarely. Nowadays he has a bottle of expressed milk if he needs one, if I’m out for the evening or something and it all works very well. I remember with Florence, at 8 months old and I went to a wedding and left her with my in-laws. They thought she’d be fine and when she got hungry enough she would take the bottle but she never did and they had to drive out to the wedding just to bring her for a feed…

With Jimmy taking a bottle it has certainly made decisions about certain things easier. I went on my best friend’s hen do without worry and have had the odd evening out with my husband too, something we couldn’t really do when Florence was the same age. On my own wedding day I even had to feed her in my wedding dress!

Listening to the speeches in my wedding dress while I fed Florence. I never mind feeding my babies but sometimes it’s nice to have the option of giving a bottle because, well, sometimes it’s just that bit more convenient isn’t it!

So, with Jimmy having a bottle the only small problem has been getting them to the right temperature and how. We never bought a bottle warmer and instead use hot water in a bowl or the microwave. The hot water in a bowl thing is time-consuming and gives you something else to dry and clear away, it’s all a bit of a faff but putting it in the microwave is something I’m not very comfortable with at all. I know Jonny does it but I always worry that it might be hotter in the middle or in certain areas just as food is when heated up in one. It never seems like a good option to me. I guess we could have bought a bottle warmer but that would be yet another gadget to store when not in use and we just never got round to it.

I think all three options, the microwave, boiling water or a bottle warmer, have their disadvantages so it was with great interest that I heard about a bottle which heats itself. The idea would mean no extra things to store or clean and this self heating bottle promised to heat to the exact temperature of breast milk in just 60 seconds… I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review this fab sounding bottle which is made by Yoomi and I’m even more pleased with the results after our trial. This sort of bottle is absolutely perfect for us, I only wish I’d know about them sooner! We only really need bottles for when I’m out  so this is a very convenient option for Jonny who can also use it when out!

The bottle including charger in pod!

So here’s how it works… Heat the charger in it’s pod. This can be done in the microwave in 2 minutes, in boiling water or even in an electric steam steriliser! Once heated it needs to cool, sounds funny but it’s good because you can do this in preparation and then leave it in the fridge to cool down which doesn’t affect it in any way… It is now charged and will stay this way until used. (You must leave it to cool down 75 minutes or in cold water for 20 and then it’s good to go when you need).

The charger and charging pod!

I heat mine in the microwave as per instructions. The charger and pod then stay ready for use after cooling. It can be sterilised while charged!

When ready to use you pick the charger up with the teat and collar before attaching the lid and pressing the orange button through the teat. Once the bottle is warm (to breast milk temperature of 32-34C) it will not rattle when it shakes.

When the feed is ready simply pop the cap on and turn the bottle upside down to allow the milk to flow over the charger and into the teat. Easy peasy warm milk!

Jimmy has his bottle!

So, I was sent an 8oz Feeding system which comes with a slow flow teat and also sent a fast flow teat to see the difference. Jimmy hasn’t used anything but slow flow with other bottles yet so this was new to him but I think for his age has worked better. The system also comes with a bottle, bottle charger and the charging pod.

For us this works very well! We only have an occasional bottle in our house so it’s very convenient. It does have to be noted that the charging pods have a shelf life and after 150 feeds they have to be replaced. Because of this I think it is best as a convenience product as it’s not really affordable for every feed – not for my wallet anyway. If your baby has 6 feeds a day then you will need a new charger, costing £15, every 25 days. That really is the only flaw as far as I can see and for uses like holidays or just once a day like us then it’s very handy indeed!

I was not paid to write this post but I was sent an 8oz feeding system and fast flow teats for the purpose of review.