First in a New Series - What’s the Real Deal with…Wipes Warmers?

Part of an ongoing series aimed at helping Noodads discern fact from fiction when it comes to the promises and claims made by various baby products…

How cold is your freakin’ house? Maybe if you live in an igloo, this is a useful product because who wouldn’t be concerned about a wet wipe freezing to their kid’s ass?

Ok, open mockery aside, this seems to be one of the product ploys that new parents most often fall for. 

In theory, a warm wipe seems like it would be much better received at 2 am but in all reality, if your infant is screaming during a diaper change, it’s not because the wipe is cold but rather because a) he’s getting his diaper changed, b) you likely have his feet held together in one hand up in the air, c) you’re wiping his ass and d) he’s a baby.

That issue addressed and with a dose of reality injected, wipes warmers have some serious practical flaws…space, waste and sanitation being chief among them. 

Warmers take up lots of space on (or near) your changing table.  They must be out on top of something because they plug in and they generate exterior heat.  I don’t know what your changing table looks like but we have a pretty big one and there’s lots on it that risks being kicked to the floor every time my son decides he’s not that interested in a changing. 

Warmers are wasteful because even the best on the market inevitably dry out wipes.  Those closest to the heating element, over time and because it’s always on keeping those wipes toasty, yellow and dry out.  Some parents report losing 15-20% of a refill.  Wipes ain’t cheap and there are few feelings worse than reaching for a wipe with your one free hand in the midst of dealing with a blowout to find that all you're left with is dry wipes!

On the subject of waste, I’m not gonna get preachy about conserving electricity and saving the planet…you can extrapolate the associated criticism on your own.

Lastly, and perhaps most worrisome - sanitation is an issue because you remove wipes from their packaging to put them into the warmer and in doing so, you greatly increase the opportunity for bacteria to infiltrate the wipes.  This is not to imply that a wipes package is sterile but exposing the lot of them to air and placing them in the warm and wet environment a warmer represents begs for the breeding of buggies.  All warmer manufacturers suggest VERY regular cleanings.  Talk about waste – who has time for that?!

The “What’s the Real Deal with ____” verdict?  No Deal! (Don't Waste Your Dollars)