The First Years 2-in-1 Simple Serve Review
Our Verdict
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This Product
The First Years 2-in-1 Simple Serve | |||||
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Awards | Best Budget Bottle Warmer | Best Overall Bottle Warmer | Most Consistent Bottle Warmer | ||
Price | $22 List $19.75 at Amazon | $28 List | Check Price at Amazon | $80 List $79.99 at Amazon | $22 List |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | Cheaper warmer that is easy to use but doesn't heat consistently or enough | The lower price, features, and multiple settings are appealing | A higher-price warmer that is easy to use and can heat consecutive bottles but it isn't very fast | A useful app and easy-to-use interface make this expensive warmer appealing | Simple and effective warming but requires prep work and could possibly be done with things you already own |
Rating Categories | The First Years 2-i... | First Years Gentle... | Chicco Digital & St... | Baby Brezza Safe an... | Kiinde Kozii Voyage... |
Health and Safety (35%) | |||||
Warming Quality (25%) | |||||
Warming Time (20%) | |||||
Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
Ease of Cleaning (5%) | |||||
Specs | The First Years 2-i... | First Years Gentle... | Chicco Digital & St... | Baby Brezza Safe an... | Kiinde Kozii Voyage... |
Heat Technology | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath + Steam | Water Bath |
Max Temp | 108.7 °F | 88.4 °F | 92.2 °F | 105.9 °F | 117.2 °F |
Frozen Capability | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Baby Food Heating | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Audible Beep | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Measured Dimensions | 4.6 in x 6.2 in x 7.2 in | 5.2 in x 4.9 in x 10.3 in | 5.2 in x 5.1 in x 12.4 in | 6.0 in x 6.6 in x 11.8 in | 3.8 in x 3.8 in x 8.6 in |
Contents Below 113ºF/45ºC | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Time to Reach 80F | 5.0 min | 10.0 min | 8.5 min | 5.5 min | 5.0 min |
Time to Reach 98F | 7.5 min | N/A | N/A | 9.5 min | 10.0 min |
Our Analysis and Test Results
First Years is a company under the Tomy umbrella. They provide a variety of products for little ones that include feeding, bathing, and sleeping gear.
Performance Comparison
Health and Safety
We tested the warmers for health and safety, considering the potential for burns, scaling, and nutritional degradation. Studies show impacts on the nutritional content of breastmilk occur at temperatures higher than 104F. The 2-in-1 did well in this metric with an above-average score. At the hottest setting, the milk contents did not get warmer than about 100 degrees F at the time of auto-shutoff. Certainly, if you leave it in past the shutoff for much longer at a higher setting, it could overheat. In our tests, somewhere around 6.5 minutes, it did. However, if you use it as directed, our tests indicate it should remain within safer limits for overheating concerns.
Warming Efficiency and Consistency
The inconsistency of this warmer is its true downfall in testing. With one of the lowest scores in this metric, it struggled to offer anything resembling similar temperatures when using the same manufacturer settings over and over. While every warmer showed some level of inconsistency, this one was more significant, with a range of 48F to almost 63 at the time of shutoff. This range got wider as the bottle continued in the warmer, and at 8 minutes, the range across tests was 91-115 F degrees. We'd rather have a warmer heat consistently each time to avoid potential mouth burns, loss of nutrition, and late-night frustration. We think most parents would agree. It would be difficult with this warmer to present a similar temperature bottle time after time.
Quickness of Warming
The 2-in-1 earned one of the higher scores for quickness of warming in our tests. On average, it took 7.5 minutes to reach 98F degrees, which is body temperature. Auto-shutoff is close to 3 minutes, but the milk was only about 54F degrees on average at that point. The problem here is the longer you heat it, the more inconsistent it becomes, and the quickness could become a hindrance if the contents end up too hot.
Ease of Use
Despite the moniker “Simple,” this option is harder to use than the average warmer in this review. We found the instructions hard to understand compared to competitors.
The chart layout took time to understand fully and wasn't obvious. It also doesn't have a setting for room-temperature milk, which seems like a design flaw. The instructions also lacked any good visuals, and the quick reference chart in our box was missing units.
The fill line is whatever is over the contents of the bottle. Removing the bottle at the end requires care to avoid burning your hand as the basket isn't the best, and the water level is high. The process can not be stopped once it starts, and even when turned off and unplugged, it continues its cycle when plugged back in. We aren't sure why anyone would want this memory level, but it is disappointing. We were able to do it with one hand, and it has the auto-shutoff feature.
Ease of Cleaning
The 2-in-1 is one of the easiest options in the group to clean. This option has dishwasher top-rack safe accessories, and the remaining can be wiped with a soapy cloth, rinsed with a clear water cloth, and left to dry. This warmer has no schedule for descaling, so you'll need to watch it for signs of hard water buildup. The vinegar/water mix soaks for a couple of hours and is then rinsed clean.
Should You Buy the The First Years 2-in-1 Simple Serve?
Despite its name, the Simple Serve is oddly harder to use, and its heating consistency was all over the place with no real predictable outcome using the same settings. With one of the lowest scores in the group and disappointing scores in most metrics, we think there are better options available to meet most goals and budgets.
What Other Bottle Warmer Should You Consider?
First Years also makes the First Years Gentle Warmth Digital. This option performed better in our testing for consistency, ease of use and cleaning, and nutrition. It also sports a fairly budget-friendly price, and we think the better overall performance is worth the extra over the 2-in-1. If your goal is the high-ranking and quicker, the Baby Brezza Safe and Smart is a high-tech option we really love, but it is one of the most expensive and could be a no-go for tighter budgets or those who value simplicity.