Crock-Pot 16-Ounce Little Dipper, Chrome

We needed a better way than running bottles under hot water. I wasn't sure about using a crock pot instead of a bottle warmer, but this one works great. I decided to use this instead of a bottle warmer because: (1) reviews said bottle warmers either got too hot, moldy or rusty, and (2) I wanted something that matched the other appliances in my kitchen (instead of more baby-looking countertop items), and (3) I wanted something I could use for other purposes -- not just for these few months when my baby drinks milk. I chose this product because of its small size.We use 4 oz bottles (Philips Avent) of breast milk and, depending on how much milk is in them, adjust the level of water that we pour into the crock pot. I will say that if we tried to use 8 oz bottles, this might not work, because it's just the right width and depth for a small bottle. It might work for something as big as 6 oz. Regardless, the reason I chose this tiny crock pot is because I didn't want my bottles to have the chance to tip over if they were less full. Sure enough, if they start to tip, they just rest on the side and it's fine.It takes a little practice to figure out the right amount of water, but it's easy. I'd recommend starting with 3/4 full of water, and then put the bottle in to see whether it's going to cause it to overflow. If it looks like it's too much, just dip a measuring cup in there to remove water until you get to what looks like a good level for the amount of milk. It's always easy to add or subtract water if you realize you estimated wrong. But you'll get used to knowing how much to put in depending on how much milk is in there. (I do this before I heat it up because then the water's not hot, but using the measuring cup makes it easy to handle warm water if you think you need less after you've turned it on.)We plug in the crock pot in advance of when we know we'll need it (we just plug it in an hour or so ahead -- it probably would only take 20 min or less to heat up the water). We leave it plugged in most of the day so it's ready for a bottle on short notice. It only takes about 5-8 minutes to head up the milk -- the same amount of time it takes to change the baby's diaper. Just put the bottle in, change the diaper, and you're ready to feed!

I've had this little guy for 6 months now and he's been quite handy. So far I've used this for warm party dips and for melting chocolate and candy for dipping cake pops. No frills here--there is no on/off switch or temperature controls and the lid looks pretty flimsy--it's of plastic, which makes using it feel a little goofy. It's has no removable crock--so don't submerge it. However, I can't argue with the results--keeps my nacho cheese and artichoke dips comfortingly toasty and makes me almost gleeful when I'm dipping cake pops--the candy melts at the perfect temperature and makes this task a breeze. Cleaning is not too bad, either. And just make sure you keep the lid on to get it to heat up quickly. My friend was using a large crockpot with some weird dipper attachment for her candy-making which inspired me to try this out--takes up a lot less room on the counter and really gets the job done. For less than $10, it's been asset to my kitchen.

Perfect for one person. My husband takes it to work to warm up leftovers. I freeze soup in round 16 oz. (sour cream) containers. He pops a frozen chunk into the crockpot in the morning. It fits perfectly, and by lunch time he has nice, hot soup. The crock pot is small enough to tuck inside his lunch box. It may be helpful to know that this crock pot is not intended to cook in. There is only one heat setting: it's either "on" or "off". It does not become hot enough to cook raw meat, according to the instruction sheet. It makes food nice & hot, though. The design is also attractive.

I was attending a party and bringing a cheese-based dip so I wanted something to be able to keep it warm so I wouldnt have to worry about reheating and mixing it. This little thing served its purpose well. The dip was warm the entire time. I followed other people's advise and heated the dip up prior to putting it in the crock pot. This way it was uniformly warm and didnt have to wait for it to slowly heat up prior to the party. I do wish it was just maybe a cup size bigger because I had to keep refilling it (for sizing reference if you put an apple inside of it it reaches up over the top). Also the cord is pretty short so if it cant be right near an outlet you will need an extension cord.Overall happy with the purchase.