Wet wipes are probably the most versatile item in your arsenal of parenting tools. They’re great for mopping up spills, they make diaper changes a breeze, and they’re also known to help prevent a great many skin conditions, including that ever-present menace: Diaper rash.
In fact, a study published in the BMC Pediatrics journal found that using wet wipes to clean a baby’s skin was ‘significantly less likely’ to cause diaper rash versus alternative methods like water-soaked cotton wool.
That said, a cold, clammy wet wipe is every baby’s worst nightmare. If you use them already, you might have noticed that your child jumps when the wipe first makes contact, or starts crying after a moment or two of prolonged exposure.
And if you pause to consider just how cold wet wipes can be, I’m sure you’ll sympathize with your little one’s plight! That’s why I’m sure our list of best wipe warmers may have some help.
In the Post
Our Top 5 Best Wipe Warmers
Here we’ve listed our top picks, including the best warmer for disposable wipes, the best warmer for reusable wipes, and the wipe warmer that represents the best value for money. You can also click the table of contents above to learn more details after the review part.
| Name (click to learn details) | Heating mode | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiccapop Wipe Warmer | Top-down heating | ▪ Antimicrobial elements ▪ Extra large storage capacity ▪ Low-voltage | |
| Prince Lionheart Premium Wipe Warmer | Bottom-up heating | ▪ Anti-microbial agent ▪ Patented Ever-Fresh moisture technology ▪ 80-100 wipes | |
| Munchkin Warm Glow Wipe Warmer | Top-down heating | ▪ Antimicrobial elements ▪ Timed night light ▪ Low-voltage | |
| Prince Lionheart Ultimate Wipe Warmer | Bottom-up heating | ▪ Patented Ever-Fresh moisture system ▪ Antimicrobial elements ▪ 80-100 wipes | |
| Dexbaby Space Saving Wipe Warmer | Bottom-up heating | ▪ Vertical design ▪ 10 minute, timed night light ▪ 80 wipes |
1. Hiccapop Wipe Warmer – best for disposable wipes
A premium item with a real focus on build quality, this wipe warmer exudes luxury. It’s ergonomically shaped, it’s sleek, and the parent brand has baked the idea of ‘lifelong value’ into all of their product research and design, so you can depend on it to keep working for month after month.
- Sophisticated, high-end design
- Antimicrobial elements to prevent the build up of bacteria or mold.
- Soft-glow night light (untimed)
- Window that allows you to view how many wipes are in the unit
It’s also got a really robust silicone seal, which keeps moisture locked in for hours, and it uses the “Top-down” heating method, which means you always get the warmed wipes and water evaporation is minimized.
In our opinion, this option is definitely the best wipe warmer for water wipes, and it’s also the most dependable warmer that we tried – leaving no browning, or dryness, even when overfilled slightly.
This warmer is priced according to its build quality though: It’s an expensive option on our list, and it’s not that different from other, cheaper options, so if you are shopping on a tight budget, you might want to consider a slightly cheaper alternative.
It does feature additional functionality in the form of a (very soft) nightlight, and it is undoubtedly a high-end product, in terms of feel and reliability, but working out whether or not that justifies the price increase will come down to how much you value these aspects.
Pros
Cons This nifty little unit from family-owned company Prince Lionheart is, hands-down, the best wipe warmer for reusable wipes. It’s a premium option, benefiting from a sleek design and a plastic body that incorporates EPA-approved antimicrobial agents, and it also features a whole host of moisture-retaining technologies, including Lionheart’s unique Ever-Fresh moisture pillow which sits at the bottom of the unit, and gently releases condensation to keep wipes moist. This warmer is often lauded for its ability to keep wipes warm and moist for hours at a time, and we’re a huge fan of how elegant and simple the whole thing is. The only slight issue is that the opening at the top can be quite stiff, and has been known to rip wipes. This is why we recommend this warmer for reusable wipes, rather than their thinner, disposable cousins; despite the fact that it can technically accommodate both kinds. The moisture pillow does need to be replaced every 3 months too, which adds an additional upkeep cost that you might not have accounted for. All in all, we think this is a great little wipe warmer, and you can certainly rely on it to keep wipes warm without drying them out, but it is on the pricier end once you factor in replacement parts, and it isn’t the best fit for disposable wipes. Pros Cons This wipe warmer is one of the best-rated warmers on Amazon, and with good reason too: It’s a well-made, reliable option, with a nice little window that lets you keep an eye on how many wipes are left, and good extra functionality in the form of a 10 minute, timed night-light that lasts long enough for most diaper changes. These features prevent you having to switch the main nursery lights on, which, in turn, wakes your baby less. We’re also a big fan of this warmer’s top-down heating design, which keeps wipes at the bottom of the pile nice and moist, but ensures that the next wipe you pull out will be nice and warm. The only slight downside of this design is that wipes at the bottom of the pile do sometimes struggle to get warm, as the heat doesn’t penetrate right to the bottom. Some people do also complain that the two clips used to secure the top of this warmer are quite stiff, which makes refilling a bit of a chore. That said, we do still think that this is absolutely the best wipe warmer for reusable wipes, and it’s also well suited to anyone that’s looking to add a little splash of color to their baby’s nursery. Pros Cons The second Prince Lionheart warmer to make our list, this particular example is the best wipe warmer for the money. It’s no slouch in other departments either though: Like the Premium Wipe Warmer of this list, the Ultimate incorporates Prince Lionheart’s patent-protected Ever-Fresh moisture pillow, which keeps wipes nice and moist despite the bottom-up heating method, and the quality of the unit can’t be overstated either. This is a robust little warmer, made from high-quality plastics that incorporate natural antimicrobial agents. It’ll heat a full stack of 80 wipes up in about 3 hours, and it can be used with water, reusable or disposable wipes too, making it a really good all-rounder. The night light is a nice extra touch too, and we’re big fans of this unit’s low voltage, which means that it is tremendously energy efficient. In fact, it uses the same amount of power as a set of Christmas lights, which means it can be left on round the clock without inducing any guilt. The lid clips are nice and robust too, which means no moisture escapes from the top of the unit during normal use. Really, the only problem we could find is that the Ever-Fresh moisture pillow does need to be replaced once every 3 months, and wetted every 3-4 days, which makes this option slightly more labor intensive than some of the other warmers on our list. Pros Cons If space is at a premium in your nursery, you may well want to consider this nifty little wipe warming. Boasting a unique, vertical design, it manages to hold a full stack of 80 wipes, while taking up about 50% of the space used by the other warmers on this list. It’s also a very reliable wipe warmer by all accounts; heating up a full stack in around 2 hours, and keeping them nice and moist for at least one full day. Dexbaby is so confident about this wipe warmers’ abilities that they even ‘guarantee’ that it’ll keep wipes moist and warm for at least 12 hours, which is good. The whole unit has been designed for ease of use too, and a lot of reviews mention the fact that it’s particularly easy to use, which is great if you’re changing your baby one-handed. The only issue is that, as a result of the vertical design, wipes aren’t always heated as evenly as we’d like; wipes at the bottom of the feed are great, but up at the top, things can stay a little cooler than we’d like, and there doesn’t seem to be much that can be done to remedy this situation. The timed night-light is a nice little extra though, and we still think this is a great option for those of us that are space-conscious. Pros Cons Wipe warmers are designed to take all of the discomfort and misery out of changing time: Heating cloth or disposable water wipes up to a comfortable temperature so that you can keep your little one clean, without upsetting them in the middle of the night. They’re perfect for anyone that likes to use wet wipes to keep their baby clean, and they’re an absolute godsend if you frequently struggle to get your little one back to sleep after a midnight diaper change. Not all wipe warmers are made equal though: Some have additional features like night lights, some are built in a way that’s designed to lock moisture into your wipes, some feature special technologies designed to cut down on wastage and some actually demand much more frequent upkeep, due to the use of special moisturizing pillows and other, semi-disposable elements. So, if you are not happy about our picks, why not having a look at this in-depth guide, which walks you through all the questions we’d ask before selecting an option: First things first, you need to make sure that your wipe warmer will heat the kind of wipes you want to use. The overwhelming majority of wipe warmers do heat reusable baby wipes, and we have found that most of the top-rated wipe warmers also work with the disposable kind, but it’s always worth double checking! Next on the list: build quality. Since you’ll be changing your baby between 10 and 12 times a day in those first few months, your wipe warmer is going to see some fairly heavy use. As such, we’d recommend checking reviews to ensure that any clips, fasteners or hinges will stand up to the stress, and that the warmer can be left on for hours at a time without burning out. It’s also worth noting that cold baby wipes, used without a warmer, do actually pose something of a safety risk in their own right too: Because babies can’t shiver, anything that causes their body temperature to drop forces them to burn reserves of special ‘brown fat’ which is quite hard to replace. This makes maintaining their core body temperature a real priority, and one of the best ways to do that is to ensure that anything touching their skin is slightly above standard room temperature. Most wipe warmers take between 2 and 3 hours to heat a full stack of wipes (between 60 and 80 pieces, depending on the model). They will then keep these wipes warm for as long as the machine is switched on, which is handy and convenient. That said, warmers designed to really lock moisture in, and prevent browning, can take a little while longer. If timing and speed are an issue, make sure you check downloadable user manuals or reviews to determine the length of time your chosen warmer actually takes to get wipes up to the desired temperature. Generally speaking, wipe warmers heat a stack of wipes from one of two directions; the top or the bottom. Top-down warmers make sure that you always have a warm wipe close to hand, and they also leave wipes at the bottom of the stack nice and moist. That said, they can also leave wipes at the bottom cold, and warmers with a bottom-up approach also tend to heat more evenly. Warmers with poor airflow or bad moisture seals can dry wipes up, which isn’t optimal. Some wipe warmers even brown the edges of wipes too, which is why we’d always check to make sure the unit is designed to really lock in moisture. Some warmers have built-in night lights and timers. Depending on your preferences, this might be something that impacts your buying decision, or it might be a needless distraction. Either way, it’s worth evaluating these extra features and the additional costs they might incur when choosing a wipe warmer for your baby. Generally speaking, wipe warmers are very easy to use. If you are using reusable wipes, you may also need to add a small amount of water and a cleaning solution – always make sure that you read the instruction manual that is provided with your model, as it will contain a full breakdown of the steps you’ll need to take, and the manufacturer’s recommendations. Wipe warmers are very easy to clean and care for too – just unplug the power cord, remove the top, and wipe the unit down with water and a mild detergent at least once a week. If there are removable moisture pillows, as in all Lionheart brand wipe warmers, this can be soaked or machine-washed separately as per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Concerns about the safety of wipe warmers are frequently raised on parenting forums, but all modern options have built-in, EPA-approved antimicrobial agents, and conform to all US and EU safety directives. There’s a wipe warmer to suit every baby, irrespective of whether your set on an eco-friendly model with low output, a reliable warmer that’ll heat hundreds of wipes in a few short hours, or a wipe warmer that’s specifically designed to cater for reusable wet wipes. Hopefully the list above helps to shed some light on the option that’ll be best for your baby, but we’d always recommend taking the time to read additional product reviews on Amazon, or the shopping platform of your choice, to ensure that you can make an informed decision. And remember: The best wipe warmer is the one that suits your needs. There’s every chance that the night light feature found on the Hiccapop Wipe Warmer will be used every night by some parents, but you might also find that you get more mileage out of a unit without this feature, or a unit like the Prince Lionheart Ultimate, which prioritizes value for money over additional functionality. Take your time when choosing, and make sure you prioritize the things that matter to you. 2. Prince Lionheart Premium Wipe Warmer – best for reusable wipes
3. Munchkin Warm Glow Wipe Warmer – best for cloth wipes
4. Prince Lionheart Ultimate Wipe Warmer – best for money
5. Dexbaby Space Saving Wipe Warmer – a space saver
Best Wipe Warmers Buying Guide
What Type of Wipes Does It Heat?
Is It Robust and User-friendly?
How Long Does It Take to Warm up Wipes?
Does It Warm from the Top or the Bottom?
Ultimately, there are pros and cons to both, but working out which is better for your needs should be a priority.Does It Lock in Moisture?
Does It Have Extra Features?
How To Use A Wipe Warmer
Cleaning A Wipe Warmer
Final Words
Looking for a warmer for adult disposable washcloths.The package says XL 12”x8” but measured they are8”x7”.What am I missing and would appreciate your help.
Hi Cari, you could try the Hiccapop Wipe Warmer on top of our list. It’s big enough to take washcloths of the size you said.
You need to do alittle more research since the number 1 you picked is a top down warmer and not a bottom.
Hi Brittany, thank you so much to point it out and I owe you and my readers an apology. I have corrected the mistake and double checked others. I do a lot of research and test the product every time before an article comes alive. Maybe I need to be more focused next time.