Wipe Warmer Problem

Updated on November 06, 2008
J.S. asks from Springfield, MO
22 answers

My mom gave me a wipe warmer, and I love the idea of it, but am having real problems with it. It comes with the water holder to keep them from drying out, but they still dry out and the wipes that are on bottom actually get burned. By the time I get to the bottom wipes (about a half inch thick of wipes), they are brown from being scorched. Has anyone else had this problem, or is there something I can do to prevent it from happening?

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S.D.

answers from Topeka on

I have never wanted a wipe warmer because to many moms complain of this same exact problem and they become to hot.I think if you have followed teh directions it is the warmer that has the problem I'd say unplug it and ditch it it could be a fire hazard.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

My warmer didn't have a pad, you just put 1/4 cup of water in it every time i added wipes. I never had any problems with scorching or drying out.

However, i found that the Costco generic wipes worked best in it because they were thicker than normal wipes .. i wonder if that was why it worked so well for me.

Personally i would use one again - my child deserved spa treatments!

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R.H.

answers from St. Louis on

I thought that the wipe warmer was a great idea when I first got mine as well. And then I started running into the same problems as you are. While I was takling to a few mamas here at work, one piece of advice stuck out the most and I will share it with you. They asked me what I was going to do when I had my baby in public or at daycare, when warm wipes would not be available, especially with colder weather coming up, and have my child very uncomfortable because I was using room temperature wipes when I would know that she wanted the warm ones that she was used to. I really didn't have a response, but with that question, I went home, unplugged the wipe warmer and have never used it since. I have also saved a bit of money on wipes not being wasted and not having the device plugged in.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.N.

answers from St. Louis on

Waste of money, have her return it and get your money back. I never got one, I just took the wipe and warmed it up in my hand a couple of seconds then used it on my baby.

1 mom found this helpful

C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

i always kinda thought wipe warmers were just a gimmick to prey on new moms and take our money lol! but what if you put a little water in the bottom with the wipes? maybe that's what you meant when you said it has water in it. i've never even looked at them so i have no idea. but if the bottom wipes were sitting in a little water it might keep them from burning? scorched wipes sounds like a fire hazard to me!

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K.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I had two, loved them. But, they are tricky if you want it to work right. Keep a bottle of water by it and every few days just pour a little into the warmer, this will keep it wet. Then about once a month (always have an extra pad around for when you do this) take out the pad you have been using, wash it in your sink with water and soap - really well! Then put it in a zip lock and place back by your wipe warmer for when it is time to switch out again. They require maintence, they are not a self sufficient item but I think worth it expecially in the winter :)

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K.B.

answers from Wichita on

Good Morning Jenn, I personally have never used a warmer, I kind of hold them in my hands for a few minutes. I don't think I wold use the machine any longer if it scorches the wipes near the bottom. You might call the manufacture of the warmer and let them know what you are experiencing.

Best of everything for you and yours.
K. Nana of 5

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L.K.

answers from St. Louis on

I had a wipe warmer that dried out the wipes and burned the ones on the bottom. I didn't trust it not to burn up my house, so I pitched it. To keep my son's wipes a little warm, I kept them near a heat register (in the cooler months). And if I had to, I would get the warm water running in the sink, and warm them up that way. Good luck!

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J.D.

answers from St. Joseph on

Please be extra cautious. I too had a wipe warmer a few years ago and had the same problems you are describing. I found out the warmer was actually recalled because of starting fires (the brown ones at the bottom!) I instead just kept a towel wrapped around the wipes box or held them in my hands a few seconds before using to warm them. Whatever you do please be careful with the warmer or check online to see if yours has ever been recalled. Good Luck!

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A.C.

answers from Kansas City on

At Babies R Us you can get Prince Lionheart Everfresh Replacement Pillows...they are wonderful. What they are...a very sturdy sponge type that holds water in it and keeps your wipes from burning or drying out. Put it in the bottom of your wipe warmer soaking wet and then put your wipe on top. Every time you put a new thing of wipes in the warmer, simply rinse out the "pillow" as it will be a little yellow and then put it back in soaking wet again. This has been the answer to all my problems with wipes!!

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G.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Does it have any kind of temperature control? I would call the manufacturer and explain the problem - maybe it is defective and they might send you a nw one. ?G.

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L.H.

answers from Springfield on

I have had mine for almost 6 years and I love it. We had ours dry out some so I always added a bit of water. They would sometimes turn slightly brown on the edges if I forgot to add water but not to the point of scorching. We have our 3rd due in Feb and I plan on using it again. We even had a travel wipe warmer. We didn't use it very often but it was really nice when we did!

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L.G.

answers from Kansas City on

I have never used a wipe warmer myself, but speaking with different people that have, yes that happens. They each decided that it just wasn't worth it to use. Sorry - wish I had better news for you!

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K.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I used a wipe warmer for my cloth wipes. I find that washcloths work much better than store bought wipes and a wipe warmer was a handy great place to keep them all ready for use. I would do as others have said, turn them and add some more water. But they are certainly not necessary. With my second kid I didn't use it as much (because of how our new house is set up) and just have a perry bottle of room temperature water and a stack of washcloths. If you like it, try a few things. If you don't like it very much, chilly wipes aren't too bad!

K.

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C.C.

answers from St. Louis on

They have a wipe warmer at our church. I read the instructions and it said to turn the stack of wipes periodically to prevent drying out. I've never used one myself, but it made sense to me that if you turn them every couple of days, the top ones (which dry out the fastest) would stay wetter. Just a thought.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Forget the warmer.

Put the wipe in the microwave for 5-10 seconds at 50% power. Nicely steamed and ready to use.

T.

www.cleanducts4kc.net

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C.R.

answers from St. Louis on

I have had the same wiper-warmer for 9½ years and if you don't continue to put a ¼ cup of water in the container every so often, then yes, they will scorch the edges of the wipes. I keep a gallon of distilled water in my kid's closet so I can grab it easily when I need it. It usually works out that if you add water every time you add wipes, it's maintained. But it also depends on how often you use those wipes as well. So then you will need to add water a little more often if you don't use them as much as you used to. Hope this helps.
Good Luck.

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L.J.

answers from Kansas City on

Mine did the same thing. I found some wipe warmer soaker pads (by Lionheart, I think) at walmart. It was like $7 for three of them. They fit in the bottom of the warmer I have which is some other brand. It's been over a year, and I still have one pad left. You just soak them and put them in the bottom of the warmer. It keeps the wipes from getting scorched. Once it starterd looking pretty nasty, I replaced it with a new pad. But I probably went 6 months on the same pad. My wipes have been fine ever since.
Good luck!

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K.D.

answers from St. Louis on

i dont have any advice on keeping them wet but i have read alot of reviews that say diaper warmers are very easy to spread infections. i got one for my baby shower and my pedi told me to get rid if it. i dont know if you have had any problems with that or not. look into it and see what you think.

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G.B.

answers from Kansas City on

We have a Lionheart wipes warmer and you have to be sure and soak the pad that lays on the bottom of the warmer once a week. As long as you do that, you shouldn't have any problems.

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K.G.

answers from Wichita on

I just leave the scorched ones in there and don't use them. After a month or so if they start getting really bad I trade them out for some different ones. I don't have the water-adder feature so I add water to mine (even tho it says not too). A few scorched wipes aren't enough to keep me from using it - I really like mine!

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L.S.

answers from Springfield on

I initially thought the wipe warmers were also silly and didn't get one until my son was about 13 months old. The whole fight to change his diaper made me consider perhaps he hated how cold the wipes were, so I bought one. At first it did make a difference! Alas his personality persisted beyond the warmth of the wipes and we're back to fighting for diaper changes... BUT I have not had any of the issues that other moms are talking about and I've had the warmer for 3 months + now. I do not add any water at all to my warmer, and there is no "pillow pad" to wet and keep inside. There is zero maintenance with the exception of refilling the wipes when I run out. I bought mine at Target for 17 bucks, and it even has a little light on the front of it so you can see for night time changes. This has really helped as we just had a baby girl 2 weeks ago and we're doing the night time changes several times each night. The warmer keeps the moisture from the wipes inside of the container so it never dries them out.
Also I have to ask: if you're having problems with the wipes turning brown/drying out, is it because they're in the container for a long time? We're refilling our wipes atleast every 10 days, there is no time for them to turn. I also don't understand the "spreading of infection" but I suppose if you were using a pillow to keep things damp for a long period of time mildew could potentially build up.

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