Dorri Partain
Assistant Editor

No need to stay home when it’s time to feed the baby.  

Baby bottle warmers hit the road in this handy combination hot pot and bottle warmer that came with two electrical cords; one for use with a standard DC outlet, and the other that fit a 12-volt auto outlet.

Following the development of the electric coffee percolator by British manufacturer Russell Hobbs in 1952, similar products that utilized a warming unit were produced. Baby bottle warmers were first developed as a simple cylinder of ceramic or durable plastic with a metal liner attached to a warming unit at the base.  To heat a glass bottle, a small amount of water would be added first, then the bottle was set into the water until heated, thus saving the time of heating water on the stove every time. Additionally, the bottle warmer could be used in any room that had an electric outlet, whether in the nursery, parent’s room, or hotel room. Some models also came with an attachment so that the warmer would  produce steam and be used as a                                                                                                                                                vaporizer.

The stylish model B-1000 added a handle and pour spout for added versatility.  Once baby no longer drank from bottles, parents could “keep in it right in your bedroom…plug it in the minute you wake…have your first cup (of instant coffee) before you get up.”  The product card also suggested the warmer could be used to heat baby’s food, make cocoa, boil eggs and listed which car model, prior to 1956, was equipped with the 12-volt outlet necessary for travel use.

Manufactured by Williamburg Electric, a division of Lindavap. Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, the company also produced a line of hot trays and food warmers. The product was commended by the Consumer Service Bureau of Parents’ Magazine and was tested and approved by Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL).