Best formula prep machines in the UK (2026)

The 70C question, and how each machine answers it

Powdered formula isn't sterile, so the NHS method is to boil fresh water, leave it to cool for no more than 30 minutes so it stays at 70C or above, then make up the feed with it. Machines tackle this in three different ways.

Hot shot machines (the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep family) filter the water, dispense a small shot that Tommee Tippee says is at least 70C onto the powder, then top up with cool filtered water so the bottle is ready to drink. Boil-and-hold machines (the Babymoov Milky Now) boil a tank and hold it at 70C, so you make the bottle as you would with a kettle and cool it yourself. Mixers (the Baby Brezza Formula Pro range) mix powder with warm water and, as Baby Brezza states, don't use 70C water at all.

Whichever you choose, test it. Dispense the hot water into a clean cup rather than your baby's bottle, check it straight away with a food thermometer, then pour it away. If it reads below 70C, go back to the kettle and contact the manufacturer and your local Trading Standards.

Cleaning, descaling and filters are part of the deal

Every machine here needs regular maintenance, and a neglected machine is where things go wrong. Perfect Prep machines use an antibacterial filter that lasts up to three months (based on six 9oz bottles a day) and costs £14.99, or £26.99 for two. Tommee Tippee says to use only its own filters, which it says beat third-party alternatives in lab tests, and to run a cleaning cycle before first use, after every filter change or descale, and if the machine hasn't been used for a week.

Baby Brezza recommends cleaning the Formula Pro's funnel after every four bottles, changing the tank water daily and a thorough clean once a month. The Milky Now has no filter to buy, just a built-in clean cycle. Which? advises running cleaning cycles often, changing filters when needed and regularly flushing sterilising fluid or boiling water through the pipes.

You still need to sterilise bottles

A prep machine makes the feed; it doesn't sterilise your bottles. The NHS advises sterilising all feeding equipment until your baby is at least 12 months old, and washing your hands and cleaning the surface before you make up a feed. Budget for a steriliser alongside any machine.

Small feeds and newborns

Perfect Prep machines can't make a feed smaller than 4oz (120ml). Tommee Tippee explains that the hot shot and the cool top-up both need to be big enough to do their jobs. If your newborn takes less than that, you would make 4oz and throw away what's left after the feed, as the NHS advises for any leftover formula. The Baby Brezza machines start at 60ml, and the Milky Now dispenses in 60ml presses.

Feeds away from home

None of the countertop machines travels well. The NHS suggests taking a measured amount of powder in a clean, dry container and a vacuum flask of just-boiled water (a full, sealed flask stays above 70C for several hours), then making a fresh feed when it's needed. Ready-to-feed cartons are sterile until opened and are the simplest fallback. Tommee Tippee's PrepGo UV is built around the flask method and cools the finished feed quickly.