My DUMBEST question to date...

Is a bottle sterilizer different than a bottle warmer??

Sorry to be so clueless...

when you sterlize a bottle or nipples you are boiling them basically. you would never have milk/formula in a bottle that is being steralized.
warming a bottle means it is full of whatever food you are giving the baby and it brings it up to a tad above room temp. but you would always test a warmed bottle before giving it to a baby.
does that make sense? It is very easy to steralize a nipple. you don't need any fancy stuff to do that. just a pot.

I didn't know a binky from a burpie!

Sterilizer is used after washing the bottles so everything is nice and clean before you fill them.

Warmer is to warm the formula so it's not too cold for baby's digestive system. I had a warmer but it didn't seem to work too well. I just run hot tap water into a bowl and let the bottle sit for about 5 minutes.

Not dumb at all!!!

I see your question was already answered but if I can just add my opinion about owning or using them. I don't think either is necessary. Boiled water or your dishwasher can sterilize your bottles. As for a bottle warmer - I think it's a total waste. My SIL lent me her Avent warmer and I used it 3 times with unimpressive results, it was quicker to boil a few oz. of water and dip the bottle in it to warm it. Who needs another contraption lying around?

Disclaimer: Like any other baby product I review, this is my personal experience and not meant to be used as an industry standard.

Liz

I have also read that you do not want your baby too used to a very warm bottle because you do not always have access to a place to warm the bottle. room temp is fine and you can always warm a bottle to room temp without fancy equipment.
again, just some stuff i have read

I Think a bottle warmer was so nice to have throughout the winter. If you have a baby towards summer you might not need one because even room temp water is fine during summer (my warmer is packed away). But during the winter, and during those sleepless nights, plopping the bottle in there and turning the switch is like a charm.. yes its another contraption, Liz, but I kinda like this one

I never got a sterilizer. the dishwasher and hot soap and water work for me.

ETA: ALWAYS 'check' the formula on your wrist after you take it off the warmer, just to be safe. Sometimes it seemed to make it 'Extra' warm and I'd leave it on the counter for a few minutes to cool down. I know that shouldnt happen, but I think depending on how much water is left IN the warmer, it may get too hot.. (ALWAYS keep it up to the right level. With each bottle that is warmed up, the water gets lower and lower..does that make sense? the warmer always has water in it and the bottle sits in the water) sorry if that was confusing..

Thanks girls!