Smarter Similac from the Milk Nanny
Is your screaming baby in need of a fresh bottle of formula? There's an app for that.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
The Milk Nanny is basically a Keurig brewer for baby Kevin. At the touch of a button, the machine will mix up a fresh, warm bottle of formula, drawing from dual reservoirs filled with water and whatever brand of powder you prefer. You can even brew over Wi-Fi using an app on your Android or iOS device. Scan the barcode of your formula of choice, and the Milk Nanny promises to mix it just right, clump free.
That's certainly not the worst pitch to make its way onto Kickstarter, especially if you're a weary parent in search of a time saver. Still the MSRP of $279 seems a bit high for a product that you might only use for one year per kid (that's about £185 in the UK, or AU$360 in Australia). You can also find other formula makers, like the Baby Brezza, that cost a lot less.
On the other hand, if you catch one of the Kickstarter campaign's earlybird specials, the price falls quite a bit -- down to between $150 and $200. That, coupled with the Milk Nanny's unique milk-mixing smarts, might be enough to tempt buyers.
After you press Start, the Milk Nanny will heat the water to the boiling point before mixing in the formula and cooling things back down to a comfortable temperature. From there, it'll dispense the formula into a bottle -- the Milk Nanny features an adjustable-height drip tray, and promises to accommodate most every bottle on the market.
The Milk Nanny also promises to recognize whatever brand of formula you're using, with specific mix ratios built right into the system's brain. The Milk Nanny app will also keep track of your child's feeding habits via a Statistics tab.
As for the reservoirs, the removable water tank and airtight powder compartment hold enough for 12 8-ounce bottles of formula. You'll also receive push notifications whenever either one is in need of a refill.
The machinery itself is made of BPA-free plastic, claims to run constant self-cleaning cycles and even features deep ultraviolet LEDs around the nozzle capable of disinfecting the outer components with every brew. The brewing components can be removed for a quick rinse by hand, too.
The Milk Nanny is the first product from Wicoz, Inc., a tech startup founded last year in Las Vegas. Wicoz plans to ship its first units out to backers in time for Mother's Day this May, with a retail launch scheduled for later in the year. An attachment for heating breast milk is planned for an end-of-year release, along with a smaller version of the Milk Nanny, the Milk Nanny Mini, in 2016.