What is the best way to sterilize baby bottles, nipples, and pacifiers?
If you have a baby, chances are that you have bottles; lots of bottles and cleaning them becomes a daily duty. When it comes to bottle and nipple sterilizing, most parents use a combination of hand-washing and putting some in the dishwasher.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I STERILIZE THE BOTTLES, NIPPLES, and PACIFIERS?
(The American Academy of Paediatrics) AAP recommends that a baby bottle is to be washed after every feeding with hot soapy water. Let it dry before it’s used again, because bacteria can grow in the leftover milk or formula.
Your baby is weak to fight sickness during the first months of his/her life. If bottles, nipples, and pacifiers are not sterilized enough, you’re potentially causing your baby to become sick. Learn more to make your job a little easier and protect your baby from sickness.
•You should wash your hands before feeding a baby with the bottle and before sterilizing make sure the bottles are free of BPA.
•Remember to sterilize brand new bottles to make them 100 % germ free.
3 WAYS TO STERILIZE BABY BOTTLES, NIPPLES, AND PACIFIERS
1. THE WASHING METHOD
You’ll want to find a dishwashing liquid that’s natural, and avoid perfumes or anything that says that its antibacterial or concentrated. Another really helpful product is a bottle brush. This is one way to ensure that you thoroughly clean the interior of the bottle.
Make sure that you don’t wash your baby’s bottles with the dish rag or sponge that you keep in your sink which is probably full of bacteria. So if you’re to be cleaning a bunch of bottles at once, clear out the sink, wipe its bottom, and fill it with warm water.
Once you have a nice amount of water at the bottom of the sink, add enough dish washing liquid to create bubbles. Completely take apart all the pieces of the bottle and fill up the sink with all the small pieces.
When all the bottles have been taken apart and soaking in the water, you can start cleaning each bottle individually. Insert the bottle cleaner all the way into the bottle to get all the milk off and clean all the small pieces.
Some bottles allow you to take off the top part so that you can clean the inside of the nipple or all the small parts of a breast pump. You may also want to make sure that the hole in the nipple is intact.
When you’ve thoroughly cleaned everything, put everything back in the water and thoroughly rinse it. You can put everything on a drying rack.
A drying rack is a great tool to have because you can air dry your bottles in an area separate from all your other dishes. It also serves as a great storage area so that you have all the baby bottles and their pieces available when you need them.
2. THE BOILING METHOD
To sterilize baby bottles with the boiling method, begin by filling a large pan with cold water. Completely immerse all the items in water, and eliminate air traps. Put the lid on the pan. This will keep all items below the water level. Bring the water to a rolling boil and keep it boiling for 10 minutes.
Be careful when removing the lid as it will be hot. Always take care around boiling water. Leave the parts to cool before assembling them. Assembled bottles can typically be left for 24 hours before needing to be resterilized.
3. THE STEAM STERILIZER METHOD
There is a perfect solution for all issues related to baby care and sterilizing baby bottles is one of them. You can sterilize, dry, and store bottles, nipples, and pacifiers altogether with the push of one button. This is the easiest sanitizing method.
Remember to read the manufacturer’s instructions and guide before using a sterilizer.
CONCLUSION
The best way to sterilize your bottles, nipples, pacifiers, and breast pumps is up to your choice! Sterilizing is a good way to protect your baby’s immune system for the first year.
If you have time, you can sterilize by the classic methods, or you can have electric steam sterilizers to make your parenting life easier. If you have (or will have) more than one baby, I highly recommend you to get one of these machines to save you energy and time.