Fill your bottles with water about halfway. Here’s how to sterilize baby bottles with this method: Combine one teaspoon of unscented bleach with 16 cups of hot water. If we don’t sterilize the feeding equipment properly, bacteria can build up on the bottles and nipples and cause our baby to become ill. Indirect Food Additives: Polymers. Always clean and sterilize your Philips Avent bottle and nipple after each use. An electric steamer: Is easy to use; Sterilizes, dries, and deodorizes; Is BPA-free; Using the Microwave. Remember, a baby’s bottle has many parts, dismantle it completely, and wash the bottle, nipples, valves, and membranes separately. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If the bottles and nipples are labeled "dishwasher safe," you can also run them through the dishwasher. Curr Opin Pediatr. 1. Wash them out first with a baby bottle cleaning brush; there are a plethora of options Place them in the dishwasher (the bottles on the top shelf and the nipples in a basket) and choose a hot/rinse cycle Soak them in a large bucket filled with hot soapy water If there are any stains or food … Surprisingly, it probably doesn't need to be done as often as you might think. When your bottles are brand new “It is important to sterilize bottles initially to protect from disease-causing bacteria,” says board-certified lactation consultant Leigh Anne O’Connor, IBCLC.Because no matter how clean and green those BPA-free bottles are, they still came from an unknown environment and might carry germs that could put the health of a very young baby at risk. Rinse bottle parts and any other feeding items by holding them under running water. All we have to do is put the bottles and nipples inside a container, add water and make sure that everything is fully submerged. How to Sterilize and Warm Baby Bottles Safely. It’s important to pay attention to the following factors before we start sterilizing our baby bottles and nipples: BPA and other harmful chemicals have been linked to development problems in children. Sterilization is a process that kills bacteria in baby bottles through high temperatures or chemicals. In addition, if you only see with the naked eye, it is difficult to ensure completely clean the bottle or not, because even if there is no stains, bacteria still remain on the mouth of the bottle, the wall and the nipple. By. Most experts say that we should sterilize baby bottles and nipples until our babies turn one. But these days, most pediatricians will tell you that after the first use, sterilizing isn’t necessary. They are especially practical for traveling when we don’t have many sterilizing options at our disposal. Updated October 2018. Unfortunately, some plastic bottles contain BPA, which can get into our baby’s milk or formula once the plastic gets heated. Babies can have serious health problems if you don’t take care of their hygiene, due to their sensitivity to every illness. Investing in a high-quality drying rack is a good idea; it will allow us to dry our bottles and nipples properly. If you use disposable plastic bottle liners and ready-to-use formula, you still need to make sure the nipples are clean. But there are a couple of caveats to this advice. Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. How To Sterilize Baby Bottles. Scrub them in hot, soapy water, then rinse to get rid of all traces of soap; some experts recommend boiling them for 5 minutes. We need to sterilize both plastic and glass bottles unless the instructions on our glass bottle indicate differently. Moreover, some models will dry our bottles with hot air and deodorize them. Once the baby starts bottle feeding, one of the biggest challenges is how to sterilize the baby’s bottles. Put in your sterilizing solution subsequent the instructions provided. The main way to sterilize bottles is via heat. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Submerge bottles, nipples, caps, and rings in a pot of clean boiling water for at least five minutes. Once we have made sure that our microwave is clean, we should take a microwave steam sterilizer, fill it with water, and put our baby bottles, caps, and nipples inside. Braun JM, Hauser R. Bisphenol A and children's health. However, if your baby is less than 3 months old or was born premature or with a weakened immune system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends sterilizing once a day.. You can also buy specially designed bottle sterilizers that use steam to kill germs and bacteria. Let all of the bottles and nipples soak in the boiling water for five minutes before draining and stacking them on the counter to dry. When to Sterilize. Depending on our preferences, we can use different methods. It’s smart to use a plate or some other object that will keep the bottles underwater. Fill your baby’s bottles halfway with water. You can sterilize the baby bottles using a microwave. Follow these instructions on how to clean, sterilize and store your Philips Avent bottles and nipples. Disassemble the bottle and nipple completely before washing. Most parents that bottle-feed sterilize bottles every single time that they use them. You could also consider spoons, syringes, medicine cups, and other alternative or supplemental nursing systems that need cleaning. 2011;23(2):233–239. Dry these bottles and use them. Unless you live in an area with well water or have a contaminated city water supply, it's only suggested to sterilize new bottles and nipples before the first use. Ready access to hot, soapy water and/or a dishwasher makes maintenance cleaning even easier. How to Sterilize Baby Bottles and Nipples, Ⓒ 2020 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved. A rule by the Food and Drug Administration. To clean baby nipples, scrub them in hot, soapy water, then rinse. Just add your bottles to a pot with tap water and make sure that they are completely submerged and free from air pockets. When heated, these older plastic bottles can leach BPA into your baby's formula or milk.​, Aside from the first sterilization, there is no need for routine sterilization of bottles beyond hot soapy water or time in a dishwasher. What is the Best Way to Clean Sippy Cup Valves? Sterilizing the baby bottles has to be delicately and patiently done. Angela P. Muller - November 13, 2019. Indirect food additives: Polymers. Also, microwave baby bottle … How to clean, sanitize, and store infant feeding items. Submerge bottles in the solution, taking care to avoid any air bubbles in the bottom of the bottles. In order to avoid getting burned, we need to be patient and let the bottles and nipples cool in the microwave before we move them. Ideally, this pot should only be used for sterilization or, at the very least, cleaned thoroughly prior to adding the baby bottle. Wash the bottles, pacifiers, nipples, caps and rings with hot soapy water. However, as most sterilization methods require us to use heat, we must find bottles that don’t contain BPA. A steaming machine is used to steam bottles clean. By putting everything in the microwave, we will let the steam sterilizer and the microwave sanitize our feeding gear quickly and effortlessly. In order to let the steam sterilize our nipples and bottles properly, we should always place them facing downward. Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Tips for Breastfeeding With Inverted Nipples, The 7 Best Baby Bottles for Breastfed Babies of 2020, The Right Way to Prepare Concentrated Infant Formula, The Risks Associated With Warming Baby Formula, The Medela Calma Baby Bottle Was Made to Mimic Breastfeeding, How to Sterilize and Warm Baby Bottles Safely, How to Clean, Sanitize, and Store Infant Feeding Items, How to clean, sanitize, and store infant feeding items, Indirect food additives: Polymers. However, before anything else, we need to make sure that our microwave is clean. If you don’t sterilize a bottle, you will need to clean it carefully and thoroughly. Barakat Z. Sterilization takes more time than regular cleaning so it's worth investigating why your doctor suggests it before committing to the practice. Place the clean bottles in the sterilizer. While we might feel that it is necessary, some mothers consider it a waste of time. Wash the bottles with warm soapy water first. Exposure assessment of Bisphenol A intake from polymeric baby bottles in formula-fed infants aged less than one year. New parents often wonder about the best way to sterilize their baby's bottles, especially how often it needs to be done. In the end, deciding how (and how often) to sanitize your baby's feeding equipment is entirely up to you. (Be sure to place small items into a closed-top basket or mesh laundry bag so they don’t end up in the dishwasher … Do I need to sterilize my baby's bottles? 1. Another option includes washing our bottles, filling them halfway with water, and placing them inside our microwave, putting it on for around 90 seconds. Microwave on “high” for a minute and a half. If we find ourselves in a situation where we don’t have access to a stove, we shouldn’t panic because it’s possible to use tap water and a sterilizing solution to sterilize baby bottles and nipples. Also, if our baby is sick, if we notice visible build-up, or if we have bought new feeding equipment, then we absolutely need to sterilize both the bottle and the nipple. That said, effective initial sterilization of baby feeding items is vital to ensure your child is drinking from safe and clean bottles. Soak bottles for two to five minutes, then remove with clean tongs. Nipple holes should have bristles from a dishwasher brush inserted to clean the holes. By using a microwave-safe bowl that we’ve filled with water, we can sterilize our nipples this way, too. Without further ado, here comes the list of the best sterilizing methods that will keep our baby gear clean and our baby safe and sound. Finish the sterilization process. Then put all your bottles in that water and clean them thoroughly. Andrea Rice is an award-winning journalist and a freelance writer, editor, and fact checker specializing in health and wellness. 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