Diaper bombs, feeding cycles of every two hours and sleepless nights—that’s all part of what new parents face every day when there’s a baby in the house. Taking care of a baby could be overwhelming, especially for a young couple. With so many things to worry about—from picking out the right milk bottle to losing sleep over the future, thinking how you’ll ever manage to be a good parent—having one thing to worry about is a godsend.
To that end, here are some helpful baby bottle cleaning tips for you from Wahm, Home Food Safety, Pregnancy Birth Baby and the Yummy Mummy. Read on and find out how to clean those baby bottles the right way. With clean baby bottles, you won’t have to lose sleep over the thought of your baby getting sick. That’s one thing off your plate you’ve got to worry about.
Prepare what you need
Before you start washing those bottles, make sure you’ve got everything you need within easy reach. This will make the entire process go faster. So get your bottle brush. Set the non-chlorinated water you’re going to use. And if there are any available, a good dishwashing liquid that works well for baby bottles. How to pick these one out? Make sure you go for the non-toxic kind and one that doesn’t leave behind a soapy mess as well.
Rinse right after use
Though you might want to put off rinsing the baby bottles until you’ve got a decent batch, it would be better to wash and scrub each bottle immediately after use. This will help keep the bottles free from any accumulated milk or dirt. To get any bits of old milk and dirt out, use hot water to break those down faster. Then use running water to flush out the rest. Still not loose enough? Get down to scrubbing it out with your bottle brush. Rinse and repeat until every inch of your bottles are spotless.
Be thorough
That means taking the bottle apart and giving equal scrubbing attention to every single part. These include the bottle, the nipple and the nipple ring. Don’t forget to scrub down every inch. A baby’s immune system isn’t fully developed yet so it falls on you to keep your baby protected from illnesses caused by germs and bacteria. You can do that by washing those bottles clean until they gleam.
Sterilize the bottles
You’ve soaped, scrubbed and washed every part of those bottles down. That’s not the end though. You still have to sterilize the bottles. Some bottles are also microwaveable you could simply pop them into the microwave, set the timer and wait until the ding that tells you your bottles are done. Of course, before you do this, make sure your bottles are microwave safe. There are plenty of choices in the market, like baby bottles from The Honest Company that are dishwasher and microwave safe, as well as non-toxic.
Here are two ways you could sterilize those baby bottles:
* Boiling. Put all the water bottles and accompanying parts in a saucepan big enough to accommodate everything. Add water until everything is submerged. There shouldn’t be any air bubbles. Boil the equipment for 5 minutes. Allow the bottles and parts to cool. Store the bottle, together with the teat and lid in the fridge. Repeat if you don’t get to use the bottles within 24 hours.
* Chemicals. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to mix or prepare the solution, right down to a tee. Put the equipment in a disinfectant solution. This usually lasts for 30 minutes but you better check the manufacturer’s instructions just to make sure. Drain them. Don’t rinse them off. This will keep the germs away.
Dry the bottles well
Make sure the bottles are well and truly dry before you store them. This might be tedious, especially if you have to do it for every single baby bottle you have. However, moist bottles can be a breeding ground for bacteria or fungal growth and molds. You definitely don’t want those in your baby’s milk and water bottles so go the long way. Dry each one carefully.
Remember to use tongs
Now don’t undo all that hard work! Remember to use sanitized tongs or even gloves when you move all those baby bottle parts—the bottles, the nipples, the nipple rings along with all the other utensils you use—onto a dish drainer. If you just transfer everything by hand, without even protective gloves on, you could be exposing your baby to infection.
Wash your hands
When it’s finally time to use those bottles again, remember to wash your hands whenever you handle the baby bottles or when you feed the baby. Wash it every single time. Do that for at least 20 seconds. By taking these precautions, you’re keeping your baby safe from germs and possible infection.
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I remember those days when I was pregnant with my son. I bought some bottles and did the steps you mention. Yet! when he was born almost 7 weeks early, he will not take bottles or pacifier, All he wanted is his Mommy breast milk,
This really helps. I am a new mom and I need this. Thanks!