Sterilize Baby Bottles

When bottle feeding your newborn, it is important to make sure the supplies you are using are clean. Find out why and how sterilizing your baby bottles is the best way to clean them.

Steps

Sterilizing Your Baby Bottle

1. Know when you need to sterilize. Although it never hurts to be extra clean, sometimes going through the work of sterilization is unnecessary.
   • Historically, water has never been filtered as much as it is today. That means mothers of the past had to deal with bacteria in the water contaminating their baby bottles. Today, unless you know your water has bacteria in it, you may not need to sterilize it for this reason.
   • No environment is completely sterile. Therefore, although you may sterilize a bottle, it will likely come in contact with bacteria from your hands, air, counters, etc.
   • Soap and water is often all that is necessary to thoroughly clean a bottle, making further sterilization superfluous.
   • It is safe to sterilize baby bottles before the first use after purchase from a store, as well as after extended periods of disuse or if your baby was recently ill.
2. Pour water into a pot to boil. You will need to pour enough so that the bottle(s) as well as the nipple(s) are completely submerged.
3. Separate bottle parts. Remove the nipples or tops from their bottles.
4. Wash bottles with soap and hot water. This is to clean any preliminary grime or bacteria that may have found its way onto the bottles. Do this while bringing the pot of water to a boil.
5. Place bottles and all parts into the boiling water. The bottles should be completely submerged, and left to soak for at least ten minutes. This allows time for the bottles to be completely cleaned of any remaining bacteria.
6. Remove bottles from the boiling water. Use metal tongs to grab them and place them to dry upside-down on a drying rack.
7. Use the baby bottle. The process of washing and boiling removed any harmful bacteria from the bottles, but being placed back into a natural environment removes any sterility they had. This is fine though, as all homes house bacteria which is important for helping a baby’s immune system to develop. If a bottle is not used immediately, put all the parts back together and store in a covered area to keep from the insides being contaminated.

Utilizing Other Options

1. Use a dishwasher to clean bottles. The heat from the washer is often all that’s necessary to completely clean a bottle. Unlike boiling the bottles, it does not remove all bacteria though.
2. Use a microwave to clean a baby bottle. Wash the bottle parts with soap and water, and place them in the microwave separately. Run for about ninety seconds and allow time to cool.
3. Use cold water sterilization. Purchase non-toxic sterilization tablets produced by companies such as Milton and dissolve in a container of cold water. Allow bottles to soak in the water for a minimum of thirty minutes. They can be rinsed when finished, but are safe to use immediately afterwards.

Tips

• Many companies also sell sterilizers for specifically this purpose. They work in a similar way (using water and high temperatures), but often have features that make them more convenient (timer, etc).
• Sterilize pacifiers on a regular basis to avoid bacteria spread, especially if the infant has a cold or the pacifier has been dropped on the ground.

Related Articles

• Make Powdered Baby Formula
• Store Your Expressed Breast Milk
• Bottle Nurse a Baby

Sources and Citations

See also

• Get Your Child to Hold Their Own Bottle
• Use a Bottle Sterilizer
• Get Free Baby Formula
• Add Rice Cereal to Formula
• Wash Baby Bottles
• Sterilize Bottles
• Make Homemade Baby Formula
• Bottle Nurse a Baby
• Switch Baby Formula
• Make Powdered Baby Formula

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