How to properly clean baby bottles?
It is of utmost importance to clean baby bottles before and after every use. It helps ensure that the bottles are in perfect condition and provide a much healthier environment for babies. You can clean baby bottles with some ingredients in your kitchen. According to Cleveland Clinic, for babies younger than 3 months, washing bottles helps develop their immune system. The South Australian Women’s and Children’s Health Network even says that sterilizing all bottle parts is necessary to prevent sickness in infants. Unwashed bottles or poor quality ones may expose your baby to the following risks:
- Tooth Decay
- Rotavirus
- Cronobacter Infections
To avoid the problems mentioned above, follow these five simple steps to clean your baby’s bottle and get it squeaky clean and ready for use. Remember that thorough cleaning needs to occur immediately after every feeding to ensure no bacterial contaminants in the baby’s food.
1. Wash your hands
Washing hands correctly is essential. Think of all the things we touch throughout the day, then think about what might be on those surfaces, too – germs and bacteria everywhere! Scary thought, isn’t it? So it makes sense to take extra care when you know how easily you can catch a cold from doing something as simple as shaking someone’s hand or touching an object that someone else has touched.
2. Disassemble the bottle
Make sure to take apart every single piece and clean them all thoroughly.
3. Use running water
Ensure you’re running water, not just letting your bottle soak in a basin! The average bathroom sink is home to more germs than the average toilet seat. The CDC notes that including a hot and cold water mix is vital to achieving the proper washing temperature. A clean cloth and good quality soap should suffice when cleaning bottle parts under running water. I recommend you use natural dish soaps. When finished, the CDC recommends rinsing with plenty of clean fresh water to remove any leftover grease deposits acquired from non-drinking use of your bottles.
4. Drying
Make sure to dry the parts of the bottle in a clean, open space. Patting the bottle parts dry with a towel will ultimately cause you to transfer germs from one surface to another, so that’s not an ideal way for you to store your bottle. Air-drying the bottles on a solid surface with at least enough room for box stacking will definitely be of benefit because it decreases any chances of something getting mixed up while they air-dry too!
5. How to Sanitize a Baby Bottle
The CDC recommends thoroughly sterilizing all feeding items at least once a day to rid them of all microorganisms that can spread disease. Sterilizing is especially important for babies under 3 months old, born prematurely, or those with weakened immune systems. Here are three sterilization methods you might use:
- use boiling water for five minutes
- use a dishwasher
- use a microwave tool
