Proper care of the cleanliness of baby bottles translates into the health of the baby. Thanks to sterilization you can get rid of dangerous bacteria that may cause diarrhea in your baby. How should bottles and teats be cleaned properly? How can they be sterilized?
After the baby has eaten, the bottle should be washed or dipped in water immediately – the bacteria from the milk that remains will not multiply, and the bottle will be much easier to clean. If there is any milk left in the bottle after feeding, it should be poured away immediately.
The next step is to wash the bottle, teat and cap under running water. However, water alone is not enough, so use a special bottle cleaner. Use a suitable brush with a sponge at the end to remove the most difficult milk deposits. It is not advisable to wash the bottles in dishwashers, as the detergents can be too aggressive.
Finally, the bottle should be rinsed once more under running water to remove any remaining detergent.
You can find several types of bottle washing liquids and gels in stores. When choosing a bottle cleaner, you should consider
Before removing a bottle and pacifier from sterilization, a parent should wash their hands. The utensils should be taken out only with the tongs intended for this purpose. There are several methods of sterilization.
The classic method for bottle sterilization. Put the teat and the bottle into boiling water – boil for about 5 minutes.
The easiest way is to use sterilization pouches. Sterilization takes about 2 minutes. Each pouch can be used up to 20 times.
In the sterilizer, the bottles are subjected to steam at a temperature of 100°C, the whole process taking only a few minutes. In this device bottles can be kept in sterile conditions even for several hours. The main disadvantage of this device is its price – the cheapest sterilizers cost about 150 PLN.
In stores you can find self-sterilizing bottles, which are used in microwave ovens. All you need to do is to pour the appropriate amount of water into the cap, put a cap with a teat on it and connect it together – you will hear a characteristic click. Then you have to put them in the microwave. The entire sterilization process takes only 90 seconds.
Put the washed bottle and teat in a pot or other container with a lid. Depending on your needs, pour in some sterilization liquid and cover with water or a solution made of water and dissolved tablet. The entire sterilization process takes about 30 minutes.
Sterilization of all feeding accessories is recommended for the first 6 months of your baby’s life. If your baby has a very sensitive digestive system, such as frequent diarrhoea or thrush in his mouth, bottles and teats should be sterilised for longer.
Once your baby is one year old, it’s enough to wash the bottles under running water with detergent.
Once the bottles and teats have been washed and sterilized, it is important to remember to store them properly. That is why it is a good idea to get a bottle rack or a bottle dryer. This way the sterilized utensils can dry well – then bacteria do not multiply on them.
The second way is to leave the bottles to dry on a paper towel.
Main photo: burst, source: pexels.com
