Cleaning Baby Bottles

Listen to this article: 

 
Adequate nutrition is one of the most crucial levels of child-rearing. Everyone is aware of balanced nutrition, but do you know how essential is it to clean a baby bottle and how to do it properly?

You can destroy viruses by properly knowing how to wash a baby bottle. You'll need to pick an appropriate product from a store that sells home chemicals or utilize tried-and-true traditional treatments, as well as a washing instrument. 

Why is it important to wash baby's bottles, and what are the consequences of an unhygienic bottle? What hardware needs to be cleaned, and how often? How to sterilize nutrition tools, which cleaning brands to use, hand-washing baby bottles versus cleaning them in the dishwasher, and how often to sterilize baby bottles. These are all concerns that all decent parents may have.

Why is it important to clean and sterilize my baby’s bottles?

A little child's body is still learning to fight harmful microflora in the environment. Thus, one cannot do without the assistance of a mother in this instance. One of the most important jobs for moms during the breastfeeding stage is to serve the infant with food that is both healthy and safe. It's easy to omit the required procedures for good handling because cleaning baby bottles might seem like an endless and dull task.

If you want to bottle-feed your baby, acquire a few extra bottles so that you have a sanitary set on hand throughout the day. When buying bottles, look at their appearance to see how to wash them in the coming years. The best choices are basic jars with no indentations, as indentations make it extremely difficult to remove the mixture's leftovers. 

When purchasing plastic infant bottles, ensure that the material is devoid of the ingredient Bisphenol-A. Look for bottles that are labeled as BPA-free, as the ingestion of this compound can be harmful over time.

For more than 40 years, Bisphenol-A has been used to harden polymers. Medical supplies, CD players, dental sealants, water bottles, the lining of canned goods and beverages, and a variety of other products all include it. There are the following risks of having BPA in a baby bottle:

• It is known to be an endocrine disruptor, which means that it can disrupt normal hormone levels and maturation in fetuses, infants, and children.
• It may be involved in the development of certain cancers.
• Its impacts on the brain and behavior of newborns and young children have been raised by the FDA's National Toxicology Program.
• Because the bodies of infants and young children are still forming, they are less effective in the removal of BPA from their circulation.

Dishes for youngsters should be washed separately from those for the rest of the household. Conventional products are ineffective because they have various risky ingredients. Organic liquid solutions disinfect the interior of the bottle and the teats effectively and securely. They don't comprise any toxins and are produced using eco-friendly materials.

Risks of an Unsanitary Bottle

When cleaning baby bottles, it’s important to consider the dangers of a non-disinfected bottle.

• The first risk is not sterilizing the feeding supplies within the baby bottle. 

It's critical to clean all of the dismantled pieces of your baby bottle individually, including the bottle, ring, and pacifier. This is critical because a lot of milk can build up between the ring and the pacifier, thus stimulating bacterial growth. This is a difficult part to see if you don’t regularly take apart your baby’s bottles, so it can be helpful to make a habit of doing so. 

• The second risk is buying products that have not been tested by other acquainted parents.

It's a bit hard to select the proper alternative: the purchased item cannot contain scents, and the colors must be entirely natural and permitted for use in the food business. The inclusion of antiseptics, which considerably improve safety, will be a huge benefit. Many parents choose to use ECO-labeled products made with natural components for cleaning baby bottles. They're not like regular cleansers, which include a lot of hazardous chemicals that might cause allergies and impair a baby's health. Hypoallergenic products are designed for use in children's dishes. They include antibacterial components that effectively disinfect dishes and may be easily rinsed away with water.

• The third risk is paying attention only to the area inside the bottle, not taking into account what is going on in the bottle itself. 

Pay attention to how thoroughly you wash the bottle's exterior. As long as the youngster holds it, these hands will contact the face and go inside the mouth. Because there are numerous bacteria on the hands, keeping an eye on the condition of the exterior of the bottle helps to avoid the transmission of germs.

• The fourth risk is cleaning the baby bottles with filthy hands.

Regular hand-washing is a good habit to get into in general, and is especially important when you’re handling baby products. are Dirty hands are a breeding ground for a variety of ailments. Before you wash the bottle, wash your hands. During bottle cleaning time, keep washing them. Also, clean your hands well before giving your child the bottle. 

What equipment needs cleaning and how often?

As previously said, it is critical to wash all dismantled pieces of your baby bottle individually, including the bottle, ring, and pacifier. Don’t forget to wash your hands before cleaning the bottle. These are the obligatory steps to follow to know how to wash a baby bottle:

• After each use, immediately rinse the bottle so that milk will not remain on the bottle sides.
• Detach the bottle and hand-wash each component individually.  
• Before cleaning the bottle, it's a good idea to clean the sink to get rid of any chemicals. Scrub the sink with warm water and soap only before cleaning the bottle, as the sink still has a lot of germs from the previous dishes.
• Fill your sink with hot, soapy water after rinsing it. 

There are baby bottles that are dishwasher safe, so you will not have to follow these steps. If you're only interested in hand cleaning, make sure the area where you'll be washing the bottle is completely sterilized. This is not the place to wash a bucket after cleaning the floors or bathe dogs or cats. You can imagine how many germs linger on the sink's surface after such usage. By separating technical and non-technical washing in some way, a large number of microorganisms of various types can be avoided. This may seem like a lot of steps to follow now, but remember that it won’t last forever. 

How to sterilize feeding equipment

There are various options for sterilizing feeding equipment. For instance, you may use the dishwasher. If you ask how often to sterilize baby bottles, then remember the following: before using new cookware for the first time, after cleaning bottles with water from the tap, after a child's illness, or if the container has been sitting for a long period.

1. Wondering are baby bottles dishwashers safe? Sterilizing baby bottles in a dishwasher is a simple, painless treatment. Place containers and accessories on the highest shelf of the machine and start the necessary mode if the instructions call for heat treatment at high temperatures.
2. The most cost-effective method of antimicrobial cookware sterilization is to boil it. Choose a separate container to hold the needed quantity of dishes before sterilizing the bottles. Fill a pot halfway with water and set it on the burner to sterilize the bottles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low for 3 to 10 minutes. Place on a dry, clean cloth and cover with a cotton towel after processing. 
3. Before beginning the sterilizing process in a multicooker, thoroughly clean the inside bowl. Fill it with roughly a liter of water. In the container, place the steaming rack. Bottles and accessories must be folded into the grid that has been fitted. Set the "steam cooking" option and close the cover securely. Alternatively, manually set the timer for no more than 10 to 15 minutes. 
4. An electric sterilizer is a gadget that eliminates the need to choose a method of handling bottles. It's a convenient, small, and effective gadget that can accommodate 6 to 8 bottles. Fill a separate tank with cold water. Bottles should be standing straight with the neck down. Set the timer for 5-10 minutes on the sterilizer.
5. Tablets for sterilizing baby dishes can be used anywhere that has water and a sterilization container. Dissolve the tablet in water and "push down" the bottles so that they are recessed in the container. The dishes will be sanitized for at least half an hour in this solution before being used. Be sure to follow the instructions on the tablet’s packaging.
6. Bottle sterilization bags are a stand-alone method of disinfection. Pour 60 mL of water into the package for sterilization, then add a bottle, a nipple, and accessories before closing it with a "lock." The complete constructed set must be microwaved for 2 minutes, then cooled for the same amount of time. After that, remove the bag by contacting the section of it that has been labeled as safe by the manufacturer with your fingertips. The water must be drained via a particular hole before the clasp can be opened.

How to Sanitize a Baby Bottle

If you’re looking for more guidance around how to wash baby bottles, here it is. If you select chemical sanitizing over manual sanitizing, the detergent for children's dishes should be fully rinsed away with both hot and cold water. 

• Bottles with a dispenser are available for BabyLine products. Natural food components are utilized to make this product. It has a strong antibacterial property. 
• Products made by the brand Nuk are made entirely of biodegradable materials. Thanks to the activity of enzymes, they efficiently eliminate food detritus from baby dishes. It's a cost-effective solution that dissolves quickly in water and doesn't produce a lot of foam. 
• From birth, the Pigeon product may be used to clean baby bottles and accessories. Sucrose ester and citric acid are the primary active components.
• Meine Liebe is designed to clean dishes for children aged one year and up, as well as toys and other household items. It easily eliminates oil and debris, foams up well, and washes off easily without drying out the skin on the hands.

While there’s not necessarily science behind these methods, below are some methods for cleaning that older generations have used in a pinch. 

• Dry mustard is a great way to get rid of filth and oil from any surface, and it's also quite easy to clean. 
• Sodium carbonate is another common alternative. 
• Baby bottles can also be cleaned using laundry soap or a homemade detergent based on it. 
• Lemon juice, in its purest form, imparts a pleasant scent to such items. 
• Coarse salt is effective in washing fat away in cold water and dealing with the leftovers of fruit smoothies.

Finally, here are all the steps you need when it comes to how to wash a baby bottle:

1. Make sure you have all of the cleaning tools you'll need. 
2. You’ll need a bottle brush to clean the bottom and sides of the bottle, as well as a rubber teat brush to remove germs from the teat. 
3. Fill your sink with hot, soapy water after rinsing it. 
4. Disassemble the bottle and hand-wash each component individually. 
5. Allow for complete drying of the bottle. 
6. Before feeding your infant, wash your hands.

Handwashing Versus Dishwashing Baby Bottles

Let’s discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of handwashing versus dishwasher-washing infant bottles.

Do not wipe bottles and nipples after cleaning, sterilizing, or scorching. This makes it easy to pick up pathogens from the towel or leave paper towel fibers on them. Place wet bottles and nipples, ideally upside down, on a clean cotton cloth, or use a bottle and nipple drying rack to dry thoroughly.

Even if the bottle is large enough to drink on its own, never leave your youngster with it.

It is entirely up to you to determine which approach to cleaning baby bottles is preferable. It may seem absurd, and we understand why: the parent can't keep track of how the child chews on everything in the home, licks the floor, and pulls everything into their mouth, and germs on the bottle are said to be harmful to the child's health. But one area in which you can control more of what germs your baby is exposed to is by practicing proper hygiene and washing of their bottles and feeding supplies. 

FAQ

The chance of a child becoming ill from water consumption is lower in areas where tap water is safe to drink than in areas where it is not. However, a newborn's immune system is quite weak during the first year of life, and water that is safe for an adult might be hazardous for a baby. Because infants' immune systems are significantly weaker than adults', more caution should be exercised while utilizing tap water.

By sterilizing feeding supplies, you protect your infant from bacteria and germs found in tap water, milk, and on your hands. Because even a tiny number of such germs can cause sickness in a young child, a newborn should be safeguarded against them from an early age as much as possible by using preventive tactics

Sterilization will kill pretty much anything that lives on the utensil or bottle. But don’t worry; your child's food and their exposure to the environment will give all of the necessary healthy microbes for their developing immune system.

It's a good idea to have a couple of bottles ready ahead of time. Bottles that have been capped can be stored in the refrigerator for six to eight hours. You may keep hot water in a thermos and the necessary amount of powder in a bottle, which you can combine right before feeding.