When you feed your baby with the bottle, it is very important that you clean it thoroughly after every meal so that no germs lodge which could cause infections in your baby.
In this article, you will find out how to properly clean baby bottles and sippy cups and how to best sterilize them.
Why sterilize the baby bottles for cleaning?
In their first months of life, babies are particularly susceptible to bacteria, germs, and other pathogens. If you do not breastfeed your baby, but feed it with the bottle, it is therefore particularly important that you always clean it and the accessories thoroughly to prevent the formation of bacteria.
You should also sterilize the utensils once a day for the first six months. Even if sterilization may seem superfluous to you, it still plays an important role in relieving the stress on your baby's immature immune system and causing mild to severe gastrointestinal infections, with accompanying symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or dehydration.
How to clean baby bottles
Before you can sterilize the bottles aseptically, they must of course be clean and free of milk residues. This applies not only to the bottle itself but also to the teat and the bottle ring that closes the bottle. In order to prevent milk from drying in cracks or in hard-to-reach places, which would make subsequent cleaning much more difficult, it is best to rinse all accessories thoroughly with running water immediately after each use. Make sure that the suction hole is clean and not clogged.
You can then carefully clean everything with a bottle brush and normal dishwashing detergent. Special bottle brushes, which can be bought in the drugstore, for example, and which are shaped in such a way that you can easily reach all places inside the bottle are practical.
The bristles of such brushes are usually made of soft material, such as rubber or foam so that the bottle does not get scratched when cleaning. Many bottle brushes also consist of a large, long brush for the inside of the bottle and a small brush that is intended for cleaning the teat. Some manufacturers of bottle systems and teats also offer the right brushes for their products, which should make handling even easier.
After cleaning with detergent, it is important that you rinse the bottles and teats again thoroughly with running water. When all the soap residue has been removed, you can start sterilizing the bottles.
Sterilize baby bottles daily for the first six months
There are different ways to sterilize the bottles for your baby. In addition to the classic method of boiling, you can also sterilize the baby bottles and sippy cups using so-called vaporization with hot water vapor or special chemical solutions. These are sold as so-called "sterilizing agents" in drugstores.
You can also put the bottle parts in the microwave to sterilize them, but this is only recommended with plastic bottles since it is unclear whether or not glass bottles will release dangerous substances under the influence of microwaves.
The classic method of boiling works for all materials and is therefore especially recommendable, provided that your baby does not have allergies against any components of the bottles. To perform this type of cleaning correctly, fill a pot with enough water to cover all bottles completely and bring it to a boil. Put one or more bottles in the pot depending on how many you have and let them boil for at least five minutes without stirring or disturbing them. Then take everything out of the pot with metal tongs, let it drain, and put it on a clean cloth.
You should repeat this procedure twice daily for the first six months, once in the morning before your baby's meal and again in the evening after its meal. But you should also pay attention to thoroughly cleaning all bottles after every single use with running water if your baby does not finish its meals or does not drink its fill from one bottle. If you are using bottles that are partly transparent, check whether any milk is left inside during each use. The chances are high that bacteria will begin to grow otherwise.
If there are tough stains on parts of the bottle, you can also soak them briefly in slightly soapy water before boiling them. You can use a brush with soft bristles for this purpose, but avoid using abrasive sponges or scouring pads.
Can I was baby bottles in the dishwasher?
Often the question arises whether bottles can also be sterilized in the dishwasher. However, this is not the case. First of all, the programs are often not hot enough, as germs and bacteria are only killed at temperatures above 70°C. And even if a program is selected at which the temperature is high enough, other things will also be cleaned in the dishwasher, which is why the hygiene that your baby needs in the first few months of life is not guaranteed.
Only use a dishwasher for baby plates and cutlery
You should only use a dishwasher for the utensils that you eat or drink from. Everything else, such as feeding bottles and teats, should be washed manually with water and detergent. If necessary, you can also boil them in a pot of water to remove stubborn dirt. If your bottle is made from plastic, this will not cause it any damage at all provided that you leave it to dry well afterward so that no moisture remains inside. It is best if you always put the parts together again immediately after washing them. This makes it easier for you to reassemble everything before using them next time and it also prevents small parts from getting lost (especially the valves and spouts of baby bottles).
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends boiling all feeding bottles for five minutes every day to sterilize them. This method is also suitable for baby sippy cups and drinking glasses with a ring-shaped handle because they too can become contaminated during use and require thorough cleaning after each meal. It is important that you always clean your baby's feeding equipment thoroughly, especially if it becomes contaminated with saliva during the meal or even afterward when your child gets older. You should not put any parts of a bottle in your dishwasher so as not to damage it. However, you can usually buy special small brushes from drugstores for this purpose which are easy to store and which fit on all types of standard taps so that you can clean baby bottles easily.
What can I use to clean my baby bottle?
Cleaning your feeding equipment with boiling water is usually all that you need to do, but if there are still some stubborn stains, you can also use specially formulated dishwashing liquids or special solutions for cleaning baby bottles. Chemicals are generally not needed here because all bacteria are killed by the hot water. If necessary, you should only add a little vinegar or baking soda to the water when boiling the bottles so as to neutralize any remaining smells and prevent new odors from developing after cleaning. If this fails, you can either put the parts in the dishwasher again so that they come out properly disinfected or simply replace them entirely with new ones.
Do I have to sterilize baby bottles?
No, you do not have to sterilize your baby bottles if they are made of high-quality plastic. Plastic is naturally free from germs and bacteria even after being washed several times in the dishwasher or being boiled. There are also no special recommendations for using bottle brushes with hard bristles on heat-resistant materials like polypropylene (PP), which some manufacturers use for very small feeding bottles. However, there may be higher levels of bacteria on smooth surfaces like glass or metal if these items are not completely dry after washing, so these parts should still be cleaned thoroughly. It is also advisable to regularly dismantle all parts of the feeding equipment and wash them separately because dirt can accumulate inside the spouts more easily.
Do I have to sterilize baby bottles with teats?
Yes, you do need to sterilize your baby's feeding equipment before using them again even if they are made of high-quality plastic because traces of detergent or fat can remain on the surface after washing which may encourage bacterial growth. You should also make sure that all parts are completely dry afterward so that no moisture remains inside them where bacteria could multiply more easily. Bottles with teats are difficult to clean thoroughly by hand due to their special shape. If you only use the dishwasher for this purpose, make sure it has a very hot drying cycle (at least 65°C) otherwise there is a risk that cold water vapor will condense in the bottle and encourage bacteria to grow. If you use a dishwasher that is not hot enough, then the teats, in particular, should be washed by hand afterward in hot water with some washing-up liquid or sterilized with steam from a kettle if possible.
What should I do if my baby has dropped their bottle?
Dropping a baby bottle onto the ground often causes serious damage to it. If the nipple has broken off, then you should not continue using it because small parts can present a choking hazard. You will also have to throw away any defective bottles with cracks or other visible damages because these are no longer safe for use. If one of the plastic parts is damaged in some way, you should only buy new ones from the original supplier so that they fit exactly and are made of high-quality materials which are guaranteed to be free from chemicals harmful to babies.
Are all plastics suitable for baby products?
Although there are high-quality polypropylene feeding bottles available on the market today, it is not advisable to use the cheapest bottles because these may not be sufficiently stable and can leak or break even during normal use. You should also avoid bottles that are made of polycarbonate (PC) because they may release small amounts of bisphenol A, a chemical that has been associated with adverse effects on health in animal experiments.
What can I do if my baby's bottle smells bad?
The first thing you need to do if your baby's bottle smells bad is to remove all parts, including the teat, wash them carefully by hand in hot water with some dishwashing liquid or an ordinary washing-up liquid and replace them afterward. You should make sure that there are no detergent residues left on the feeding equipment as these can encourage mold growth. The inside of the bottle should also be adequately cleaned using a bottle brush with hard bristles or an old toothbrush to remove any dirt or fat that may have been collected there. If this does not help, try boiling the feeding equipment in hot water for five minutes once they have been reassembled. Boiling sterilizes the parts and allows you to get rid of unpleasant odors which are caused by bacteria growing on them.
Can I sterilize baby bottles in the microwave?
No, you cannot sterilize baby bottles in the microwave oven because high temperatures only destroy the germs without removing residues from detergents or fats that could cause new bacteria to grow. You should also avoid using steam sterilizers that are designed to be placed on the top of a water cooker if you have one. These can only produce steam at 100°C which is too low for effective sterilization.
How long should I boil baby bottles to sterilize them?
You should boil baby bottles in hot water for five minutes before they are used again because this will kill germs and viruses completely if the plastic they are made of does not melt or warp at that temperature. A microwave oven or dishwasher must never be used for this purpose because their heat is unevenly distributed which reduces the effect of the process. If you use a microwave, it has to be set on full power and taken out just as soon as it reaches full heat but even then there is still a risk that the milk residues inside the bottles will not have been completely sterilized.