Tips for Cleaning Your Baby's Bottle
In this article we’ll provide advice on properly cleaning your baby’s bottle.
When it comes to your baby’s bottle, maintaining the correct hygiene is essential for your child’s health. However, several myths and incorrect information have also appeared on the subject.
For that reason, we’ve considered it important to bring you a list of tips and tricks on cleaning your baby’s bottle – some great advice that should put your mind at ease.
With some simple attention to detail, you’ll have no problem in successfully carrying these out. There is no need to become a compulsive cleaner either!
Tricks to cleaning your baby’s bottle
It’s clear that the correct cleaning of the bottle, the nipple (teat) and the baby’s pacifiers are essential for your baby’s health. In the first months of life, a child’s immune system is quite fragile.
Many of the most popular ideas on bottle cleaning have been seized on by different companies. They offer so many options in terms of sterilizers, brushes, substances and so much more. However, not all of these are truly useful, or even recommended.
That’s why we want to address this issue and give you some tips for cleaning your baby’s bottle that are infallible. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is, and it will stop you from worrying too much.
You’ll also see that you don’t need to buy expensive products to clean the bottle properly.
Cleaning with water, soap and a brush
This is the most traditional and effective cleaning method. Ideally, once the baby has used the bottle, you should wash it immediately. Only then will you ensure that no particles remain attached and that will make the cleaning easier.
Before you do this you should first wash your hands thoroughly. Then, use a mild or diluted soap to clean the bottle.
You’ll also need hot or warm water and a special brush to clean the bottle. Every part of the bottle – including the nipple (teat) and lid – should be washed every time.
You must pay special attention to the area of the thread, the teat and all the edges. This is where milk residues could easily remain and that could cause the spread of bacteria.
“Ideally, once the baby has used the bottle, wash it immediately. Only then will you ensure that no particles remain attached and that will make the cleaning easier”
Mistakes that can cause contamination
This process, albeit simple, can cause problems if we don’t take certain things into account. If we wash the bottle well but then make any one of these mistakes, then contamination can occur.
- Once the bottle is washed with soap and water, we shouldn’t dry it with the kitchen hand towel which is used by everyone. Towels are notorious for harboring bacteria. The best option is to drain the bottle well and use absorbent kitchen paper.
- When touching the different parts of the baby’s bottle to put them together, adults must have absolutely clean hands. If not, we may well be contaminating the bottle.
- Finally, parents should make sure that the water they’re using to wash the bottle is safe to drink. If there are problems with the cleanliness of the water in your area, then we recommend that you wash the bottle with boiled water at least for the first six months of the baby’s life.
Sterilizations
There are two ways to sterilize the bottle and all its parts. Either with boiling water or with electrical devices designed especially for this task.
However, the frequency with which the bottles should be disinfected and sterilized has been altered by specialists. This is reflected in the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
In their articles, they specify that there is no distinction between sterilization and the correct washing of the bottle with water, soap and a brush.
If the parents want to be doubly sure of the hygiene of their baby’s bottle, then the correct moment is before you use it for the first time. After that it should only be done once a week.
In cases where a child has a particular condition or was born prematurely, your pediatrician may give you different advice.
In summary, to ensure a proper hygienic cleaning of your baby’s bottle, the best advice is to use clean water, soap and a good brush that will reach all areas of the bottle. And, in addition to that, adults should always practice good hand hygiene.