Sterilizing Baby Bottles Is a Waste of Time. Here’s Why You Should Stop

Newborns are a real bunch of joy. They look so cute, and everything they do is eat, sleep and poop. But they are also at their most vulnerable stage of growth, which makes caregivers essential to understand the needs of the baby. Part of this is to keep all clean.

Newborns have a developing immune system, which led people to believe that sterilization of baby bottles, lollipops and other articles is necessary to protect them from germs and infections. But the centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend only sterilization at first; As your baby grows, it becomes useless. This guide is to help you understand when you need to sterilize a bottle and when this process can stop.

Recently based Reddit thread on the subjectOne of the most posed questions of new parents is the frequency you need to sterilize your baby’s bottles. Some parents base the answer at the end of the baby’s end, while others say they only sterilize once before moving on to ordinary washing. Whatever the method, the concern is the same: keeping their newborn in safe.

We have even more useful advice for parents who run with low baby formula or need suggestions for breast pumps or Baby registers essential. We also have the best choices for the best layers, baby monitors, car seats and baby clothes.

Why is it important to sterilize baby’s bottles?

Babies of less than three months always develop their immune system, and many infections that would be lighter or moderate at older age can be serious during these months. While cleaning the bottles carefully and immediately using them is generally sufficient to eliminate bacteria, viruses and other harmful contaminants, during the first three months of a baby’s life, bottles sterilizing daily or more often are another level of protection recommended.

When should you sterilize and clean your baby’s bottle?

Note that regular cleaning involves soap and hot water and the elimination of all residues inside or outside the bottle and its associated parts. Sterilization, on the other hand, consists specifically in using heat or chemicals on the bottle and all associated parts to kill the remaining microscopic bacteria which could have escaped the cleaning process.

You must clean the bottles when you buy them, as well as after each use and before reuse if it has been a while since the clean bottle has been used. Ideally, bottles should also be disinfected when you buy them and between uses.

How often should you sterilize baby’s bottles?

The bottles are used several times a day, and depending on the number you have, you may only need to disinfect a batch of bottles once a day before each use. However, many of the pediatricians are resources are Less concentrated on disinfection that never before, leaving the sterilized frequency to parents in many cases. Many dishwashers have a disinfection frame, which is doing the work for you quickly if your bottles are kept in the lave-up holder.

When to stop baby bottles sterilize, according to the CDC

The CDC recommends disinfecting at least daily until the baby is 3 months or more and longer if they are immunocompromised. Otherwise, it is not as important, but you may still want to disinfect your older baby’s bottles if:

• You know that the bottle had milk or preparation to sit for it for several hours or even a day
• Your baby has been sick or is on a drug that weakens his immune system
• Your water supply has been reported for a kind of contamination
• You are on the well water (which can be good, but you could also have less information on the overall quality of the water)
• You have a way to do it quickly and safely and without disturbing yourself or other caregivers of the baby

How to clean and sterilize baby bottles

There are dedicated sterilizers designed for special types of baby bottles and sterilization parameters on dishwasher. An advantage for dedicated slices / sterilizers who said that new parents on Reddit end up being more important than sterilization itself: Dry the bottles You are therefore not stuck in the drying hand with each room or hours of waiting so that they dry.

If you do not have the counter space or the budget for mechanized options, these are three manual ways To sterilize your bottles.

Sterilization of baby bottles with boiling water

1. Carefully wash all baby bottles and pieces. Let them disassemble.
2. Put all the items in a clean saucepan and fill the water jar at the place where all the pieces of the bottle are submerged.
3. Bring to a boil and keep to a boil for 5 minutes.
4. Use clean pliers to remove the parts from the bottle and place them on a clean towel or paper towel to dry completely.

Sterilize baby bottles with steam

1. Carefully wash all baby bottles and pieces. Let them disassemble.
2. Read the instructions on your specific bag sterilization system, such as the Medela bag system.
3. Place the amount of water required and only as many parts as the bag, which allows it to close.
4. Follow the instructions over time to disinfect in the microwave.
5. Remove using a pair of clean pliers once the bag is not too hot to open. Place on a clean towel or paper towel to dry completely.

Sterilization of baby bottles with an antibacterial chemical

1. If boiling and vapor are not possible, the use of a diluted laundering solution (2 teaspoons of bleaching not fragrant per gallon of water) in a clean basin is an alternative method mentioned by the CDC.
2. Carefully clean all baby bottles and parts and let them disassemble.
3. Place all the parts of the solution carefully, by adjusting them to make sure that no air bubble prevents the part of an area from being affected by the solution.
4. Leave all the items fully submerged for 2 minutes.
5. Use clean hands or clean pliers to remove the items and place them on an unused towel or a paper towel.
6. No need to rinse as long as the items are completely dry before being used again. The rinsing reintroduces the trace microorganisms which were destroyed by the bleach.

How to store baby bottles after disinfecting

Once your bottles have been completely dried, you can assemble the bottles for easy use when you need it. The closed kitchen cabinets are good places to store the bottles, where they will not interact with as much air as they would do it on a kitchen counter, and they should only be stored with other clean items.

If a step in your drying or storage process traps moisture on bottles, this can make the growth of germs more likely. Drying racks that sometimes lead to a trapped humidity, then disinfect the rack itself every few days if it is your favorite method.

Disinfected bottles are no longer a universal recommendation for all the time that babies drink bottles. However, if you can integrate it into your schedule or if you have a circumstance that makes a good choice for your family, it can provide a single protective layer for the new addition to your family.