How to sterilize bottles for newborns?

How to sterilize bottles for newborns must be known to all parents. After all, this is an important nuance of caring for an infant. Responsible dads and mothers understand that their child is defenseless in front of the outside world. And one of their main tasks is to protect the child, including from dangerous microorganisms that can harm the baby's health. For this, it is necessary to know how to sterilize. This article will help to understand this issue and enlighten how necessary such actions are.

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Sterilization of bottles for newborns. What for? How long? How often?

Naturally, many parents have a question: is this procedure really necessary, or are they just echoes of the actions of past years? Can now just wash a bottle of modern detergent? Unfortunately, this is not enough, and sometimes - and unsafe. Bacteria in such a nutrient medium as breast milk or infant formula develop very quickly. And they can be completely destroyed only by exposure to high temperature. Chemicals can also cope with them, but as a rule, they do not rinse out completely on the surface of a newborn’s dishes and will daily have a detrimental effect on his health. So to do without the sterilization process will not work. But do I need to sterilize the bottles before each feeding?

How often do you need to sterilize feeding bottles?

If earlier it was believed that sterilization of bottles for newborns should be carried out after each use, then now this issue is not so strict.

Important! According to studies by the medical community, regular washing of bottles for feeding infants with hot soapy water is enough. The basic requirement remains the use of clean, potable water.

Sterilization is required in such cases:

• Immediately after purchase, before the first use of new dishes for the newborn.
• After each treatment of bottles for feeding water from a well or well.
• After any illness of the child.
• After quite a long time using containers.

How old is the baby to sterilize the bottles?

It should be understood that the child’s dishes should always be clean. But thorough treatment before bringing it into a state of sterility should be subjected to bottles until the child reaches at least 6 months. It will be ideal if you do this procedure longer - up to 1 year. It is by this time that the baby will develop its own immunity to harmful and dangerous bacteria.

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Sterilization preparation

It is a mistake to think that sterilization can be carried out immediately after using the bottle. Before it begins, it is imperative to thoroughly wash all the details of children's dishes, they should not have leftovers of children's food.

Important! Specialists recommend using baking soda or specially designed cleaning products for washing dishes of newborns.

To achieve a better effect:

• Use the brushes that reach the bottom of the bottle.
• Treat the pacifier separately from other packaging elements.
• Children's dishes can also be washed in dishwashers using special mild detergents.

Important! Pediatricians recommend processing items for feeding newborns in a dishwasher separately from the plates and cups of other family members.

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How to sterilize bottles for newborns at home?

There are several ways to achieve the absolute cleanliness of children's dishes. Some of them are checked by our mothers and grandmothers. The most popular are the following methods:

• Boiling.
• Steam treatment.
• Microwave sterilization.
• Sterilization in a multicooker.
• Processing the bottle with a special chemical solution.

Almost all of the above methods are suitable for processing bottles of both glass and plastic. Consider each of the methods in more detail.

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How to boil baby bottles?

The simplest and most proven way for centuries to completely clean children’s dishes from harmful microorganisms is boiling. It does not require additional equipment or special devices, and the result from the procedure is 100%.

Is it possible to boil plastic feeding bottles?

This question is very important, because often manufacturers in the process of manufacturing plastic bottles for newborns use the chemical substance Bisphenol-A. The toxicity of this plastic component can lead to serious health problems for the baby.

Many countries have already taken care of their little citizens and have banned the sale of household items that include this substance. A similar policy has not yet reached us, so we strongly recommend that parents carefully study the composition of the plastic when choosing bottles. If your bottle is made without Bisphenol-A impurities, then it can be processed by boiling, provided, of course, that the plastic is of high quality.

How to boil baby bottles and dummies?

1. Place the washed baby dishes in a clean pot filled with cold water.

Important! Boil a bottle for a newborn should be in a specially designated vessel. In this case, disinfection will be carried out more reliably.

2. Bring the water to a boil.

Important! A prerequisite for proper sterilization is the full coverage of all bottle parts with water. If the dishes are plastic, then you can put a plate or cup on top so that it does not pop up.

3. Boil baby dishes for 3 to 10 minutes.
4. Cool the container and use as directed.

Important! A significant drawback of using this method is the damage to some parts of plastic dishes, as well as rubber elements under the influence of high temperature. Therefore, you should very carefully carry out this procedure with objects that you are not sure of. If in doubt, it is best to use a different method of sterilizing bottles for newborns.

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How to steam a baby bottle?

Steaming is an equally reliable way to remove all harmful bacteria and germs from dishes. Such a procedure can be carried out by the old method, holding the dishes over boiling water, or you can use a modern double boiler or a special electric sterilizer.

How to sterilize baby bottles and soothers over steam?

1. Place the washed elements of the children's dishes in a colander, and place it over a pot of boiling water.
2. Keep cookware over steam for at least 10 minutes.

How to sterilize feeding bottles in a sterilizer?

1. Place well-washed baby bottles and their elements in the water tank of the appliance.

Important! To achieve a better effect, it is recommended that all utensils be placed with their holes down.

2. Close the appliance with a lid and turn it on for 10-12 minutes.

Important! It is recommended to open the sterilizer after it has completely cooled, otherwise there is a high probability of getting a steam burn.

How to sterilize feeding bottles in a double boiler?

1. Place the bottles down with the neck.
2. Pour water into the lower compartment of the double boiler.
3. In the upper part of the device, you can put all the other parts of the bottle for the newborn.
4. Set the device to “cooking" mode, turn it on for 5-15 minutes.
5. When the steam cooker turns off and cools down, you can remove the elements of children's dishes from it and use them as intended.

Important! A similar procedure can be performed in the multicooker by activating the function “pairs”. If the device has a special sterilization mode, then processing in it is even simpler.

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How to sterilize baby bottles in the microwave?

There are special sterilizers that are placed with children's dishes in the microwave and thus the disinfection of household items is carried out. If you do not have such a device, then you can use a special package or a clean glass dish.

Procedure:

1. Pour some water into a special bag or glass pan with a lid.
2. Place clean dishes in the prepared container.
3. Put the container with the bottle in the microwave and turn on the microwave at maximum power for 7-8 minutes.

Important! In this way, you cannot sterilize bottles for newborns that have metal parts.

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How to sterilize baby bottles at home in cold water?

At first glance, it seems that it is impossible to disinfect children's items using cold water, because all the previous methods are based on high temperature treatment. But in fact, modern chemists and biologists for the convenience of parents have created drugs that can do this, with minimal effort on your part. Similar chemicals can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Procedure:

1. Dissolve the special tablet in cold water according to the instructions.
2. Place all items requiring sterilization in the prepared solution for 30 minutes.
3. After time, remove the bottle and all its parts from the liquid, rinse thoroughly in boiled water.

Important! The use of such drugs does an excellent job of disinfecting dishes without damaging them. But getting involved and using them is not always recommended, so as not to harm the health of your baby.

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As you can see, there are many ways to keep the dishes of a newborn in perfect cleanliness. Take note of all the methods given in the article on how to sterilize baby bottles, and use the ones that are convenient for you depending on the equipment available in the house. Thus, you will ensure the maturation of the baby without unnecessary problems.