Sanitizing Baby Bottles

Everything that comes in contact with the infants must be fundamentally sterilized and sanitized. Proper hygiene must observed and maintained when it comes to the baby bottles. The baby bottles must always be sanitized properly before and after feeding the baby with them. Sanitizing baby bottles is an important job to avoid any infections that can cause any complications to the child's health. The basic step that most mothers follow is boiling the baby bottles, which is a convenient method as well. For those who are trying to learn how to sanitize baby bottles, here are some tips.

Boiling Water
This is the common most method of sanitizing baby bottles. All the items that are used for baby bottle feeding, need to be sterilized in clean boiling water for at least ten minutes or more. It is very important to maintain a separate pan meant only for this purpose. All you have to do is to wash the baby bottle first and then place it in the pan of boiling water. Only precaution that must be taken here is that the rubber nipples of the bottle should be replaced on a timely basis because they can get sticky due to constant heat exposure.

Steam Sterilization
There are many baby bottle sanitizers available in the market that are designed by using the method of steam sterilization. This method takes around 15 minutes (excluding the cooling time of the bottles, of course). In this method, the bottles and the rubber nipples must be kept in the upside down manner to ensure proper sterilization of the baby bottle. Precaution must be taken while opening the lid of the steamer as the interior parts get extremely hot.

Cold Water Sterilization
Cold water sterilization is done by using several sanitizer tablets that are available in the market. These tablets are chlorine free, odorless and are formulated using active oxygen. They dissolve in the water within less than 8 minutes. One tablet is capable to purify 3 liters of water. Cold water sterilization is very useful to prevent bacterial infections. Generally, sanitizing with this method gets done within half hour but for extra precaution, the baby feeding items must be left in the solution for 24 hours.

Never keep the sterilized bottles in the open for too long as they might get rapidly contaminated. Buying expensive sterilization machines are not advised, rather you can sanitize the bottles simply by using a decent dish soap, hot water and a good brush for the baby bottle and the rubber nipples. If you are getting enough time and have a healthy habit to clean the baby bottle every time after you feed the baby, then there is no need to sterilize them. You can do it once a week. One can also use a dishwasher for this purpose.

Baby bottle sterilization is strictly recommended for premature babies, babies suffering with immune system disorders and before using any new bottle (for kid of any age group). Sanitizing the bottles with bleach is not so safe option and why to think about it when there are so many options available for sanitizing baby bottles!