How to sterilize baby bottles

When we make the decision to bottle feed are baby, any baby care manually will tell you about the importance of using the correct, sterile equipment.

But it has been argued by paediatricians that we do not sterilize our breasts, we wash them with soap and water, so why should we sterilize our bottles, teats, pacifiers etc.

But it is common practice in Western Society especially to meticulously sterilize all bottles, teats, soothers etc until an age where your  new born starts to grasp objects and put them in their mouth, where the need for sterilization becomes less important, as especially when we talk of the age of around six months where baby starts to crawl, then we would have to sterilize our entire home, obviously asking the ridiculous.

If baby is constantly in a 100% sterile environment, then her immune system will never be given the chance to develop properly, as she will never interact with any germ or infection.

So you have decided to bottle feed your  new born baby, then now you must decide which method of sterilization you wish to use, more and more products coming on the market, making it almost impossible to choose.

Traditional sterilization in baby care was achieved by submerging the bottles and teats etc into boiling water, as once water boils, it kills of all germs that mat be present on the bottles etc..

This can and is still a commonly used method of sterilization, being the cheapest and most natural method, the only disadvantage is that teats and pacifiers made from latex rubber not silicone perish more quickly when frequently immersed in boiling water.

It is also very important to make sure that all the objects to be sterilized are submerged under the water, although it is only necessary y for a few minutes, or less, as constant bolling will rapidly perish teats.

First wash the bottles normally to get rid of any visible residue of milk using a bottle brush. These are usually double ended, one side for the bottle, a smaller brush on the end for the teat. Make sure also that the bottle brush is correctly stored in a hygienic place.

Sterilization tablets for use in water are also available for sterilizing your new borns feeding equipment. These are used with a sterilizer unit, which can have a grate that sits on top of all the pieces to be sterilized before closing with the lid, ensuring that all pieces are submerged.

With this type of equipment, you can leave the bottles in the water until you need them, changing the water every 24 hours, or as to the instruction on the tablets or your baby care book.

In recent years the microwave sterilizer has been invented. This type of sterilizer works with only a small amount, of water, which must be quite precise, as well as a certain length of time in the microwave. The top is placed on the sterilizer and when heated creates a sterile environment on boiling of the water.

The disadvantage to this type of device is, that like sterilizing in boiling water, teats and pacifiers tend to perish rapidly, but more importantly, once you remove the lid, you must use the bottles straight away, as the products do not remain sterile, raising the question of if this new innovative procedure for sterilization is actually any better than traditional methods.