Are bottle sterilizer necessary

Best practices for baby bottle sterilization

In today’s society of on-the-go parenting, it is common to purchase bottles, bottle nipples and feeding accessories for babies. Parents have many choices, so it can become challenging to know what to buy and exactly how to clean items. Sometimes, a period of trial and error is necessary before settling on a type of bottle and cleaning system.

Newborns and infants have under-developed immune systems and need to drink from clean bottles. They are vulnerable to infections by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi, which can all lead to illness. Germs can grow quickly if breast milk or formula is added to a partially used bottle that hasn’t been cleaned well.

When you first buy bottles, it is important to sterilize them at least one time. After that, it is no longer necessary to sterilize bottles and their accessories. Many years ago, when water supplies were not reliably clean, baby items required sterilization, but nowadays, this is thankfully not an issue. Washing items thoroughly with hot water and soap is all that is required to remove most harmful germs from bottles. If bottles and nipples are labeled “dishwasher safe,” you’re also in luck — you can put them directly in the dishwasher, using heated water and a hot drying cycle to clean them. Make sure to take bottles apart during the cleaning process. It is also important to always wash your hands before handling baby bottles or when feeding your baby.

Are there added benefits to sterilizing baby bottles and accessories more frequently?

Sterilization is an added step that can help kill more germs than traditional cleaning. It provides extra protection against germs, but is not necessary for healthy infants who have access to clean water sources and strong immune systems. That being said, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states sterilizing feeding items can be done at least once a day. There are several recommended ways to sterilize bottles including using boiling water, microwavable bottle sterilizers or electric steam sterilizers. One is not necessarily superior to the other. Electric steamers plug into outlets and work by using high temperatures and steam to kill germs.

Much like boiling water, sterilizing works by raising temperatures to kill bacteria. There are several different types of sterilizers available on the market including microwave-friendly sterilizers. The key is to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Make sure bottles, nipples and caps are thoroughly cleaned before you begin the steam or sterilization process. Microwave sterilizers kill bacteria by also using hot steam to kill germs. Water is poured into the sterilizer and microwaved for several minutes. This method usually takes less time than an electric steamer.

If you cannot boil, steam, use a dishwasher or don’t have clean water, the CDC condones the use of bleach to clean baby bottles. This can be done by preparing a solution of 1 teaspoon of unscented bleach per 16 cups of water. Items should be soaked for at least two minutes and removed with clean tongs. Any remaining bleach will break down quickly during the air-drying process and will not harm your baby.

Cleaning bottles while traveling

If you’re traveling with your little one and are concerned about access to soap and hot clean water, it may be best to take a portable sterilization system with you such as the ones mentioned above. You may also boil items the traditional way, by placing disassembled items into a pot, covering them with water, bringing to a boil and allowing them to sit for five minutes. As with any system involving hot water or hot steam, keep items away from children and ensure you are handling things with care in order to avoid burns.

It is recommended to use good cleaning practices for all baby equipment. If you are going to sterilize equipment, this is recommended by the CDC for the first three months of life, if you have a premature infant or if your child has a weakened immune system. Daily sterilizing of feeding items may not be necessary for older and healthy babies. At 1 year of age, the AAP also recommends weaning babies off bottles and pacifiers and transitioning to a sippy cup, which can also be washed using dishwashers and/or hot water and soap.

Do I Need to Sterilize Bottles and Pacifiers After Every Use?

By Cathy Habas

Staff Writer, Safety & Security

May 31, 2022

Keeping your baby safe from sickness is a top priority, so it’s important to make sure anything going in your little one’s mouth is clean. Fortunately, you don’t have to buy a baby bottle sterilizer to keep things sanitary. If you use bottles or pacifiers, you’ll want to sterilize them before their first use and perhaps periodically thereafter, but it’s not necessary to sterilize bottles after every use.

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Wash Bottles Regularly to Remove Milk Buildup

On a day-to-day basis, a regular cycle in the dishwasher or scrub in the kitchen sink is good enough. In the dishwasher, be sure to put plastic items on the top rack to prevent melting. Pacifiers, nipples, and other small parts can be placed in special baskets on the top rack so they don’t fall through to the bottom of the dishwasher.

Sterilize Bottles and Binkies to Curb the Spread of Illness

It’s a good practice to sterilize bottles and binkies after your child has been sick, if you or other family members have been dealing with a contagious illness, or if another child has used their bottle or pacifier. Beyond that, use your best judgment. Some sources recommend monthly sterilizing, but assuming your water source is safe, the need is generally quite low. As a parent, you can decide your own comfort level when it comes to habits of cleaning and hygiene.

When it is time to sterilize, the process is simple: leave the bottles (including nipples) and pacifiers in a pot of boiling water for five minutes. You can also buy specially designed bottle sterilizers that use steam to kill germs and bacteria.

For more information on keeping your child safe at home and on the go, check out our buyers guides for baby monitors, baby-proofing locks, and baby gates.

Compare the best baby safety products

Product	Best for	Price	Specs	Standout feature	Learn more	Read review
Graco 4Ever DLX	Best car seat	$329. 99	Converts to 4 seats for ages 0–10	Performs well in crash tests	View on Amazon	Read review
Davinci 4-in-1 Convertible Crib	Best baby crib	$229.00	GREENGUARD Gold Certified	Four adjustable mattress positions	View on Amazon	Read review
Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor	Best baby monitor	$299.99	Unlimited range	High-quality night vision + two-way talk	View on Amazon	Read review
Wappa Child Safety Locks	Best baby-proofing locks	$20.99	3M strong adhesive	Use on cabinets, refrigerators, and toilets	View on Amazon	Read review
Reolink E1 Zoom	Best nanny cam	$99. 99	360° field of vision	1920p resolution + excellent night vision	View on Amazon	Read review
Regalo Easy Step	Best baby gate	$44.99	30 in. tall; fits doorways 29-34 and 35-38.5 in. wide	Open with one hand	View on Amazon	Read review
LILLEbaby All Seasons	Best baby carrier	$98.00	For babies 7–45 lbs	6 ways to carry your baby	View on Amazon	Read review

*Amazon.com price as of post date. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Written by

Cathy Habas

With over seven years of experience as a content writer, Cathy has a knack for untangling complex information. Her natural curiosity and ability to empathize help Cathy offer insightful, friendly advice. She believes in empowering readers who may not feel confident about a purchase, project, or topic. Cathy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Indiana University Southeast and began her professional writing career immediately after graduation. She has contributed to sites like Safety.com, Reviews.com, Hunker, and Thumbtack. Cathy’s pride and joy is her Appaloosa “Chacos.” She also likes to crochet while watching stand-up comedy specials on Netflix.

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Bottle warmers, sterilizers Philips Avent, Chicco, Tommee Tippee, Babymoov

Do I need a sterilizer or bottle warmer? After the birth of a baby, the issue of feeding becomes one of the main ones for parents. And it doesn’t matter if the child is artificially or breastfed - disinfection of nipples, bottles, teethers, baby utensils is necessary. The choice of bottle warmers and sterilizers from Philips Avent, Chicco, Tommee Tippee, Canpol babies in terms of price, size, and feature set is huge. Which one to buy?

Bottle warmer: which one to choose

Modern bottle warmers can not only bring the contents of a baby bottle to the optimum temperature, but also keep warm for a long time. Among the proposals of manufacturers there are classic bottle warmers and with a sterilization function (2 in 1).

The bottle warmer is a simple plastic bowl and built-in heating element. Modern appliances evenly increase the temperature and do it quickly. The principle of operation of the bottle warmer: the elements heat the water in the bowl, and that, in turn, transfers heat to the contents of the baby bottle. The heater can be controlled mechanically with a handle, touch-sensitive with buttons and digital with a display.

Considerations when choosing a bottle warmer:

pay attention to bowl size, warming modes, temperature control,
fit in a bowl),
if the warmer has a frozen milk heating mode, the manufacturer indicates this in the instructions,
in order not to accidentally overheat the contents of the bottle, the heater must have an auto-off function,
the heating indication can be light and sound,
there are models that combine a heater and a sterilizer.

The advantage of the bottle warmer is the gradual increase in temperature. This allows you to save the nutrients and vitamins of the contents of the baby bottle.

Which bottle warmer is better

According to experienced parents, when choosing a warmer for baby dishes and accessories, you should focus on trusted companies: Philips Avent, Chicco, Tommee Tippee, Babymoov.

Tommee Tippee Baby Food Warmer

Always the perfect temperature for your baby bottle. Convenient temperature control and uniform heating, which takes no more than 4 minutes. If you have Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles and jars, this Tommee Tippee Baby Food Warmer is the perfect choice.

Babymoov Tulip Bottle Warmer

The Babymoov Warmer only takes 3.3 minutes to heat up a 250 ml baby bottle. And when it is ready, the device will notify you with a sound signal and automatically turn off. The Babymoov Tulip Bottle Warmer brings the contents of a baby bottle to the right temperature quickly and evenly. A big advantage of the device: suitable for all types of bottles and jars with baby food.

Chicco Digital Bottle Warmer

This Chico bottle warmer is compatible with many bottle warmers from other manufacturers. But that's not all, because the Chicco digital bottle warmer has 12 automatic programs. With their help, you can set the size of the bottle and the starting temperature. The display will show the time until ready or the timer will help you plan the time for which you need to warm the bottle. The Chicco Digital Bottle Warmer will preserve nutrients and vitamins, and warm baby food to the optimal temperature of 37 degrees.

Bottle sterilizers

A newborn's body cannot fully withstand the dangerous effects of the environment. To do this, babies still have an insufficient level of immunity to fight viruses and bacteria. Therefore, to disinfect children's dishes, pacifiers, teethers, toys, it is customary to use a special device - a sterilizer. This is a modern analogue of traditional boiling in a saucepan.

Do you need a sterilizer at home? Opinions on this matter are different, but in the departments of children's hospitals, only sterile dishes are used to feed children in the first year of life.

It is necessary to sterilize baby bottles, nipples, pacifiers, teethers in three cases: after purchase, illness, long-term use.

Among the small household appliances that help parents in caring for a newborn, sterilizers represent perhaps the most numerous category. Before choosing a sterilizer for bottles, pacifiers, baby dishes, let's figure out what types of these useful devices exist.

Bottle Sterilizers: Types

Special devices are useful not only for the health of the child, but also for safety. Boiling bottles and nipples in a regular saucepan is not always reliable. You can forget or get wrapped up, risking ruining children's dishes and starting a fire. Bottle sterilizers are much more useful in this case. Initially, all special devices are divided into two large categories:

“hot” (steam treatment),
“cold” (ultraviolet treatment, antibacterial solution).

Steam sterilizers are electrical appliances that consist of a container for dishes and a water tank. Due to the high temperature, the water heats up and in a matter of minutes the bottles are already sterilized. After the processing process, children's dishes are kept in a sterile state for 3 to 6 hours if the lid is not opened. These bottle sterilizers can be powered by a household outlet or a car cigarette lighter. Among the devices of this group there are: sterilizers-heaters, sterilizers-steamers, steam centers.

The Microwave Baby Bottle Sterilizers are also classified as steam when they are processed using the highest microwave power. They also sterilize children's dishes quickly and well, are cheaper than electric models, but tend to be smaller and cannot handle metal objects.

The Ultraviolet Baby Bottle Sterilizers are a useful cold way to sterilize baby utensils using UV light. This method has long been used in hospitals because it helps destroy up to 99.9% of known microbes. Ultraviolet sterilizers work silently on the mains or batteries, allowing you to disinfect things that cannot be processed with steam.

Baby bottle sterilizers using antibacterial solution tablet or liquid. These devices work autonomously and are indispensable in conditions when there is no electricity. Special antibacterial solutions are harmless to the health of children, but may leave an odor. After processing, baby bottles remain sterile throughout the day, if the tightness is not broken.

How useful is a sterilizer? It can handle baby bottles, jars, pacifiers, breast pump, plates, cups, spoons, teethers and small toys. At the same time, a special device has a more gentle effect than traditional boiling.

Which bottle sterilizer is better

According to experienced parents, when choosing a sterilizer for baby bottles, dishes, accessories, you should focus on trusted companies: Tommee Tippee, Chicco, Philips Avent.

Tommee Tippee Steam Sterilizer

Compact, fits 4 standard bottles and can be used in the microwave. What else? Suitable for all types of bottles, cleaning from harmful bacteria is guaranteed. If you do not open the lid of the Tommy Tippy bottle sterilizer after treatment, then the baby dishes will remain sterile for 24 hours.

Chicco 2-in-1 Bottle Sterilizer

An Italian company has come up with a one-stop-shop for caring parents with the 2-in-1 Steam Bottle Sterilizer. The electrical device can be used in a compact and full-size version, i.e. process 2 or 6 containers at a time, depending on your needs.

The Chicco bottle sterilizer has an automatic shut-off function that works even if the water level is low. In compact mode, Chico's baby bottle sterilizer saves 25% on electricity. The sterility of bottles and accessories with a closed lid is maintained for 24 hours.

Avent Electronic Steam Sterilizer

This is one of the largest units with a modular loading system. Reliability, convenience and the ability to simultaneously sterilize a large number of baby dishes have made the Philips-Avent electronic sterilizer very popular, especially among parents who have a formula-fed baby.

Avent Steam Bottle Sterilizer kills 99.9% of harmful germs in 6 minutes. It can sterilize baby bottles with a standard and wide neck, breast pump, spoons, plates. There is an automatic shut-off function, when the lid is closed, children's dishes remain sterile for another day.

Still have questions? Write them in the comments or contact our online chat. We will advise and help you choose a good bottle warmer or sterilizer. In Karapuzov you can buy everything for feeding with fast delivery in Ukraine.

Do I need a bottle sterilizer? Which sterilizer is better to choose? – Setafi

happykids.kiev.ua

Any newborn goes through several stages, so to speak, of “ripening”, like a young cucumber or berries in the garden. The first few months everything for him is completely new and unfamiliar, full of amazing colors. And for immunity, this is a whole test of strength. How to help your newborn be safe from all sorts of germs and "evil" bacteria? It's simple - buy a steam bottle sterilizer and constantly disinfect your baby's devices. And what is the best sterilizer for bottles to choose and what are its characteristics - we will tell in our article right now!

Contents of the article

Do you need a bottle sterilizer and when you simply cannot do without it
How does a bottle sterilizer work
Bottle sterilizer - which is better to choose? Equipment Evaluation Criteria
Rating of baby bottle sterilizers

Is a bottle sterilizer necessary and when it is simply impossible to do without it

Microbes multiply at a crazy rate in any nutrient medium, and this is a fact. For example, an active source of bacterial growth is a milk bottle that was forgotten to be washed in time and left near the sink. The consequences of drinking milk from such a bottle can be different: from weakening the immune system to various sores from a young age. Of course, if a young mother is still breastfeeding her baby, then a sterilizer is not needed yet.

But in some situations a bottle sterilizer is indispensable. On their list:

Artificial feeding and homemade formulas.
The process of expressing milk and its further storage.
If the baby is too weak (for example, born prematurely).
After a previous illness or after buying a new baby bottle.

What is a sterilizer? The device is many times better than standard boiling (cooking) dishes. There are several explanations for this: firstly, there is no risk of damage to new dishes or exploding bottles. Secondly, after using hard water, plaque may remain, which is not left by a professional sterilizer. Thirdly, reducing the time spent on disinfection. One has only to put all the appliances, set the mode and time, and you can safely go about your business without monitoring the machine.

How the bottle sterilizer works

How the sterilizer works – the principle is the same, regardless of its cost:

All the necessary utensils for the baby are placed in the device;
Container filled with water;
Close the lid and press the power button;
If the sterilizer does not know how to heat water itself, but provides for additional heating, put it in a microwave oven.

After heating the water to a state of steam, the dishes begin to be disinfected. The sterilizer does not need additional care: you only need to wash the body parts and sometimes clean the machine from scale (for example, with a solution of citric acid).

What is the best sterilizer for baby bottles - we consider all types of tools

According to the principle of operation of the machine, several categories of sterilizers should be distinguished: The container itself is immersed in a microwave oven, as it does not have its own heating element. Depending on the power of the microwave, the procedure takes from 5 to 8 minutes. Cons - limitation on the size of the microwave and a ban on the use of metal appliances for disinfection (a spark and a short circuit will go).

Steam is a great option for home use. Enough power and productivity to provide your little one with clean utensils for every meal. Consists of: a container, a water tank and a water heater. Of the minuses, only a relatively high price can be noted. But you want the maximum result for your children? Then it's worth the hassle.

"Cold sterilization" - works offline and is suitable for moving, traveling or long trips where there is simply no place to connect the sterilizer. A baby bottle is placed in a special compartment, after which a disinfectant is poured. Further, the spent solution is drained, and the items can be stored in a pure form for even more than a day. Manufacturers have long proven that the liquid is absolutely safe for children, although mothers still believe otherwise.

Why do you need a cold bottle sterilizer: to keep the devices sterilized in a container or to additionally process after the main instrument.

Ultraviolet - kills microbes without liquids and solutions, and this is its main advantage. Disinfection in this way is the most effective for 2021. You can use the tool safely both indoors and outdoors. Of the shortcomings - the highest price in the segment.

Which sterilizer is best for your child - no one can say for sure, because everything is selected individually. For constantly working moms or when traveling, the last two options have proven themselves to be excellent. If you want to save money, take a microwave oven. The steam engine is a "classic" and a proven quality standard. If you take it, you will never go wrong.

Bottle sterilizer - which one is better? Equipment evaluation criteria

rozetka.com.ua

All parts of the device, especially those in contact with food, must be made of high quality and environmentally friendly material. Therefore, in order to choose a bottle sterilizer, ask for a certificate of quality from each seller. If there is no such document, it is better to look for another option. Who knows where he came to the store from.

Where you buy is an important part of choosing the right sterilizer. You can buy the device both in a specialized store for newborns, and in any other pharmacy. It is better to avoid chain stores, as there is no way to check the quality of their products. Give preference to models of famous brands: consult your family doctor, pediatrician, friends or relatives.

Which sterilizer to choose to get the best model in the segment? Everything is simple. There are several characteristics by which you can choose a bottle sterilizer:

Price - do not skimp on the budget, but do not abuse the pricing policy. Not always, under the mask of high cost, a standing apparatus is hidden. It could also be a fake. It is best to look at the cost at the very end.
Type of sterilization programmed into the instrument. Cold, steam, ultraviolet - we analyzed all this above, and there is no point in repeating. What will be more convenient for you to use daily, and sometimes several times a day, then take it.
Machine power supply. Electrical - I require a 220 V network; for a microwave, you need a microwave oven itself; ultraviolet ones work only on batteries, and cold ones use a disinfectant in the form of a tablet or solution.
Dish container capacity. Depending on the model, there may be a tank for one bottle or up to 8 pieces. In huge machines, you can put a breast pump and even plastic toys. Let everything be clean for your baby.
Does the future sterilizer have additional features. They do not play a special role in productivity, only in ease of use: automatic on / off system, operation indicators, additional steamer, etc.