Babies are vulnerable to infections during the first year of life. It is therefore important to make sure that your baby’s feeding bottles are clean and  germ free as much as possible. There are several ways of sterilizing baby bottles. These include the following :

• boiling
• steam sterilizing ( electric and microwave)

 

 
You have to clean and sterilize all baby feeding equipments whether you are expressing breast milk  or formula feeding.

Cleaning your baby’s feeding equipments

You must remember that before you sterilize baby bottles, you always have to

• clean the feeding bottles and nipples in hot soapy water as soon as possible after feeding, using a clean bottle brush
• rinse all equipments thoroughly with clean water

Ways of sterilizing  baby bottles

 
Boiling
 

• This is one of the most popular methods of sterilizing baby bottles
• place bottles, nipples, spoons,  lids and other equipments in a pot of water and bring it to boil for at least 10 minutes making sure all equipment s are under the water
• nipples tend to get damaged quicker with this method so you have to constantly check them for tears, cracks and damage
• clean and disinfect the area where you will put the bottles, nipples and other equipments
• it is best to remove the bottles just before they are used

 
Steam sterilizing  ( Electric sterilizer or microwave )

Electric sterilizing is quick and effective. It may take about 8 to 11 minutes including cooling time. They can keep bottles sterilised for up to six hours if you leave them in the steriliser with the lid closed. Nipples, bottles and others may be placed upside down to ensure that they are well sterilized. Check to make sure you are putting in equipments that are safe to steam.

Steamers that use microwaves may also be used. These work within 5 to 8 minutes. Be sure not to place any metallic item in them. You also have to be careful when opening the lid because the inside can be very hot. There are disposable  sterilizing bags for microwaves. These are perfect for traveling