Baby bottles are used a lot in the first few months. They should also be cleaned well; here you will find information on why and how best to do this:
Why do I even need to sterilize baby bottles and teats?
The Hygiene of baby bottles is very important – especially in the first year, babies react to viruses, bacteria, etc. particularly sensitively. If you are careless with cleanliness, both minor infections and severe gastrointestinal diseases can occur. The symptoms are quite similar to food poisoning: vomiting, diarrhea, and serious dehydration (lack of water in the body = dehydration) can be the result. Therefore, do not take this too lightly, but regularly clean all utensils that your child puts in their mouth.
What is the best way to clean baby bottles?
Once the baby bottles should be cleaned, some marbles in the sterilization device or pot, which prevent corrosion.
After each use, all baby bottles and teats should be sufficiently washed with hot water, using a baby bottle brush (please only use for cleaning baby bottles and replace regularly!) and a mild detergent. But hygiene doesn't stop there. All these utensils must also be sterilized.
Steam sterilization
For steam sterilization, you make use of an electric steam sterilizer. This method is fast and you can be sure that all bottles, teats, and pacifiers are sterilized as best as possible. The clean utensils are placed in the vaporizer and steamed for approximately 8-12 minutes with the help of water, which is evaporated by heat in the device. Afterwards, there is a cooling-down period.
Note:Caution: Risk of burns!
unfortunately, not all bottles, teats, parts of breast pumps, or similar items are suitable for steam sterilizers. Please observe the instructions for use.
BoilingThis method has been around for many decades and is considered an alternative to the vaporizer. The clean bottles and teats are boiled in a sufficiently large pot with plenty of boiling hot water for approximately 10 minutesDisadvantage:.
Note: the teats become unsightly and sticky after a certain time.
get yourself a pot that is intended exclusively for boiling bottles.
Microwave sterilizationThis method is even simpler: a special container that offers space for teats and baby bottles is filled with a little water and sterilized in the microwave for a certain time at a specified wattage. Often, the duration for sterilization is only 5-6 minutes. Here too, caution is advised:
it is better to open the microwave after the sterilization process and let the container cool down. There is also a risk of burns here.
How long do baby bottles and teats last?The teats, pacifiers, and bottles should be replaced at regular intervals for hygienic reasons. Despite meticulous cleaning, the bottles begin to smell and must therefore be replaced every 4-5 weeks
. If cracks form on bottles, pacifiers show damage, or teats begin to get sticky or look milky, you must provide replacements sooner.
When is sterilization of baby bottles no longer necessary?Particularly important are the first 8-10 months of a baby's life. During this time, you should really pay extremely close attention to the cleaning and hygiene of teats, pacifiers, and bottles. As a rule, most mothers put the sterilization device in the cupboard on the baby's first birthday. Before that, however, one should not entertain such thoughts too much. Even if steam sterilization might seem superfluous or unnecessary, one should always be certain that a baby's immune system is still in its infancy in the first year of life and still has to build up a certain
protection.When the baby gradually begins to explore its surroundings from the 8th month by crawling through the apartment and putting all sorts of things in its mouth, meticulous disinfection is gradually no longer necessary. The little body is now learning more and more to cope with bacteria and is building up a protective barrier
Read also:Â Baby bottle stays warm longer
. Nevertheless, thorough cleaning of bottles etc. should still be maintained. Sterilizing pacifiers is also not a bad idea and can be done every now and then.
