A comprehensive guide to sterilizing different baby products

Sterilization is considered as an important part of the baby feeding routine. In order to take care of the fitness and health of the newborn, it is very essential that all the baby products such as bottles, teats, baby pumps, spoons, syringes, and other anti-colic devices are properly cleaned and sterilized. This will not only keep the baby safe from harmful bacterias and infections but will also protect him from vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.

In this article, you will have a detailed understanding of different ways to sterilize the baby feeding items and will get a brief knowledge about the materials used in the sterilization process.

Materials required for sterilizing

Nowadays, all the newly profound parents are trying to find out the best way to clean and sterilize the baby’s feeding tools from magazines and online blogging websites. Given below are some of the vital points that cover the necessary materials required in the polishing of sterilized devices:

1. It is quite an easy and simple process that requires the major ingredient as a baby bottle sterilizer or any other object which you are using at home to feed your baby.
2. Always remember to wash all kinds of sterilizers using a cleaning soap such as a dishwashing bar or a liquid sanitizer like Detol.
3. Make sure that you use warm boiled fresh water for washing away the germs.
4. You can also use a soft bottlebrush to remove all kinds of impure particles from the bottle and to prevent any sort of damage caused to the pumps and teats.

Ways to sterilize different baby feeding equipment

There are many four ways to rinse of all the harmful bacteria from the feeding instruments and these are mentioned below:

1. Electric Steamer
2. Microwave Steamer
3. Boiling
4. Cold Water Sterilization

Step by Step guide to the processing of each type of sterilization method

1. Electric Steamer: These are super quick and easy to use a method that uses heat from the steamer to kill all the bacterias. Electric steamers have the capacity to hold six bottles in a row and it takes around 7 to 12 minutes to complete the cleaning process.

Process

1. Read the manufacturers’ instructions carefully and act accordingly. Now, fill some cold water into the steamer. As per standard guidelines, Six bottles require 200ml of cold water for cleansing purposes.
2. Now before placing the feeding equipment into the bottle sterilizer, make sure that the bottles are placed upside down whereas the teats are in the right way up direction. This is because as the device is turned on the steam starts rising and goes into the upward direction.
3. Make sure that the lid is tight enough or else all the steam will escape from the small gaps.
4. Turn the steamer on and leave it for the given amount of time as mentioned in the instructions list. Usually, it takes around 6 to 12 minutes to clean the bottles. Also, do not try to take out the bottles immediately after you the steamer off.

2. Microwave Steamer: It is a simple process by which a kitchen appliance is being used to create a hot atmosphere around which will eventually produce steam. It is an alternative to the electric steam sterilizer and can be used while traveling. It adds value to the money and takes just a few minutes to complete the cleaning process.

Process

1. The processing of a microwave steamer is almost the same as that of the microwave steamer.
2. You need to place the bottles upside down and make sure that all the bottles are assembled quickly when they come in contact with the natural air in order to avoid the harmful bacteria reach the surface of the baby feeding devices.

3. Boiling: Boiling is regarded as the oldest homemade method of sterilization which involves putting the baby feeding instruments in the boiling water for around 10 minutes. This would remove all the viral bacterias that could cause dehydration\ and infection to the child.

Process

1. Take a huge pan and fill it will fresh cold water. Try not to use bottled water as it contains high amounts of sodium and sulfate in it. Now. Place the baby feeding device in it and cover the pan with a lid so that there is no space for sir ways in it.
2. Make sure that you use a heavy lid or plate to place it on the top of the huge pan. This lid will help the feeding bottles to get submerged under the water.
3. Now bring the pan at a medium temperature and continue to sterilize the feeding items for around 10 minutes.
4. In case you leave the lid on then the baby feeding instruments can stay in the pan for around 6 hours. But, it is generally advisable to assemble the baby items before they get cooled.
5. These sterilized bottles can be used for 24 hours but after that, there will be a need top re-sterilize them.

4. Cold-Water Sterilization: Cold-water sterilizers use chemical tablets or bleach solution for the process of cleaning the baby feeding tools and bottles. It is useful for those parents who are working and do have much time for the time other time-consuming sterilization processes. It takes about 30 minutes to complete the cold water sterilization.

Process

1. Take a plastic bucket or tub and put the chemical sterilization solution in it. These solutions are readily available in supermarkets and medical stores. Now, add some cold water in it and place all the baby feeding devices into the tub.
2. Now, make sure that all the items in the tub are placed under the water for around 30 minutes or even longer than that.
3. You can reuse the solution and the water in order to avoid the wastage of resources but not for more than 24 hours. ALL the items are required to resterilize after 24 hours of their use for baby feeding.