Baby Care Advice

Cleaning feeding equipment

It's important to clean and sterilize your baby's feeding equipment, so your baby will be protected from harmful germs that can breed in it. Wash feeding equipment as soon as possible after your baby has finished feeding.

Wash your hands.
Rinse the bottle with cold water and then wash the bottle, cap and nipple inside and out with warm water and detergent, using a bottle brush to ensure all milk has been removed. Remember to go around the grooves in the neck of the bottle, as milk often collects there.
Turn nipples inside out and squirt water through the holes in the nipples as you clean them.
Then rinse well in clean hot water.
You can wash bottles (but not nipples) in a dishwasher if you wish.

Why sterilize?

Babies have immature immune systems, so that means they can't fight germs as easily as adults can. An illness that may cause a minor inconvenience to an adult could be very serious for a young baby.

We recommend sterilizing bottles, nipples, caps and feeding equipment for around the first nine months of your baby's life, to protect against germs. Once your baby is creeping (crawling), feeding equipment doesn't need to be sterilized if it's cleaned soon after use and air dried (a dishwasher is fine).

Sterilization methods only work if feeding equipment is clean. Whether you choose to sterilize or not, it's vital that all feeding equipment is thoroughly cleaned. The dishwasher does not sterilize bottles as temperatures reached are not high enough nor is sufficient heat sustained for long enough to kill germs.

Boiling method

Put bottles, nipples and other equipment in a large saucepan and cover with water.
Cover with a lid, bring to the boil. Keep on a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Leave the oid on while cooling.
Wash your hands before removing bottles and other equipment.
Drain the water and store the equipment in the refrigerator, with the nipple inverted into the bottle or covered with its protective cap until needed.

Note: Boiling can cause discoloration of bottles and nipples.

Chemical sterilization

Anti-bacterial sterilizing solution comes in a liquid or a tablet form. You can buy a sterilization kit from a drug store, pharmacy or supermarket.

Make up the solution in a large glass or plastic container. You'll need to first measure the water then add the correct amount of solution or tablets, wait until it dissolves and mixes before adding bottles, nipples, caps, teething rings or pacifiers.
Make sure everything is covered completely by the solution and there are no air bubbles. Squirt the solution through holes in the nipples.
Leave to soak for as long as recommended by the solution manufacturer (usually one hour).
Wash your hands before removing bottles and equipment.
Shake off any excess solution from all equipment and bottles before using. Do not rinse. The small amount of residue left on the bottles will not harm your baby and there's no need to rinse it off.
Remember to change the sterilizing solution regularly as per the manufacturer's instructions (usually 24 hours).

You can leave feeding equipment in the sterilizing solution until you are ready to use them or you can store them in the refrigerator with the nipple inverted into the bottle or covered with protective cap, until ready to be used.

Please note: Metal utensils MUST NOT be put in the chemical solution.

Steam sterilizers

Micro-waving does not sterilize the feeding equipment unless you use a proper sterilizing kit.

There are a range of different electrical steaming units (which can be expensive) and microwave sterilizing units (which are cheaper). There are many different brands available, so you will need to follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to use them.

Please note: Glass bottles and metal implements MUST NOT be put into a microwave sterilizer. Plastic and silicone are fine, but latex (rubber) nipples may not last as long if they are sterilized using any form of heat (boiling or steam).

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