Sterilising baby bottles is vitally important for the first year of your baby’s life. During this time their immune system is particularly vulnerable, and whilst milk will be the only food source for around six months, it is also the source of germs which can cause serious illness to a new born baby if the bottles are not cleaned and sterilised before every use.
What is sterilising?
Sterilising is the process of killing bacteria, also known as making things sterile. It can be achieved in a number of ways, for example in a microwave steriliser, by boiling items, with special sterilising tablets, or as this website specialises, with specialised steam sterilisers. Steam sterilising works by heating the baby’s bottles and other items which will be placed in the mouth to a temperature capable of killing germs and bacteria and maintaining that heat for a period long enough to be sure that these nasties cannot survive. Normally, sterilising baby bottles will make them safe for use for up to a few hours, provided they remain in the sterilising unit.
You should remember to check that if you wish to use a steam sterilisation method, when you buy bottles they are suitable for this use. Due to the popularity of the steam method, you will normally find this to be an acceptable use, however it’s always worth checking.
Steam sterilisers will normally use up to 100 millilitres of water in the base and once activated will boil to cause steam to make the chamber of the unit reach temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Celsius. This temperature is usually maintained for five to ten minutes, and will then cool to avoid burning you before indicating it is safe to open. The cooling process will typically last at least three minutes.
SteamSterilisers.com recommend the Closer to Nature steam steriliser.
Once you have completed a sterilisation cycle you can fill bottles with boiling water (to the level required for when you will later make up the formula) and store them sealed in the refrigerator. It is not recommended to make the milk at this stage, as over time bacteria will begin breeding. By adding the milk powder to make the formula as and when the baby feeds, bacteria will not have the chance to grow any more than absolutely possible.
By sterilising baby bottles appropriately, you can ensure risks to your baby’s health are kept to a minimum.