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Bottle sterilization: a useless practice
Our grandmothers immersed bottles and pacifiers in boiling water to kill germs. We now have the choice between hot or cold sterilization, electric, chemical, microwave …
And yet: none of these methods would be really effective. As proof: no device currently on the market meets French or European standardization criteria (“AFNOR” or “ASNOR” approvals).
Finally : at home, sterilizing only gives false security. Not only will the bottle given to the baby not be sterile anyway, the milk powder and water are not! But thinking that this process is sufficient in itself, we can miss the necessary precautions. hygiene which are the guarantors of safety.
Bottle: hygiene above all
First recommendation, obvious but sometimes neglected when the baby is hungry and you have to go quickly: wash your hands thoroughly before preparing the bottle.
The second, crucial : the bottle must be consumed within an hour of preparation, within half an hour at most if it has been warmed (in a bottle warmer or bain-marie), never more (even if you place it in the refrigerator) !
Hence the third and last : as soon as the baby’s meal is finished, throw away any remaining milk. If you cannot wash the bottle right away, rinse it thoroughly with cold water while waiting for a careful wash.
How to wash a bottle properly?
By hand. Your equipment is simple: drinking water, washing-up liquid, swab and a little vigor! Be sure to rinse well.
In the dishwasher. It guarantees impeccable washing, but on two conditions: a complete washing cycle must be carried out and the temperature must reach at least 65 ° C.
Note: the pacifiers are distorted by the dishwasher, so they must be cleaned by hand.
How to dry and store baby bottles
Once washed, leave the bottle in the open air. For that, disassemble the bottle – teat (turned upside down like a thermowell) and ring separated – and place the different parts on a vertical display, in a clean, dry place. Then store it, open or closed, in a clean cupboard, ideally reserved only for the baby’s necessities.
Be careful, never put a cloth in the bottle. This is the best way to contaminate it with bacteria.