When can i stop sterilizing nipples

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See all in Preschooler. See all in Life as a parent. See all in Video. After that, it is no longer necessary to sterilize bottles and their accessories. Many years ago, when water supplies were not reliably clean, baby items required sterilization, but nowadays, this is thankfully not an issue.

Washing items thoroughly with hot water and soap is all that is required to remove most harmful germs from bottles. Make sure to take bottles apart during the cleaning process. It is also important to always wash your hands before handling baby bottles or when feeding your baby. Are there added benefits to sterilizing baby bottles and accessories more frequently?

Sterilization is an added step that can help kill more germs than traditional cleaning. It provides extra protection against germs, but is not necessary for healthy infants who have access to clean water sources and strong immune systems. That being said, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states sterilizing feeding items can be done at least once a day. There are several recommended ways to sterilize bottles including using boiling water, microwavable bottle sterilizers or electric steam sterilizers.

One is not necessarily superior to the other. Electric steamers plug into outlets and work by using high temperatures and steam to kill germs. Washing with soap and warm water is necessary to remove germs and bacteria. But after that? Routine washing after every feeding is plenty sufficient. This same philosophy applies to nipples.

Using warm water and soap for cleaning, and allowing them to air dry will suffice.