Best Bottle Sterilizer
Why do I need to sterilize my baby’s bottles?
During the first year, a baby is most vulnerable to illnesses. If bottles aren’t sterilized, viruses, bacteria, and parasites can gather and make your baby ill. They could develop anything from mild oral thrush to tummy upsets (gastroenteritis).
Having one of the best baby bottle sterilizers will cut down on some of your worries as a new parent. Being a working mommy I would highly recommend the use of sterilizers as it would be saving you from a lot of hygiene issues and also save lots of time which can be spent with your baby.
What do I need to do first?
Before you sterilize, you’ll need to clean the used bottles thoroughly. Wash the bottles in clean soapy water, along with the teats, retaining rings, caps, and the manufacturer’s scoop that comes with the tin of formula. This way, every trace of milk is removed.
It’s best to clean the equipment as soon as possible after a feed, before the milk has had a chance to dry on. Use clean, hot, soapy water and a clean bottle brush. Take extra care when washing the teats to make sure any stubborn milk curds come off, as these can survive the sterilising process.
To clean the teats fully, wash the inside of the teat by turning it inside-out. When you’ve washed everything, carefully rinse off all the detergent.
Check teats and bottles carefully and throw out any that are badly scratched, split, or cracked. Bacteria can stay in damaged surfaces and survive the cleaning and sterilizing process.
Things that you need to take in account before buying Baby Bottle Sterilizer?
- Ease of use:
Electric baby bottle sterilizers should be simple to operate – if you find yourself scratching your head over the instructions or there are so many buttons that you’re sure you’ll never figure out the unit you’re looking at, you should move on in your search. There are too many great choices out there to settle for something that’s less than ideal for you.
- The size:
You want the unit you buy to be large enough to suit your needs. Mothers who are breastfeeding and only use bottles if they are away from their baby will be able to get by with a small unit that just handles a couple of bottles.
- How many bottles can it sterilize at once:
Women who opt to feed their babies formula will sterilize bottles frequently throughout the course of the day if they buy a small unit. So they will want to look for a bigger sterilizer that can handle a larger number of bottles to cut down on their daily work.
- The cost:
If your cash flow is smaller now that you’ve become a parent, the cost will be an important consideration. Microwave sterilizers are usually cheaper than the other types on the market.
- Space :
Some moms might like that microwave sterilizers won’t require any space on their kitchen counters and can be easily carried anywhere. They can be stored in a cabinet until you need them and they don’t need an outlet to work. If you opt for an electric sterilizer for baby bottles, you’ll have to make some room on your counter for it.
While you are raising your little one you tend to interact with other mommies and discuss the things you commonly encounter. Here is my suggestion list which came out of my experience and other mommies experience. Below options lets, you figure out which bottle sterilizer is the best and the factors to consider before buying bottle sterilizer.
Best Baby bottle sterilizers / Top 3 bottle sterilizers (in my view)
1. Chicco Sterilizer 3 in 1
The 3-in-1 Modular Sterilizer quickly and naturally sanitizes bottles, pacifiers, teethers, toys, and more. The sterilizer has three possible configurations for different sized loads: convenient full-size mode, efficient compact mode, and quick microwave mode. Sanitize up to six bottles including nipples, cap rings, and lids when the sterilizer is in full-size mode. Efficiently sterilize bottles in compact eco mode, which requires 30% less time and energy. Or use microwave mode for the quickest sanitizing cycle (4 minutes at 1,000 watts).
It can sterilize steel bottles along with plastic and glass bottles Chicco 3 in 1 one of the Best Bottle Sterilizer
Key Points
- Natural effectiveness
- Sterilizing effectively with steam, with no chemical additives
- Kills 99.9 percent of harmful household germs
- 24-hour protection: As long as the lid is closed, the objects will remain disinfected
- Easy to use
- Sterilizes in just 5 minutes (warming time excluded)
- Can sterilize Glass bottle & Steel bottle.
2. Philips Avent 3-in-1 Electric Steam Sterilizer
Designed with an adjustable size, this electric steam sterilizer is suitable for both narrow neck and wide neck feeding bottles and can hold up to six 330 ml Philips Avent bottles.
It can sterilize steel bottles along with plastic and glass bottles and is one of the best bottle sterilizers.
Key Points
- Adjustable size
- Suitable for wide neck and narrow neck bottle
- 6-minute cycle with automatic shut-off
- Natural steam sterilization kills 99.9 percent of harmful germs
3. Philips Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer
New Philips Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer has a lightweight and compact design, which makes it ideal for use in and out of the home. Contents remain sterile for up to 24 hours if the lid remains unopened.
It can sterilize only plastic and glass bottles not steel bottles
Philips Avent is one of the best bottle sterilizer
Key Points
- This sterilizer is made from BPA Free materials
- Sterilizes your bottles in as little as 2 minutes
- Convenient for travel.
- Fits most microwaves(Do check your microwave capacity before buying as it is suitable for big microwaves(25 L)
- Side grips close the lid securely
- Natural steam sterilization kills 99.9 percent of harmful germs
- This sterilizer is made from BPA free materials.Link – Philips Avent bottle sterilizer is an effective means of steam sterilization and renders extra protection to your little one. It is easy to use, ultra fast and very useful in sterilizing bottles in just two minutes.
Following video tells how to use Philips Avent Microwave Sterilizer:
I’ve sterilized all the equipment. What should I do next?
There’s no need to remove the sterilized feed equipment from the sterilizer until you need to make a feed. Keeping the bottles in the sterilizer with the lid closed will keep them germ-free.
Take a sterilised bottle from the steriliser and put it on the clean surface. Use sterilised tongs to place the teat, lid, retaining ring, and cap out ready, preferably on the upturned lid of the steriliser.
Make sure you don’t leave the sterilised empty bottles out for long, as they will quickly lose their sterility. This is not usually a problem when sterilisers have built-in storage facilities and bottles can be removed when required. If you can’t do this, re-sterilise any equipment that you’ve taken out and haven’t used straight away.
How long should I continue sterilizing?
Continue to sterilize your baby’s bottle feeding equipment for at least his first year. You may think sterilizing is rather pointless when your baby is putting all sorts of things in his mouth.
However, your baby immune system is still developing and it’s easy for him to pick up infections during his first year. The bugs that stick to milk curds in partially cleaned bottles can be particularly nasty.
By the time your baby is one year old he’ll have started to produce his own antibodies and be more resistant to harmful germs. However, it’s a good idea to carry on sterilizing bottles, pacifiers, and teats until your baby stops using them.
Which bottle steriliser is the best?
I have personally used Chicco 3 in 1 , which in my view is the best bottle sterilizer.It has sturdy build,easy to clean,easy to operate and has good space for 4 bottles.