Cleaning of Feeding Bottles

 Cleaning, sanitizing, and storing feeding bottles

Dr. M Tauseef Omer
Assistant Professor of Neonatology

Cleaning, sanitizing, and properly storing infant feeding items helps to prevent germs from contaminating the milk fed to baby.

How often to clean feeding bottles

Clean baby bottles after every feeding. If baby did not finish drinking a bottle within 2 hours, discard the unfinished formula. Germs can grow quickly if breast milk or formula is added to a partially used bottle, or if a used bottle is only rinsed, rather than cleaned.

Cleaning the feeding bottle:

1. Wash hands and clean four bowls/containers 

Wash your hands with soap and water for 60 seconds.

Wash 4 containers with soap and water in which parts of bottle will be placed at different steps.

2. Separate all bottle parts (bottle, nipple, cap, ring) and place these in a clean container.

3. Rinse with warm or cold tap water

Rinse bottle parts by holding them under running water. Do not set them in the sink. Rinse to remove maximum visible milk or dirt if any. After rinsing, place these in a clean container.

4. Wash feeding items

Fill another clean container with hot water and add soap.

Scrub all bottle parts using a clean brush that is used only to clean infant feeding bottle.

Squeeze water through nipple holes to be sure they get clean.

5. Rinse again

Rinse by holding items under running tap water and remove all visible soap, and place all parts in another container one by one after rinsing.

6. Allow to air-dry

Allow all parts to air dry thoroughly.

Do not use a dish towel to rub items dry because doing so may transfer germs to the items.

7. Clean all containers, bottle brush

Rinse the containers and brush well and allow them to air dry after each use. Wash them every few days with soap and warm water.

If baby is less than 2 months old, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system due to illness, wash all containers and bottle brush with soap and water after every use.

Next,

2. Sanitization of feeding bottles.

How often to sanitize: Sanitize daily if baby is less than 2 months old, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system due to illness.

The manufacturers of feeding bottles may give recommendations to help choose between boiling method or steam sanitization method. In Pakistan, majority of the people use plastic made low-cost feeding bottles that cannot withstand boiling temperature of water or steam. In this case, use bleach for sanitization if the recommended method. If you use a dishwasher with hot water and a heated drying cycle (or sanitizing setting) to clean infant feeding items, a separate sanitizing step is not necessary.

Bleach (use this option if you can't boil, steam, or use a dishwasher)

1. Prepare a bleach solution of 2 teaspoons of unscented bleach in 16 cups/4 Liter of water in a clean washing container.

2. Put all items completely underwater. Make sure the solution touches all parts and there are no air bubbles in the bottles.

3. Squeeze solution through nipple holes.

4. Soak items in solution for at least 2 minutes.

5. Remove with clean hands or tongs. Do not rinse because germs could get back onto the sanitized items. Any remaining bleach will break down quickly as it dries and will not hurt the baby. This process is similar to what is done to sanitize dishes in restaurants.

6. After sanitizing, place items in a clean container. Allow to air-dry thoroughly before storing. Do not use a dish towel to rub items dry because doing so may transfer germs to the items.

Boiling water method for sanitization (Not recommended for plastic bottles or where recommendation of manufacturer are not available, may be used for glass made feeding bottles)

1. Place disassembled feeding items into a pot and cover with water.

2. Put the pot over heat and bring to a boil.

3. Boil for 5 minutes.

4. Remove items with clean tongs.

Steam (Not recommended in Pakistan unless the manufacturer of feeding bottles recommends this)

Place disassembled items in feeding bottle steamer and follow the manufacturer's instructions for duration of steaming the feeding bottle parts.

Storage

Air dry first: Allow the clean feeding items, bottle brushes, and containers to air-dry thoroughly before storing to help prevent germs and mold from growing. Do not use towel, or a drying rack. Just place in a clean dry container to let all parts air dry.

Put items back together: You may need to wash hands again. Once the items are completely dry, wash your hands well with soap and water. Put the clean, dry bottle parts back together.

Store safely: Place reassembled bottles inside a closed kitchen cabinet that is used only to store clean dishes.

Note: If formula milk is being given to baby due to certain reasons where expressed breast milk is not available, use a disinfectant wet wipe to clean the outside of the formula container and its lid before it is opened for the first time. Do not submerge the container or place it under running water. Wait until the surfaces are completely dry before opening the container. Do not clean the inside of the infant formula container. When powdered formula stays dry, it's less likely to get contaminated. To keep liquids away from the powdered formula, don't clean the formula scoop unless it gets dirty. If the scoop was dropped on the floor or otherwise soiled, clean it as carefully as you would your baby's bottles and allow it to air-dry completely before placing it in the formula container.