How to Sanitize Plastic Baby Bottles

Sanitize your baby's plastic bottle to avoid germs.

It is important to sanitize plastic baby bottles after every use, as a clean baby bottle reduces the likelihood of your baby coming in contact with germs and bacteria located in the bottle or the nipple, according to "Caring For Your Baby and Young Child" from the American Academy of Pediatrics. If you have purchased a new baby bottle, it also is recommended to sterilize the bottle before using it, according to the BabyCenter.com.

Things You'll Need

• Medium-sized pot
• Paper towel
• Medium-sized bowl
• 1 tsp. liquid hand dishwashing soap
• 3 cups hot water
• Baby bottle cleaning brush

Instructions

1. Unscrew the nipple from the baby bottle, and rinse the nipple and bottle out with warm water. Pour 2 to 3 cups of cool water into a medium-sized pot, and set your stove's burner to medium-high heat until the water begins to boil.

2. Place the bottle and the bottle's nipple into the pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, and then promptly remove them from the pot. Turn off the stove's burner, and place the bottle and the nipple onto a clean, dry towel and let them air dry.

3. Pour 3 cups of hot water in a medium-sized bowl, and mix 1 tsp. of liquid hand dishwashing soap into the bowl. Place the bottle and the nipple in the bowl, and scrub the inside of the bottle with the cleaning brush.

4. Scrub the nipple with the cleaning brush, and rinse the bottle and the nipple with hot water. Lay the bottle and nipple on a towel to air dry.

References

• "Caring For Your Baby and Young Child, Fifth Edition: Birth to Age 5"; American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009
• BabyCenter: Bottle-Feeding Basics