Every mother, especially those expecting her first child, should know how to sterilize baby bottles

The appearance of a baby in a family always puts the family in a special mode. A baby bottle becomes a common household item, and washing it becomes a routine procedure. Some mothers take this extremely seriously and strive not only to wash, but also to sterilize dishes after each feeding, zealously protecting their baby from germs.

Newborn babies often suffer from colic and stool disorders, the reason for this is the imperfection of the digestive system, which in the first months of life experiences increased stress and learns to digest incoming food. The ingress of pathogenic flora with dishes or a pacifier will create additional pressure on the body. What is the easiest baby bottle to keep clean at home?

Which bottle is better?

A huge variety of accessories for babies allows parents to choose the right dishes based on shape, size and price. Inexperienced parents are primarily attracted by the appearance of the product or its interesting shape. A bottle is a utensil for a child; when buying it, you need to be guided only by issues of practicality. The best dishes for a child:

• should be easy to wash;
• do not lose appearance during sterilization;
• withstand a large number of treatments;
• be resistant to shocks and falls;
• have a shape that allows you to hold it in your hand.

Simple shaped bottles with a capacity of up to 200 grams are easy to clean. Cleaners should be separate and used only for this purpose.

Many mothers use liquid for washing children's dishes, but there is no practical need for it (this is not a pan with fat that cannot be washed in any other way).

Although the manufacturer assures that such household chemicals are easily washed off, in the first months of a child’s life you can wash bottles without much effort with regular baking soda, without loading the baby’s body with chemical residues that may not be entirely harmless.

Glass bottles are a little heavier than plastic ones, but they are easy to wash and sterilize in any way without changing their properties. They can break, but in the first months of life, parents monitor this, so the risk for the child is minimal.

Plastic bottles have many advantages:

• they are light;
• they are easy to wash;
• don't fight;
• Their cost is much less than glass ones.

But such dishes have many disadvantages:

• the use of containers from an unknown manufacturer can lead to the release of toxic substances into baby food;
• it is difficult to sterilize - plastic does not withstand high temperatures, receiving microcracks and losing its shape;
• Due to cracks and frequent washing, it loses its appearance.

It is necessary to have 2 bottles of different sizes made of different materials, even if the baby is breastfed, sometimes there is a need to express milk. If a child is on artificial nutrition, having several different bottles is a necessity.

Is it always necessary to sterilize?

Young parents of first-born children, who do not have their own experience, are forced to choose between the advice of progressive pediatricians and the harsh pressure of pediatricians of the old Soviet school and grandmothers and aunties who raised their children in Soviet traditions.

According to this concept, the child cannot independently protect himself from infection and must be surrounded by maximum sterility. Therefore, bottles and all baby dishes need to be not just washed, but sterilized.

The Ukrainian pediatrician Komarovsky and a number of pediatricians of the new school have a completely different position - they believe that parents should not prevent the child from forming an immune system by excessively protecting him from the microorganisms among which he will have to live.

Cleanliness is necessary, but excessive zeal is harmful. It is excessive cleanliness, coupled with the use of disinfectants, that is the trigger for the development of allergies and does not allow the child to form sufficient immune defense precisely at the moment when nature intended it - in the first years of life.

According to Komarovsky, only containers for storing milk, which are an excellent breeding ground for pathogenic microorganisms, should be sterilized.

Whatever point of view parents support, you need to sterilize dishes for children from time to time. Young mothers should know how to properly sterilize baby bottles at home and how often to do it.

Until what age is sterilization required?

A breastfed baby who is getting enough milk may only need a water bottle for up to 6 months. It is enough to wash it with hot water and sterilize it 3-4 times a month.

For a child who is fed formula milk, sterilization in the first month of life is carried out at the choice of the parents, daily or once every few days. As they get older, sterilization can be done less frequently.

Pediatricians of the new school deny the need for sterilization after 6 months; doctors of the Soviet school recommend sterilizing feeding bottles and dishes up to 18 months (this is motivated by the late maturation of the child’s immune system).

What else needs to be sterilized?

To feed a child, not only bottles are used - cups, dishes for mixing formulas, spoons, spare nipples. These items can be sterilized from time to time. This is carried out together with bottles; items are washed before sterilization.

You can sterilize:

• milk suction;
• spare pacifiers;
• teeth rings, chewing toys;
• toys that a baby chews when teething and that can withstand boiling.

Many people are interested in how to sterilize nipples? If these are silicone products for bottles, they are placed for sterilization along with other dishes, bottle caps and pacifiers (on the top shelf of a steamer, for example). If the nipple needs to be replaced, you can use products boiled separately in a saucepan. Some mothers store sterilized pacifiers and nipples in a separate airtight container.

Brightly colored toys made in China should not be given to a child to chew on.

Preparing for sterilization

After feeding the baby, children's dishes are washed immediately - this cannot be put off due to fatigue or lack of time. Formula bottles after use:

1. Unscrew, separate the lid and nipple, they are also separated;
2. Empty of uneaten formula, milk or porridge;
3. Rinse the glass for the first time with cold water - this way the glass is better cleaned of milk residues and becomes transparent;
4. Wash with hot water using baby dishwashing liquid, special soap or baking soda;
5. Contaminants at the bottom are washed with a brush;
6. Residues of food on the thread for the nipple are washed with a special brush;
7. The nipples are washed using the same products and a brush for washing baby dishes;
8. Rinse the baby dishes first with warm, then with cold running water, turn them over onto a clean towel or folded gauze and allow the water to drain.

Types of sterilization

When is sterilization necessary? First of all - after purchasing the dishes, then after:

• the bottles have not been used for a long period;
• after the child was sick;
• periodically after too long use.

There are many ways to properly sterilize bottles and nipples - from traditional boiling in a pan to disinfectant tablets. To sterilize bottles and nipples, you can use all household appliances that can heat the contents to a boiling point.

Grandma's way

The easiest way to sterilize children's dishes is simple boiling. How to do this correctly and how long should you boil items?

1. Place gauze folded in several layers on the bottom of a large saucepan with a lid.
2. The washed children's dishes, which are to be sterilized, are carefully placed on the gauze.
3. Fill the pan with water so that it covers the entire dish by 3-5 centimeters.
4. Over medium heat, bring water to a boil and leave for 15 minutes.
5. After cooling, the water is poured out, and the sterilized bottles are stored until they are needed.

The method can be used for all types of dishes.

Sterilizer

The industry produces many types of special sterilizers:

• single;
• multiple;
• steam;
• electrical;
• microwave designs.

The washed children's dishes are placed in the sterilizer compartments and acted according to the instructions. The bottles may remain in the device until used.

Most often, steam sterilizers powered by the Philips AVENT network are used for sterilization. It is designed to handle multiple bottles (6) and can also serve as a storage container for clean, sterile products for up to six hours. For sterilization you need:

1. Prepare dishes and sterilizer;
2. Pour water into the reservoir compartment;
3. Place the bottles in the sterilizer;
4. Turn on and set the mode.

Sterilization time is up to 12 minutes; utensils should be used as needed.

Double boiler

The question of how to sterilize bottles in a double boiler is quite relevant - now almost every kitchen has such a device. To do this you need:

1. Pour water into the steamer;
2. Place the washed dishes with the neck pointing down;
3. The rest of the small dishes and nipples are installed in the upper part of the steamer;
4. The cooking program is set for 15 minutes;
5. Once the cookware has cooled down, it can be used.

Bottles can be used as needed.

Multicooker

This device is now available in almost all families. The kitchen assistant will do an excellent job not only with preparing dishes, but also with sterilization. How to sterilize bottles in a slow cooker correctly?

To disinfect dishes:

1. A liter of water is poured into the device (bowl);
2. Prepared baby bottles and pacifiers are washed and placed on the steamer rack;
3. Select steam mode;
4. After 15 minutes the device is turned off.

Ready-made bottles are used as needed.

Microwave oven

Every mother should know how to sterilize baby bottles in the microwave. This method is used for all dishes that need to be disinfected without a sterilizer. In order to ensure sterile conditions for some time after processing, the bottles are placed in a special bag or container, which will be sterilized in the oven along with the bottles placed in it. The container is filled with cold water, placed in the oven, and turned on for 10 minutes.

Disinfection using tablets

For “camping” conditions, on a trip, when it is not possible to use sterilizers or boil children’s dishes, you can use disinfectants in tablets (Milton, Bebe Comfort). This is a patented pharmaceutical product that does not harm the child’s body. To disinfect the tablets, pour cold water and keep the bottles in it for at least 30 minutes; longer is not necessary. The drug can be used for dishes that cannot withstand boiling or steam.

When we imagine a baby, we usually imagine such a cute, plump little one with a rattle in his hand and a pacifier in his mouth. For a long time now, the pacifier has become an integral part of the image of a small child.

Some time ago, the World Health Organization recommended giving up pacifiers. After this, active discussions began about their harm and benefits. And more and more mothers and fathers who are preparing to become parents want to know the details before they buy this “device” for their baby.

Why not?

Problems with breastfeeding

WHO recommendations are based on the belief that the use of pacifiers interferes with adequate breastfeeding. As it turned out, due to the habit or need to suck a pacifier, a baby may have poor weight gain, lactase deficiency may develop, the baby may cry and arch during breastfeeding, or even refuse breastfeeding altogether. Doctors and scientists came to these conclusions based on the research conducted.

Because of an ordinary pacifier, a mother may develop cracks and other injuries to the nipple, lactostasis and mastitis, and may also have insufficient or excessive milk production.

It is known that a woman produces as much milk as her baby sucks it out. If you give your baby a pacifier instead of a breast, the necessary stimulation will not occur, and at the next feeding the baby will eat less than he needs. In other situations, the mother feeds every time the baby shows concern, but takes him off the breast after a certain time, giving the baby a pacifier so that he does not cry. This is fraught with the fact that the baby will not receive the most high-calorie hind milk. In both examples, the child will most likely experience too little weight gain, and the mother will lose milk or, conversely, will develop mastitis due to stagnation of milk, which the baby is simply not allowed to suck.

Advice

“If a child starts crying and you instinctively reach not for the child, but for the pacifier, throw it away!” (W. and M. Sears “Your child from birth to two years old”)

Well, in addition, the pacifier, used to “satisfy the sucking reflex,” is often considered as an alternative to the breast. This gradually reduces the mother’s desire to continue breastfeeding.

A study overseen by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that those who used a pacifier had a one-and-a-half times greater risk of premature cessation of breastfeeding compared to children who were not offered pacifiers. Moreover, the earlier mothers began giving their children pacifiers, the earlier the number and duration of feedings began to decrease.

Child health and development

First of all, the connection between otitis media and a pacifier has long been proven: when using it, the risk of middle ear inflammation is 40% higher!

Due to prolonged pacifier sucking, a child may develop an incorrect bite, which will subsequently lead to speech therapy problems. Not a single child is immune from this, even if parents buy exclusively orthodontic pacifiers.

Using a pacifier is also associated with a greater likelihood of tooth decay.

Not to mention the fact that with a pacifier, a lot of bacteria enter the baby’s mouth, which can negatively affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and even lead to serious diseases. This is likely even in those babies whose nipples are regularly sterilized, because it is almost impossible to avoid the pacifier coming into contact with different surfaces, including the baby’s clothes.

Everyone knows that small children have a strong sucking reflex. Its appearance is explained by the fact that mother’s milk contains a huge amount of a wide variety of substances that can help the child in any situation. Milk, in addition to satisfying hunger and thirst, helps the baby: sleep, calm down, grow, digest food. With the help of elements of breast milk, children strengthen their immune system and develop their nervous system. Therefore, the pacifier is not a complete replacement for breastfeeding, and its abuse can slow down the development of the baby and lead to diseases.

Some authors talk about decreased cognitive abilities in children due to the use of a pacifier instead of a breast. A child sucking a pacifier seems to become immersed in himself; he loses interest in the world around him. But intellectual development occurs in the process of learning about the world, which does not happen in this case.

It was discovered that during breastfeeding, the child’s body produces the pleasure hormone endorphin. And when sucking a pacifier, it does not stand out. The importance of endorphin is great: it reduces the level of stress hormones. By about three years of age, the hormonal background of a child’s body reaches its constant level and subsequently determines not only the development of certain physical and mental illnesses, but also the attitude towards the world around him and the way he interacts with other people.

Important

To protect yourself from possible problems with breastfeeding in the future, do not offer your baby a pacifier in the first month of his life, when feeding is just getting better and the child has not yet formed the right attitude towards it.

Relationship between mother and baby

Mothers who use pacifiers offer them at every dissatisfied squeak from the baby. At the same time, they do not try to understand their baby, do not analyze his signs - after all, there is no need to do this, having a universal means of calming. Does this contribute to the mother’s development of self-confidence and understanding of the baby’s needs?

The pacifier can also interfere with the establishment of a strong mutual attachment between the baby and the mother. When a child cries (from pain, fear, resentment) and finds peace by sucking a pacifier, this object accepts the child’s gratitude for the fact that the pain has passed, the fear has disappeared, or the resentment has been forgotten. In this case, the mother no longer has the immense trust that she deserves. And in the worst case scenario, the person who gave life to the child will become only a means to satisfy some physiological needs, primarily to satisfy hunger.

Smoking and addiction to alcohol are also, oddly enough, often a consequence of sucking a pacifier. By offering a pacifier in response to any discomfort, the mother gives the wrong message for the future: there is a universal remedy for relaxation and solving various problems. It will be difficult for such a person to understand the cause of his own discomfort and make the right decisions in difficult situations.

There are no advantages at all?

Studies have found a link between pacifier use and a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Among children who are offered a pacifier, SIDS is 90% less common compared to children who did not suck a pacifier. This dependence was stronger when the child's sleep conditions were incorrect: sleeping on his stomach or side, sleeping with a smoking mother, or on a soft bed. However, researchers have not been able to understand the mechanism of this effect.

Sucking, not for the purpose of satiation, but for the sake of the action itself, is associated with better growth and higher resistance of the body of premature babies. In this regard, the pacifier can be an alternative if breastfeeding is not possible.

When is a pacifier necessary?

Therefore, first of all, you cannot do without a pacifier when nursing prematurely born children. In addition to the above-mentioned positive aspects of its use, it is important to develop the sucking reflex with the help of a pacifier and establish a logical relationship between sucking and feeding. In the latter case, this is achieved by giving a pacifier when feeding the baby through a tube. With such unconditional advantages, there is also a negative effect: if premature babies use a pacifier, they often later have problems with breastfeeding and getting accustomed to “adult” food.

You cannot do without a pacifier even with artificial feeding. When a mother breastfeeds, the baby himself controls the way he sucks - active to produce milk or sluggish to satisfy the sucking reflex and simply to calm down. With a bottle, such self-regulation is impossible, and a pacifier must be offered to the “artificial” one who has eaten enough so that he does not overeat and swallow air while continuing to suck from the bottle.

Important

When a mother goes to work but wants to continue breastfeeding, using a pacifier in her presence is out of the question.

Sometimes situations arise when a pacifier becomes necessary during breastfeeding. First of all, this is due to a forced long-term separation between a mother and a baby who is not yet 6 months old. Or when caring for twins, when you need to temporarily distract one of the babies, for example, from waiting for feeding. Some mothers prefer to feed on a strict schedule, and with this approach, the baby will need a pacifier to calm him down.

However, it is important to keep in mind that breastfeeding provides many benefits to a child's health and development. The advice of experts is clear: it is preferable to do without using pacifiers. And you should make a choice after weighing all the possible pros and cons.

Choosing a pacifier and caring for it

If you decide that you need a pacifier, choose it responsibly. Orthodontic pacifiers, the shape of which is as close as possible to the nipple, will help reduce some of the negative effects of their use.

Pacifiers are made from two materials: latex and silicone. Many of today's young parents grew up with latex nipples, but modern medicine prefers silicone products. The fact is that latex itself is a strong allergen, moreover, it has a specific taste and smell that is alien to humans. And some progressive companies, for example, AVENT, have already abandoned the use of this material. In addition, silicone has one huge advantage: the growth of bacteria on it occurs very slowly. But in the end, the right of choice remains with the baby, who himself will determine which pacifier is more pleasant for him to suck.

The shield of a proper pacifier is wide, with a cutout for the spout. A big plus is the presence of small holes in it that protect the baby’s skin from irritation.

Before giving a new pacifier to your baby, treat it. How to do this is written on the packaging. As a rule, nipples can be boiled, but not for long. In general, you should keep them away from heat sources to prevent deformation.

You should change your pacifier as soon as you notice a crack, hole or other defect in it. But remember that they have a lifespan. For latex - no more than 3 weeks; for silicone – no more than 5 weeks.

Do not forget to regularly, at least once a day, wash the pacifier in warm water with baby soap. And never lick it - the microflora of your oral cavity can harm the baby. To make the pacifier less dirty, hang it on a special chain with a clothespin, attaching it to the baby’s clothes.

Weaning off the pacifier

Sooner or later, many parents are faced with the question of how to wean their child off the pacifier. This process can be quite lengthy and can begin as early as 6 months. Gradually offer the pacifier less and less, trying to distract the child from his desire.

Around the age of one and a half to two years, the sucking reflex fades away, and by this age the baby should already have weaned himself from the pacifier. Later, its use is fraught with such troubles as deformation of the palate and teeth, which will certainly affect articulation.

If the love for a pacifier is so strong that parents cannot rid the baby of it on their own, you can turn to a child psychologist for help. He will determine the cause of such dependence and help you give up the pacifier with the least amount of worry.

The most common disease is stomatitis, but there are also diseases such as gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is a kind of poisoning that causes vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration in a child.

Until people came up with sterilization, many children died. Nowadays, it is very rare for a child to get sick due to violation of the rules for sterilizing containers for feeding a child. There are practically no severe cases now. It's completely impossible to protect your child from all types of germs, but parents can try to keep the germs to a minimum. This is very important, especially in the first years of a baby's life.

Washing children's dishes

Before you start sterilizing the nipples, you need to remove milk particles from the walls of the bottle and wash it thoroughly. After cleaning the milk, you need to get rid of any remaining cleaning agent and also rinse the hole in the nipple. It is strictly forbidden to use salt to clean silicone nipples. As for latex nipples, this method will be relevant. When you finish washing the container, you need to get rid of any remaining salt. When cleaning bottles and bottles, you must carefully check them to ensure there are no defects. In places of damage, a large number of bacteria accumulate.

Nowadays, many parents wash bottles in the dishwasher. The main thing is not to forget that the container must be sterilized at temperatures above 80 degrees. For this reason, you need to set the required temperature. Once the bottle has been washed in the dishwasher, it must be used as soon as possible.

How to sterilize a bottle and nipple?

Many parents prefer to sterilize the bottle in a microwave oven or in a special device that is designed for sterilization. For sterilization in a microwave oven, you may need special or. Unfortunately, there are situations when there is no electricity or microwave oven at hand. It is for this reason that it is recommended to become familiar with classical cold water sterilization methods.

Steam sterilizers

Thanks to steam eclectic sterilizers, the bottle will be sterilized in a matter of minutes. The approximate sterilization time is 10 minutes. Before using the bottle, you need to let it cool down. Remember that some things are prohibited from boiling. For example, details.

There is a sterilizer that works in a microwave oven. It is strictly forbidden to place metal parts in such a device. Such a device will cope with the task within 5 minutes. As a precaution, you need to open it very carefully, otherwise hot steam will get into your face. The main advantage of a steam sterilizer is the absence of foreign odors. The pacifier will remain sterile for 3 hours after treatment. Microwave sterilizers can be taken with you when visiting. The main thing is to ask your friends if they have a microwave oven.

Boiling

Another classic method of sterilization is boiling. To sterilize the bottle and nipple, you need to take a separate saucepan. This container cannot be used for other purposes. The bottle must be boiled for at least 10 minutes. The disadvantage of this method is that the nipples become unusable.

Bottles that can be sterilized in the microwave

A worthy development for newborn babies is a bottle that can be sterilized in the microwave. There is no need to use auxiliary devices. Bottle processing time is only 90 seconds. Before sterilization, the bottle must be left open, otherwise the pressure formed inside will damage it.

Cold water sterilization

To sterilize the bottle and nipple in cold water, you need to use special tablets. Such a solution can quickly destroy bacteria. After treatment with cold water, the child will not experience irritation from the solution used. To thoroughly sterilize a bottle in cold water, you need to purchase a special container, or take any container with a lid. In order for the bottle to be completely immersed in water, you need to press it down with something. You also need to get rid of air bubbles, if any, in the bottle.

If done this way it will be sterile in 30 minutes. The feeding container can be stored in the solution for one day. The sterilization solution must be changed every day. Before removing the bottle from the solution, you must wash your hands thoroughly. If desired, the bottle can be rinsed with boiled water, but this is not necessary. You need to feed the baby immediately after removing the bottle and pacifier from the solution. If the child has not finished his food, it must be thrown away, otherwise bacteria will multiply in it, which is harmful to the child.
After processing, you need to use a sterile bottle as soon as possible, otherwise it will need to be processed again. It is very convenient to use sterilizers that allow you to store the bottle.

When should you not sterilize a bottle?

It is recommended that the bottle and pacifier be sterilized until the baby is one year old. At first glance, it may seem that the child is already putting objects with bacteria into his mouth, and sterilization can be stopped. Before the age of one year, an infant is susceptible to various infections. Bacteria that appear in leftover food are much more dangerous than bacteria on objects that a child puts into his mouth. At one year of age, the baby's immune system releases antibodies that can fight harmful bacteria. But of course, it is best to continue sterilization as long as the baby is bottle-fed.

It is very important to treat the pacifier before the first use, and during use. It can be steamed by holding the pacifier over boiling water. You can also use a double boiler for processing. But now special sterilizers are sold. Electric sterilizers use an ultraviolet lamp, which reliably kills all germs. There are also steam sterilizers designed for use in microwave ovens. They are all easy to use. There are many methods that tell you how to treat a pacifier, the most important thing is not to forget about sterilization, the child’s health depends on it.

The oldest and most reliable method of sterilizing nipples is boiling. In order to treat the pacifier with steam, you need to boil the required amount of water and lower the pacifier there, boil for 3-5 minutes. Next, use tongs to remove the pacifier and lay it out to dry. This method can be used to boil pacifiers with plastic parts. But there are pacifiers that cannot be boiled, for example a thermometer pacifier, so when purchasing a pacifier, you need to ask the seller how to boil pacifiers and, in general, whether it is possible to boil the ones you have chosen. .

A pacifier is a mother’s first assistant, but at some point every parent faces the question of how to wean their child off the pacifier. First, you need to limit access to the pacifier, for example, give it only so that the child falls asleep or during a walk. Dentists recommend removing the pacifier from your baby's use by the age of one year, otherwise it will ruin the child's bite, make his teeth crooked and spoil his speech. The most interesting way is this: if the baby is already walking, then you need to hang the pacifier on the wall so that he can get it, let him come up and suck, but he won’t stand like that near the wall forever, because there are a lot of interesting things in the world!

In all newborn babies, the sucking reflex predominates. So how do you give a pacifier to your baby? First you need to think carefully about whether it is really necessary. But if this question does not arise, then first you need to choose a suitable pacifier. They come in different types: latex, rubber and silicone. They also differ in size, age, and shape. So the choice has been made, next you need to boil the pacifier and give it to the child, preferably after a meal or to fall asleep. But if the baby is breastfed, you need to be careful with the nipples, because he may refuse the breast.

The pacifier must be constantly checked for cracks, tears, and deformations. If found, it is necessary to replace the pacifier to prevent the child from swallowing any parts of it. Without damage, the pacifier should be changed once every one to two months. But almost every package with a pacifier has instructions for use, so it’s better to stick to what’s written. How often the pacifier needs to be changed is up to parents to decide, but basic safety measures must be observed. So, a pacifier can become an assistant to parents if you listen to all the tips described above.