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Bottles and all bottle feeding accessories need scrupulous
cleaning followed by careful sterilising after every
use. Regular users of bottles will find a custom-built
steriliser invaluable. As the purpose of a steriliser
is to make your baby’s feeding equipment free
from bacteria, it is essential to follow the user instructions
to the letter.
There are three types of steriliser. All take different
numbers of bottles (from two to ten) and accessories,
depending on the make:
- Electric steam steriliser A freestanding
unit that plugs in. All the items for sterilising
are stacked inside with a specified amount of water
(but no chemicals) and it takes around nine minutes
to sterilise. Items remain sterile for several hours
(this differs according to unit) as long as the lid
isn’t lifted. You need to be careful as hot
steam escapes when the lid is lifted.
- Microwave steam steriliser This works in
the same way as an electric steriliser except that
it goes in the microwave, usually for around 10 minutes,
and keeps items sterile for two or three hours, as
long as the lid isn’t lifted. Very convenient,
cheaper than the plug-in sterilisers, but you do need
to check that it will fit into your microwave cavity
before buying, and that all items you sterilise in
it are microwave-safe (ie no metal parts).
- Cold water steriliser This is a container
with a holding rack and lid. You mix a sterilising
tablet or liquid with cold water and then fully immerse
all the items in it. It takes 30 minutes to sterilise
and then all items must be rinsed with recently boiled
water before use. The solution needs changing every
24 hours and items remain sterile as long as they
are not touched. This type of steriliser is often
sold complete with feeding bottles, sterilising tablets
and bottle brush for cleaning. Cold water sterilisers
leave the equipment smelling, and tasting of chemical
sterilising solution, but as long as everything is
well rinsed, this does no harm to your baby.
- Disposable sterilising bags These are useful
when you're travelling. You add a sterilising tablet,
fill with water, immerse the items you're sterilising
and hang the bag up.
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