How to Sterilize Baby Bottles in Microwave without a Sterilizer

Switching to a feeding bottle from breastfeeding is essential if you’re running low on breast milk, are ill, or are at the end of your maternity leave. Feeding can then be done by your nanny or babysitter, even if you’ve chosen to go the formula way instead of pumping. As such, you have to teach them how to sterilize baby bottles in microwave without a sterilizer.

Without a steam sterilizer, you can fill a bottle halfway with water and stand it in your microwave, or use a microwavable bowl. After regularly cleaning your baby’s bottles, remove the nipple, cap, and holder, which you’ll also sterilize using steam in your oven. Run the oven at full power for at least two minutes or when the water’s boiled and steam fills the microwaves compartment.

Before microwaving your baby’s bottles to sterilize them, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions concerning heating the material. Different sterilizing periods will apply for plastic and glass. Keep reading to learn how to make your tots feeding implements germ-free using a microwave without a commercial sterilizer.

Why Must You Sterilize Your Baby’s Bottles Frequently?

Your baby takes their own sweet time to adjust after being confined to the coziness of the womb. They’re also underprepared to take on everyday microbes in the outer world, many of which are harmless to an adult. As such, health workers stress absolute cleanliness, as high sanitary standards are necessary for the health and development of your tot.

One of the ways you can succeed in this is by keeping your baby’s feeding equipment sterilized. Everything which comes into contact with your child must contain no trace of microbes. That’s seeing as their mouth is the primary entry point for disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi that further compromise your young ones immunity.

In your newborn’s initial months, you must shield them from the all-pervasive disease-carrying agents riddling the home’s environment. Whether your baby’s feeding bottles are made from plastic, glass, or silicone, it’s essential to keep them clean and sterilized. That’s because;

Microorganisms find it easy to accumulate and thrive in the damp insides of feeding bottles. If not cleaned properly, bottles that hold milk or formula offer the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mold, and viruses. These find their way into your baby’s body to cause diarrhea, vomiting, and other diseases or infections.

During the first three months after birth, a newborn baby possesses limited disease-fighting antibodies passed on from the mother in the last stretch of pregnancy. The passive immunity wanes soon after your baby is born. If you don’t use treated water in your household, it could be contaminated by disease-carrying microbes and other impurities.

Should I Wash My Baby Bottles Regularly Before Sterilizing Them in the Microwave?

You’ll need to sterilize your baby bottles frequently when your tot is less than three months old. That’s best done by cleaning them after each feed and getting rid of dirt, fats, and debris as part of the pre-sterilization ritual. Wash your hands in hot soapy water before inspecting the bottle for cracks, tears, or rips. Discard any that’s affected seeing as bacteria and mold easily flourishes in any of the crannies.

Pass water through the nipples, checking to see that the holes aren’t torn or stretched as that poses a choking risk for your baby. Turn the teat inside out for thorough cleansing, scrubbing by hand instead of using the dishwasher. You’ll need a bottle brush to reach the narrow insides of your baby’s bottles, scrubbing out any dried feed within.

A double rinse is necessary with cold running water to remove soap, completing the item’s preliminary wash. Your baby’s feeding implements are now clean, but that’s not enough to make them completely sterile or germ-free. Next, you’ll need to sterilize the feeding bottles in a microwave, something that you should do regularly if your tot is less than three months old or was born preterm.

How to Sterilize Baby Bottles in Microwave without a Sterilizer

Microwave sterilization uses steam power to obliterate microorganisms present in your baby’s bottles, teats, holders, and caps. Seeing as it’s a regular household appliance, microwaving your tot’s feeding equipment is made easier, faster, and efficient. That’s because heat generated kills at least 99.9% of disease-causing microbes.

There’s nothing else needed when sterilizing your baby’s bottles in the microwave, which makes this one of the more accessible and affordable methods of sterilization. All you have to make sure is that the insides of your oven are without any food spills or dirt.

You can make your baby bottles sterile without the recommended sterilizer unit using a microwave. Achieve this by following two tested and proven methods. These include;

Using a Microwaveable Bowl to Sterilize Baby Bottles in a Microwave

For this trick, you’ll need a medium-sized microwave-ready bowl, big enough to fit your bottles and well accommodated by your oven space. After cleaning everything with hot water and baby-friendly detergent, pack in bottles, caps, and nipples into the container. Add water enough to cover them and place them inside your microwave.

Set the microwave timer and power levels depending on your baby’s bottle materials, whether glass, plastic, or silicone. I recommend at least three minutes at the highest heat setting for wattage ratings of 1200W to 1850W or five minutes for ovens offering between 500W and 800W. Let the water in the bowl boil and steam to kill germs, and leave your tots feeding implements sterilized.

Standing Baby Bottles in Microwave to Sterilize Them

Sterilization units are designed to hold your baby’s bottles within the microwave, simplifying and making safe the process of sterilizing or eliminating microbial action. However, you can still achieve this without the kit, or when you have no bowl big enough to fit the items and small enough for the oven’s space.

After a thorough cleaning of your baby’s feeding equipment and inside the microwave, fill the bottles halfway with clean water. Use a large cup for the nipples, caps, and holders, filling this with water halfway too or enough to cover them. Set the bottles and the container for its removable parts inside the oven, taking care not to upset their balance.

Depending on your microwave oven’s power output, and the material makeup of your baby’s bottles, set the heat level and timer. Two to five minutes will be sufficient to obliterate any microorganisms residing on your tot’s feeding implements. Use oven mitts to remove each bottle, or leave them in until the water has cooled sufficiently for safe handling.

Conclusion

You can pass on the knowledge on how to sterilize baby bottles in microwave without a sterilizer to your child’s caretaker or partner. That’s especially essential if you’ll not be around to do it yourself, and your tot is less than three months old, was born preterm, or has a compromised immune system. Your oven’s heat acts as a commendable sterilizer, one that’s accessible, safe, and easy to use.