How to sterilize baby bottles and nipples - steps of preparing baby formula

Sterilizing baby bottles and nipples: All the equipment used for feeding your baby must be sterilized. By sterilizing your feeding equipment, washing your hands and keeping the preparation area clean, you will reduce the chance of your baby getting sickness and diarrhea.

The following cleaning and sterilizing instructions apply whether you are using expressed breast milk or infant formula milk.

1 Clean and rinse: Clean the bottle and teat in hot soapy water as soon as possible after a feed, using a clean bottle brush. Rinse all equipment in cold, clean running water before sterilizing.

2 Cold water sterilizing: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Change the sterilizing solution every 24 hours, and leave feeding equipment in the solution for at least 30 minutes. Make sure there is no air trapped in the bottles or teats when putting them in the sterilizing solution. Keep all the equipment under the solution with a floating cover.

3 Steam sterilizing (electric or microwave): Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure the openings of the bottles and teats are facing down in the sterilizer. Any equipment not used straight away should be re-sterilized before use.

Steps of preparing baby formula   

STEP 1: Before making up a feed, clean and disinfect the surface you are going to use. Wash your hands carefully. If you are using a cold water sterilizer, shake off any excess solution from the bottle and the teat or rinse the bottle with cooled boiled water from the kettle (not the tap). Stand the bottle on a clean surface. Keep the teat and cap on the upturned lid of the sterilizer. Don’t put them on the work surface.

STEP 2: Use fresh tap water to fill the kettle. After it has boiled, let the water cool for no more than 30 minutes. Don’t use artificially softened water or water that has already been boiled. If you have to use bottled water, you will still need to boil it. The water must still be hot, otherwise any bacteria in the milk powder might not be destroyed.

Get more advices about using bottled water; always put the partially cooled boiled water in the bottle first.

Be careful – at 70°C, water is still hot enough to scald. Always check that the water level is correct. Failure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions may make your baby ill.

STEP 3: Loosely fill the scoop with milk powder and level it off using the flat edge of a clean, dry knife or the leveller provided. Do not pat it down.

STEP 4: Add the milk powder to the water. Repeat, until you have added the number of scoops specified in the manufacturer’s instructions.

It is important to use only the scoop that is enclosed with that milk powder. Using too much powder can give your baby constipation and lead to dehydration; too little could mean that your baby is not getting the nutrients they need. Don’t add sugar or cereals to the feed in the bottle.

STEP 5: Holding the edge of the teat, put it on the bottle.

Screw the retaining ring onto the bottle. Cover the teat with a cap. Shake the bottle until the powder dissolves.

Make sure you make up a fresh bottle each time you feed your baby and throw away unused feed after two hours. Using stored formula milk can increase the chance of your baby becoming ill.