From the Guidelines
You can stop sterilizing baby bottles when your baby reaches 3 months of age, provided your child is healthy and you have access to clean drinking water. After this age, thorough washing with hot, soapy water or using a dishwasher is sufficient to clean bottles between uses 1. For newborns under 3 months, those born prematurely, or babies with weakened immune systems, continue sterilizing bottles after each use as these infants are more vulnerable to infections. The reason sterilization becomes less necessary after 3 months is that babies develop a stronger immune system by this age and can better handle normal household germs.
Key Considerations
- When washing bottles without sterilizing, be sure to completely disassemble all parts, scrub with a dedicated bottle brush, rinse thoroughly, and allow to air dry on a clean surface.
- If traveling or if your water supply is questionable, you should resume sterilizing regardless of your baby's age.
- It's essential to follow proper cleaning and disinfection techniques to minimize the risk of infection, as outlined in the guidelines for infection prevention and control in pediatric ambulatory settings 1.
Sterilization Methods
- Steam autoclaving uses distilled water that must reach a temperature of 121 to 132°C, and the time for exposure of items and temperature depend on the type of sterilizer and what is being sterilized 1.
- Dry-heat sterilization in an oven is used only for items that cannot be sterilized by autoclaving, with an oven temperature of 170°C for an exposure time of 1 hour 1.
From the Research
Sterilizing Baby Bottles
- The provided studies do not directly address when to stop sterilizing baby bottles.
- However, they discuss the prevention of infections in children and adolescents with primary immunodeficiency disorders 2, 3, the application of whole-exome sequencing to predict inborn errors of immunity in pediatric severe infections and sepsis 4, and an overview of infections in the immunocompromised host 5.
- Additionally, one study focuses on respiratory infections in patients with primary immunodeficiency 6.
- Since the studies do not provide information on sterilizing baby bottles, there is no specific guidance on when to stop this practice based on the provided evidence.