As a new parent, the feeling of ultimate responsibility for your baby’s life can feel like the most important obligation in the world. You want to keep your baby safe, and investigating bottle sterilizers is a wonderful step.
Keep reading to find out why these devices are important, essential factors to consider, and the pros and cons of the best baby bottle sterilizers on the market.
Papablic Baby Bottle Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer | Philips Avent 3-in-1 Electric Steam Sterilizer for Baby Bottles | Dr. Brown's Deluxe Bottle Sterilizer | Philips Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer for Baby Bottles | Tommee Tippee Microwave Travel Steam Bottle Sterilizer |
|
|
|
|
|
Why are Bottle Sterilizers Necessary?
Your baby’s immune system is extremely fragile during their first year of life. While many of us don’t like others labeling us as the overprotective parent, bottle sterilizers can be vital to the health of your baby.
Germs are everywhere, and bottle sterilizers help by thoroughly disinfecting baby bottles to ensure a contaminate-free use every time. With the many things in the world that are out of your control, sterilizing your baby bottles is one thing you can be in full control over.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released pertinent information regarding a germ called “Cronobacter” that is found naturally in our environment.
It can result in a deadly infection in infants that occurs because of the germ living in dry foods, such as leftover powdered infant formula.
Sterilizing your bottles after every use can ensure that this germ, as well as millions of others, are killed before they can enter your baby’s system.
Different Types of Bottle Sterilization
While in the past there was only one way to completely sterilize baby bottles, the technology of baby products has come a long way since then. Here are five popular ways to sterilize your bottles:
1. Boiling: The oldest form of bottle sterilization is to boil them in water. Bring water to a boil and immerse the bottles for at least ten minutes. Some parents worry about plastic chemicals wearing off, which is why this method is becoming less popular.
2. Chemical: Another type of bottle sterilization is using a chemical sterilizing solution. Dissolve a chemical tablet in cold water and immerse your bottles for at least thirty minutes. While affordable, this method is the least friendly to the environment and requires more stringent measurements of water and chemicals.
3. UV light: The most expensive way to sterilize bottles is by using special UV light machines. Ultraviolet light kills the germs entirely, but the machines are pricey, and the electricity cost isn’t cheap, either.
4. Microwave: A newer form of sterilizing bottles is microwave steamers. To use a microwave sterilizer, you fill it up with water, place the bottles in the designated slots, and microwave to generate sterilizing steam. Some worry about burning plastic and the unknowns of how sterile bottles become once the process is complete.
5. Electric steaming: The easiest way to sterilize your bottles is by using an electric steamer. The difference between electric and microwave steamers is that these are individual devices that plug into your wall outlet and can sterilize your bottles in the push of a button. Some electric steamers also come with useful features and benefits that make these types of sterilizers the best in the market.
How to Choose the Best Bottle Sterilizers
You want the best for your baby, and so do we. That’s why to avoid overspending on UV light machines or using potentially harmful practices like chemical washes and boiling plastic, the most effective choices are microwavable sterilizers and electric steamers.
But with countless choices, how do you choose the best bottle sterilizer for your unique situation and circumstance?
Use the following questions to determine the best bottle sterilizer for you:
How much does it cost?
With the countless items your baby requires, price can be important in relation to the features you need from a sterilizer.
How much counter space is required?
If your kitchen counter is filling up, getting a more compact bottle sterilizer can be beneficial.
How easy is it to use?
Microwavable sterilizers require the removal of a container that is hot to the touch, whereas electric sterilizers require the press of a button.
How long does it take to clean?
Some sterilizers work in just two minutes, while others can take longer.
How many bottles do you need to clean at once?
Some sterilizers hold one or two bottles while others can clean up to ten or more at a time.
How much cleanup is required?
After you clean the bottles, some sterilizers require you to wipe them dry before future use.
Does it come with extra features?
Some sterilizers have added features like post-sterilization drying, the ability to clean other baby items like pacifiers, and air deodorization to keep odors to a minimum.
Best Baby Bottle Sterilizers to Buy
Papablic Baby Bottle Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer
Best Pick | The Papablic is an electric steam sterilizer that comes with beneficial features like drying and deodorizing. Features:
|
Although this is a larger unit, the features that come with this sterilizer go above and beyond its competitors.
Having a drying function really does make all the difference, and there is little to no clean up needed after drying is complete.
Some sterilizers leave an odor after the sterilization process is complete, but this unit has an “extra-dry” function that deodorizes the device and your bottles.
If you need the ability to sterilize a lot of bottles or products at once, the capacity of this unit makes this a better choice than other electric steam sterilizers.
|
|
Philips AVENT 3-in-1 Electric Steam Sterilizer
2nd Pick | The Philips AVENT 3-in-1 is an electric steam sterilizer that requires loading your baby products in the container, filling the base with water, and pressing the start button. Features:
|
The push-button use is a great function, but having no drying function can leave a big mess on your counter when you remove the lid.
The unit is compact enough not to take up much space, but some taller baby bottles won’t be able to fit in this sterilizer.
If you don’t use tall bottles and don’t mind wiping your counter clean and air drying your bottles, the six-minute sterilization does come in handy when you are short for time.
|
|
Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Bottle Sterilizer
3rd Pick | Dr. Brown’s Deluxe is an electric steam sterilizer that is large enough to fit wide and tall bottles. Features:
|
The included measuring cup makes it easy to fill, and the LED indicators show you when the sterilization process is complete, cool-down mode, and safe to unload.
A twelve-minute sterilization period is longer than others, but it makes up for time with the ability to fit larger and taller baby bottles inside the unit.
Like other sterilizers with no drying functionality, cleaning can be challenging. Leftover condensation can get all over your counter, which requires additional time and effort to clean and dry.
For those that need a sterilizer that fits taller bottles that other sterilizers can’t, this can be a useful alternative.
|
|
Philips AVENT Microwave Steam Sterilizer
4th Pick | The Philips AVENT is a microwavable sterilizer that requires filling it up with water and microwaving Features:
|
The Philips AVENT is a microwavable sterilizer that requires filling it up with water and microwaving for an instructed amount of time, depending on the wattage of your microwave.
The water turns into steam that sterilizes your baby products.
One point to make is to follow the instructions about heating time.
The amount of required time depends on the wattage of your microwave.
Microwave too long, and you could have burnt plastic. Microwave too little, and your bottles won’t sterilize completely.
When you follow the directions, this compact sterilizer can work great at home and while traveling.
The lower price of this unit can also make this a useful backup solution if you decide to use an electric unit.
|
|
Tommee Tippee Microwave Travel Steam Bottle Sterilizer
5th Pick | The Tommee Tippee is microwave steam bottle sterilizer that is compact and lightweight for busy moms on the go. Features:
|
This unit eliminates 99.99% bacteria & viruses from bottles and other feeding accessories and keeps them sterile for up to 24 hours with the lids closed.
Like other bottle sterilizers that uses microwave, you need to fill it up with one cup of water (200ml) every time you want to use it.
The price of this sterilizer is slightly higher than other comparable units. It takes a long time to dry up, and tends to keep moisture in the bottles.
Although it has “travel” on its name, the design is too bulky and not easy to travel with. The top is a little hard to open and sometimes not completely shut.
However, if you plan to use it at home, this microwave sterilizer could be very convenient. Another suggestion is please be careful when handling the unit after it comes out of the microwave.
|
|
Conclusion
After careful consideration of these bottle sterilizers, the clear winner is The Papablic Baby Bottle Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer.
When you’re in a rush to sterilize bottles, pacifiers, teethers, and other baby products, the eight-minute sterilization process with a larger capacity means you can clean more and save time. And unlike other units, this sterilizer comes with a drying function that doesn’t force you to clean up a mess when finished.
If you’ve ever smelled an odor after sterilizing your bottles, that also gets taken care of with the extra-dry deodorizing function, which is unique to this unit alone. These extra features also come at not much more cost than other units without them.
The final benefit that takes the Papablic Sterilizer above and beyond is the active and supportive customer service team. If you have any problems, questions, or concerns about your sterilizer, you can be sure they will respond quickly and politely.
This bottle sterilizer checks all the boxes and successfully answers all of the questions you could ask yourself when choosing the best bottle sterilizer for you baby.
0 Comments