I think that we can all agree that over the past few years, we have all become a bit more germ-aware. Covid, hepatitis, you name it — it’s been on the news affecting babies and children. Getting a bottle sterilizer not only potentially prevents illness but also offers peace of mind to worried parents.
Having a dedicated bottle sterilizer for your baby’s feeding items also frees up some valuable time — and like all new and current parents of young kids know, having extra time is everything.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
There was once a time when sterilizers were easy-peasy. You had your choice of one or two models, and they were, at best, mediocre, bulky, and slow. Things have really evolved in the past 10 years, with huge advances being made since Covid. Now? Wowzers: There have never been more options for getting bottles blasted with cleanliness. There are a few types that shine, and those are a traditional sterilizer with or without a dryer, a sterilizer with UV, and bottle warmer sterilizers. They’re all great, but depending on your needs, you may choose one over the other:
- Traditional Sterilizer With or Without Dryer: These use water and blast steam into the bottles and parts, getting all the nooks and crannies clean, and if they have a drier, are dried with hot air. This leaves bottles cleaned and deodorized. The bonus is that not all of these need a special place.
- Sterilizer With UV: This option is great if you’re not just using bottles, but also pacifiers and little toys that might become baby Petri dishes. After you clean the bottles and nipples, you place them inside the UV sterilizer, and the UV light kills the vast majority of viruses and bacteria.
- Bottle Warmer Sterilizers: A multitasker, this machine will heat bottles and also has a setting to sterilize them after washing. It’s a great way to stretch a dollar and the amount of counter space used.
I have chosen several highly rated models based on their design, usefulness, and various recommendations. I’ve spoken with manufacturers, researched each product, and found the very best bottle sanitizers out there that work wonders and give a really good clean.
This sterilizer bag is perfect for travel. Clean your pacifiers, toys, bottles, and more in this effective tool that gets the job done in just 2 minutes. It’s good for 180 uses, but let’s be honest: That’s a ton of sterilizing. You can throw in some cleaned bottles, some water, and toss it in the microwave!
After seeing this in action, I can confidently say it’s a travel game changer. We all get a little “ew” in hotels and on trips, and this alleviates so many worries.
This super-affordable option from Nuby heats food or milk in almost any shape of bottle that you can buy, and it will sterilize it afterward. It’s compact in size, easy to use, and cleans up with a quick wipe.
It is a single-bottle capacity which is somewhat limiting, but we think the size and cost more than makes up for it.
This was designed with baby bottles in mind, with places for nipples and bottles separately, but is also great for pacifiers, blocks, cell phones, and whatever it is that needs the UV treatment. The drying mode, however, should only be used on bottles and pacifiers — not phones: 167 degrees Fahrenheit is not an optimal temperature for your iPhone, but it’s just fine for a bottle.
Since UV light kills 99.9% of germs, this is a great investment for the whole family.
