washing bottles?

I am having a c-section monday and am trying to get everything ready for the babies. We got Dr. Browns bottles and from our registry: the drying rack, dishwashing basket, and microwave steamer. I used the dishwashing basket and wasn't that impressed with it.

I am trying to figure out the easiest way to wash the bottles. The microwave steamer seems great, but I think it will take too much time to wash the bottles in the dishwasher and then steam them in the microwave.

How do you wash your bottles?

 

Just wondering what made you chose Dr. Browns so fast? They are supposed to be the hardest/most time consuming to wash.. although good for very gassy babies.. but how do you know your babies will be gassy?
I used the playtex drop in bottles - they are the easiest to clean, since they have liners that you just throw away after use.. with twins I just wanted to make that part of life easier.. they are also supposed to be good for gassy babies and are BPA free. You can try them as well and see which you like better, but i wouldn't buy too many bottles yet, because it might take time to pick the one you want to stick with.

 

We used playtex drop ins. I ended up always washing everything by hand - just never got the rhythm right for dishwasher washing. I just used hot soapy water. I did not own anything for sterilizing and never sterilized anything.

 

I cheated and bought a new dish washer with a high temperature (150 º) sterilizing/sanitary cycle. Much easier than sterilizing bottles one or two at a time.

 

I never sterilized the bottles after the first time. It's not necessary. Thoroughly washing them with soup and hot water is fine.

ETA-I meant soap. If you wash them with soup they would probably still be dirty!

 

I'm wondering what about the basket you didn't like? It is for the whole bottle or just the nipple/rings?

I have one that is made just for the nipples and rings. We throw the whole lot (minus their "bed bottles") into the dishwasher at the end of the night and presto, come first light we have clean and sterile bottles! No bells, whistles or fuss necessary. Keeping things simple is key. The other ladies suggested the Drop Ins. I have a couple of those too and they are simplicity itself. The only drawback is once you pay for the bottle you keep having to pay for the inserts. That may be worth the ease of use and cleaning in your house though.

Good luck with your section and how exciting!!!

 

I always washed bottles by hand then, for the first little bit, used the microwave steamer to sterilize them. I never found my dishwasher got bottles that clean so hand washing was the best way for me!

 

I have gotten into a rhythm of sink washing, but we also have very hot water from our faucet. I make sure the sink is clean and every night I draw up a half sink of hot soapy water and throw all bottle parts/nipples, etc. into it for a quick pre-soak. After about a 10 min soak I wash everything with a bottle brush (nipples with the nipple brush) and put it on the drying rack. Once I got used to this as a nightly task it is a breeze - dare I say I almost enjoy it. Many people make it on a couple bottles - I was using 3 Dr. Browns but now I have some Avent bottles also - it adds up but for me it was better than not having enough bottles for at least 24 hours of feedings. I also have the playtex drop-ins handy for times when I am not up to the task.

 

We keep the drying rack by the sink and a large mixing bowl on one side of the sink that's separate from all the food/dishes. When we're done with bottles we take them apart and place them in the bowl with hot soapy water if we can't wash them right away. When we are ready to wash we use a bottle brush (the munchkin ones are great - although I didn't have good luck with the soap dispensing ones), soap and hot water and then air dry. Every so often I've used the dishwasher and microwave steamer but suds and elbow grease should get the job done.

 

I started with Dr. Brown and bought enough of the dishwasher baskets to fit the bottles and had a sterilize cycle on my dishwasher. It seemed easy at first, but then I hated waiting for 3 hours for dishwasher to be done, and got sick of putting parts together. Then I got sick of warming bottles. I premade the formula in a big batch in the Dr. Brown formula pitcher for the whole day and premade all of my bottles once a day. My boys were used to room temperature bottles, but I had to get them from refrigerator temp. to room temp. so I used a warmer. With two screaming hungry babies in the middle of the night, I got sick of using a warmer. So then I moved to filling the bottles with room temperature water and adding powder to shake. You can't shake with pieces inside (powder gets stuck in tube). Have to remove then put back (not sanitary to keep touching everything in my opinion) and you can't shake without parts inside because the extra room in ring makes for a leak. This is even worse when you are traveling and trying to juggle parts while preparing bottle (once again not sanitary - where do you set the pieces which are supposed to be sterilized) and how do you wipe up leaks after shaking. So... as with PP's I would not recommend Dr. Brown's. Return them if you still can. I switched to Playtex Drop-Ins a month and a half ago and I LOVE them. The only problem is the cost of liners. They run about $8 a week for name brand and $6 a week for generic for both babies. I can't use the generic though because I make 6oz. bottles and there isn't enough room for powder and water. SO... I just switched a few days ago to Gerber basic bottles, and they are working great so far. I do have to wash and sanitize the actual bottle, which I didn't have to do with Playtex Drop-Ins, but I am saving $32 a month. Worth it for me now that my guys are a little older and down to 5-6 bottles each a day.

 

When we were in the hospital I pumped and used bottles, syringes, etc... the nurses would help us wash and put everything in a plastic tub with hot soapy water which is how we've done it since then. We still use the same tub from the hospital! Every so often we'll sterilize by putting them in boiling water for a few minutes.

 

I feel our dishwasher did not get them as clean as I would like them. Thanks for all the responses!! We chose Dr. Browns because all of my friends gave great recommendations on this brand.

 

Good luck on your c/s! Can't wait to see you over here!

I have no actual experience with dr b's bottles but if they have as many or more pieces than the playtex ventaire i would hate them :lol:

Add me to the drop ins list. I don't even wash my bottles every day just rinse since formula doesn't touch it. Otherwise I throw the nipples/rings into a bowl by the sink with soapy water in and wash when i have time. I throw bottles in the dishwasher every few days.

 

You are obviously going to feel your way through what works best for you, but I have an extremely gassy LO and the Dr. Browns were wonderful - the con is the extra parts, but you deal if it is the bottle that works the best for making your baby most comfortable. For our particular gassy situation, the playtex bottles didn't even compare. Good luck in whatever you choose - it is a constant adventure.

 

I use the Dr. Brown's because of mild reflux and gas issues in one of my boys. After use I soak the parts in soapy water and then use the little brush on the tube and other small parts. I wash them once a day and its easier now because he only takes about 6 bottles a day.

I don't think I would have used these bottles if I didn't have to though,because they are kind of a pain to wash and perpare formula in.

 

I absolutely love the Dr. Browns bottles (BPA free) but I also like the Playtex drop-ins almost just as much. IMHO, it only took me 12 minutes, yes, I timed it out, to clean 12 Dr. Browns bottles by hand and 12 lasts an entire day for 6 feedings each. However.....now that I am back to work, we just run the dishwasher every day to clean the bottles. Once a week, we boil the nipples and the tan thingy for 6 mins to sterilize the parts.

I only sterilized the small containers while my girls were in the NICU but never sterilized the bottles once they were home.