How To Sterilize Mam Bottles
MAM bottles are great for breastfeeding moms who want to prevent nipple confusion. They have skin-soft nipples, which mimic natural breasts making them the most suitable for breastfed babies.
Similar to other baby bottles, MAM bottles also need to be cleaned and sterilized thoroughly for the sake of your baby’s health. Thus, in this article, we shall discuss how to sterilize MAM bottles through self-sterilization, using a bottle sterilizer, or boiling in water.
4 Ways How to Sterilize MAM Bottles
1. Self-sterilization
MAM anti-colic bottles are self-sterilizing. So if you have these anti-colic bottles, you do not need a bottle sterilizer or boing in water.
Steps on how to self-sterilize MAM bottles
1. Disassemble all the bottle parts to ease cleaning
2. Bottles should not be sterilized while dirty. So clean the parts in a dishwasher or using a soft bristle brush or sponge. If you choose to clean them in a dishwasher, place all the parts on the top rack at a temperature of not more than 650
3. Once all the parts are clean rinsed thoroughly, and dried, assemble them in this manner; base with silicone valve, teat with screw ring, bottle body, and protective cap.
4. Add water to the base with a silicone valve with about 20ml of cool water. (You can measure using the protective cap)
5. Put the screw ring with the teat in the bottle base and place the bottle body on it. (Screw the body of the bottle tightly so that the water does not leak)
6. Put the protective cap on top.
7. Place the bottle in the microwave and set the timer. You can sterilize up to 6 bottles in the microwave at once for about 8 minutes. One bottle will take about 3 minutes to sterilize.
8. Once sterilized, open the microwave door and let them cool for about 10 minutes before removing them.
9. Leave the bottle parts to air dry in a rack assemble them and store them.
The only problem with self-sterilizing the bottles is that the whole process takes a lot of time. You have to measure and add water to each base and assemble each bottle before placing it in the microwave.
So if you are sterilizing several bottles, it can be quite hectic. A good and quick option would be to use a bottle sterilizer.
Related article: 4 Ways To Keep Baby Bottles Warm At Night
2. Using a bottle sterilizer
Different types of bottle sterilizers include steam bag sterilizers, microwave sterilizers, and electric sterilizers.
The wide base of MAM bottles means that they cannot be sterilized in any standard bottle sterilizer. In light of this need, manufacturers have released both an electric and microwave sterilizer designed to clean MAM bottles and other baby gear.
Sterilizing MAM bottles using a microwave or electric sterilizer
1. Disassemble the bottle parts because sterilizing while assembled can damage the bottle
2. Clean the parts in a dishwasher or using a soft bristle brush and rinse the parts thoroughly
3. Measure and add water to the sterilizer. Check the user manual that came with the sterilizer to determine the amount of water required.
4. Load the disassembled parts into the sterilizer basket and do not overload it. The Microwave Sterilizer can take a maximum of 6 bottles so if you need to sterilize more, you should do so in batches.
5. If using a microwave sterilizer, place the sterilizer in the microwave and sterilize for 5 minutes.
6. Once sterilization is done, remove the sterilizer from the microwave and let it cool for a few minutes.
7. Open the sterilizer carefully, lift the basket with the bottle parts and let the water drain as they air dry. The cover of the sterilizer can act as a base for the basket when drying the bottles.
8. If using an electric sterilizer, turn on the machine. The water in the reservoir will start to heat up and produce steam that will sterilize the bottles and their parts.
The good thing about using a microwave or electric sterilizer is that they can sterilize up to six MAM bottles at once in only 5 minutes.
3. Boiling in water
This is the easiest and quickest way of sterilizing MAM bottles. The steps are as follows;
Sterilizing MAM baby bottles in boiling water
1. Disassemble the bottle parts and clean in the dishwasher or use a soft bristle brush and rinse them.
2. Add clean water to a large saucepan
3. Put the bottle parts and ensure they are completely covered by the water
4. Place the saucepan on the burner and turn it on
5. Let them for about 5 minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions
6. Turn off the stove and remove the bottles and parts
7. Place them on a drying rack to air dry
4. Coldwater sterilization
This is a quick way to sterilize baby bottles without a microwave or sterilizer so you do not subject them to any form of heat. However, you first need to purchase a sterilizing solution or tablet Such as Milton from the store.
Steps on sterilizing MAM baby bottles using cold water
1. Disassemble the bottle parts and clean them in the dishwasher or use a soft bristle brush and rinse them.
2. Take a large food-grade container and add tap water.
3. Put the bottles and the parts inside. Ensure they are completely submerged in the water with no air bubbles.
4. Add your preferred sterilizing solution or tablet to the water carefully following the instructions in the user guide provided.
5. Cover the container with a heavy lid that will prevent the bottles from rising above the water.
6. Let the bottles and the parts remain soaked in the water for about 15-30 minutes according to the instructions in the user guide.
7. Once sterilization is done, remove the bottles and the parts from the solution and let them air dry on a rack. There is no need to rinse off the bottles since the sterilizing agents are safe for babies.
Conclusion
The above steps outline how to sterilize MAM bottles. However, they can also be used to sterilize other baby bottles as long as they are BPA-free. It is important to ensure that you purchase bottles that are BPA-free so that they do not leech chemicals when subjected to heat during sterilization or when warming baby’s milk or formula.