Guides
How often should you sterilize bottles?
Clean after every feed. Sanitize daily only in three specific situations. Here is the guidance in plain English, with the source linked.
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The short answer
Sanitize new feeding items before the first use. After that, clean every item after every feed, and sanitize daily only if your baby is under two months old, was born premature, or has a weakened immune system. That is the CDC's guidance on infant feeding items, and for a healthy older baby it means daily sterilizing is optional rather than required. A dishwasher run with hot water and a heated drying or sanitizing cycle helps kill more germs.
Cleaning and sanitizing are different jobs
Most confusion here comes from the words being used interchangeably in marketing. They are not the same thing.
Cleaning removes milk residue with soap and water. It is required after every single feed, and nothing else works without it — you cannot sanitize residue away.
Sanitizing reduces germs on an item that is already clean. Per CDC guidance it is for extra germ removal, recommended daily for babies under two months, babies born premature, and babies with a weakened immune system. The CDC lists boiling, steaming and a weakened bleach solution as methods for nonporous items, and says to check with the item's manufacturer about which to use.
The schedule, by situation
| Situation | Clean | Sanitize |
|---|---|---|
| Brand-new bottles and nipples | Yes, first | Before first use |
| Baby under 2 months old | After every feed | Daily |
| Baby born premature | After every feed | Daily |
| Baby with a weakened immune system | After every feed | Daily |
| Healthy baby over 2 months | After every feed | Optional, for extra germ removal |
| Breast pump parts | After every use | Same rules as above, per CDC pump hygiene guidance |
How to clean properly
- Wash your hands.
- Take every item fully apart, including vent inserts and nipple collars.
- Rinse under running water before milk dries on.
- Wash in hot soapy water in a basin used only for feeding items, not directly in the sink — the CDC is explicit about this, because sinks and drains harbour germs.
- Use a brush reserved for bottles, and a small nipple brush for nipples.
- Rinse under fresh running water.
- Air dry on a clean, unused dish towel or paper towel. Do not rub dry with a used tea towel.
A dishwasher is a legitimate way to do this. Use hot water, secure small parts in a closed-top basket, and use a heated drying or sanitizing cycle if you have one.
How to sanitize
- Microwave steam sterilizer. Cheapest real option, a couple of minutes, lives in a cupboard.
- Electric steam sterilizer. Larger capacity, and the versions that also dry save real time if you are doing this daily. See best bottle sterilizers.
- Boiling. A pan of water and a lid. Free, and listed by the CDC as a sanitizing method for nonporous items — follow its instructions and the bottle manufacturer's.
- Dishwasher sanitizing cycle. If your machine has one, that is the least extra work of all.
Whichever method: items must be clean first, and check with the manufacturer about which method suits that specific bottle. Silicone and hybrid bottles sometimes have limits.
When can you stop sanitizing daily?
For a healthy, term baby, the CDC's daily-sanitizing recommendation is tied to being under two months old. After that, cleaning after every use is the requirement and sanitizing becomes optional. Plenty of parents keep doing it, and plenty stop; neither is negligent.
If your baby was premature or has a health condition, keep going and ask your pediatrician when it is reasonable to stop. That is a clinical judgment about your child, not a general rule.
Worth saying plainly
Two things worth stating plainly. Sanitizing does not replace cleaning — it is a step after it. And a sterilizer does not make a bottle safe to reuse without washing between feeds, no matter what the marketing implies.
What we would buy
Now that the decision is made, these are the products we would actually put in the basket, and why.
Photo for illustration, not a photograph of our own unit.
Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Sterilizer
Munchkin
A plastic box, a splash of water and your microwave. It sterilizes properly and costs a fraction of an electric unit, so start here.
- Speed
- 9
- Evenness
- 8
- Capacity
- 6
- Ease of use
- 7
- Value
- 10
- Method:
- Microwave steam
- Capacity:
- Around four bottles
- Extras:
- None
- Price tier:
- Budget
What works
- Cheapest real sterilizing method after a pan of boiling water
- No counter space used between cycles
- Fast, at a couple of minutes per load
What to know first
- No drying, so parts come out wet
- You need a microwave big enough
- Hot and heavy to lift out
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Photo for illustration, not a photograph of our own unit.
Baby Brezza Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer Advanced
Baby Brezza
Sterilizes and dries a full load of bottles plus pump parts in one cycle, which is the only version of this job worth paying for.
- Speed
- 8
- Evenness
- 9
- Capacity
- 10
- Ease of use
- 8
- Value
- 7
- Method:
- Steam sterilize plus filtered dry
- Capacity:
- A day of bottles plus pump parts
- Extras:
- Sterile storage between cycles
- Price tier:
- Premium
What works
- Drying is the part that saves time, because wet parts are the daily annoyance
- Largest capacity in its class, so one cycle covers the day
- Keeps contents sterile between openings
What to know first
- Large, and it lives on the counter
- Premium price
- Needs regular descaling
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price until we can verify it live
Common questions
How often should I sterilize baby bottles?
Before first use, then daily only if your baby is under two months old, was born premature, or has a weakened immune system. Otherwise clean after every feed and sanitize when you want extra germ removal.
How often should I sterilize bottles for a newborn?
Daily while your baby is under two months old, on top of cleaning after every feed, per CDC guidance.
Do I need to sterilize bottles after 3 months?
For a healthy, term baby, daily sanitizing is no longer the recommendation after two months. Cleaning after every use still is.
Can you sterilize bottles in a dishwasher?
A hot cycle with a heated drying or sanitizing setting helps kill more germs. See bottle sterilizer vs dishwasher for whether that is enough in your situation.
How long should I boil bottles to sterilize them?
Boiling is one of the CDC's listed sanitizing methods for nonporous feeding items. Follow the CDC's own instructions and your bottle manufacturer's guidance rather than a number from a forum.
Do pump parts need sterilizing as often as bottles?
The same rules apply: clean after every use, and sanitize daily in the same three situations. See how to clean breast pump parts.