It’s not just your baby who loves milk. Bacteria do too! When left unwashed even for a few hours, your baby’s feeding bottles become a germ spa. And a few more minutes, these nasty microorganisms have already multiplied to thousands, perhaps millions! Horrible, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, washing is not enough. Whether you’re breastfeeding or formula-feeding, using a high-quality sterilizer ensures that no bacteria goes into your baby’s milk. Even better, it makes the entire process of cleansing and disinfecting a lot quicker and easier.
Top 9 Bottle Sterilizers of 2018 Reviewed
Bottle sterilizers come in different types. And with the hundreds of brands out there, it can be difficult to choose which one is the best. But there’s no need to be overwhelmed. This list summarizes the most in-demand bottle sterilizers of the year.
1. Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Electric Steam Sterilizer
Tommee Tippee delivers five sterile bottles in just five minutes. It features a sleek, space-saving design that’s ideal for all kitchen sizes. It offers chemical-free sterilizing which kills 99.9% of household bacteria.
2. Beleef Baby Bottle Warmer & Sterilizer
Beleef 2-in-1 Sterilizer allows you to disinfect bottles and warm milk in minutes. It features an LCD screen that shows the real-time temperature to guide you in calculating the preparation time for feeding. This sterilizer/warmer is suitable for all kinds of bottles.
3. Dr. Brown’s Deluxe Bottle Sterilizer
This newly redesigned sterilizer from Dr. Brown cleans 6 bottles at a time. It has easy-touch electronic controls and an auto shut-off when the cleaning cycle is complete. It comes with a removable accessory tray that securely holds baby bottle parts, pacifiers and nipples, and measuring cup for adding water.
4. Baby Brezza Baby Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer Machine
Baby Brezza 4-in-1 Bottle Sterilizer also serves as a dryer and storage system – keeping your baby bottles clean and sanitized for up to 24 hours. Featuring an easy-to-use control panel, this sterilizer automatically switches to drying mode and then switches off.
5. Balla Bébé S1 Convenient Steam Sterilizer and Dryer
The intense steam feature of Balla Bébé kills 99.9% of germs while the automatic drying mode saves you more time to have your bottles ready. The spacious design of this sterilizer allows you to sterilize 6-8 bottles at the same time.
6. Uppel Steam Sterilizer and Dryer Sanitizer
The Uppel Universal Sterilizer is great not just for cleaning bottles but also teethers, toys, pacifiers, even his travel accessories. Its ergonomic design makes it easy to carry around and separate the parts for occasional cleaning.
7. Papablic Baby Bottle Sterilizer & Dryer
The 3-in-1 design lets you sterilize, dry and deodorize the bottles in one twist of a dial. What’s more, the Papablic Sterilizer can accommodate up to 11 bottles and accessories such as pacifiers, teethers, and plastic toys at once.
8. Wabi Baby Electric Steam Sterilizer & Dryer
The exclusive design of Wabi Baby Bottle Sterilizer guides the steam and hot air straight into the bottles for more efficient cleaning and drying. It features a chamber style rack for easy assembly of up to 8 bottles, as well as breast pump parts, pacifiers, kid’s dinnerware, and more.
9. Wabi Baby Dual Function UV Sterilizer & Dryer
Who says you can’t sanitize your gadgets in a baby bottle sterilizer? The gentle heat and effective UV rays inside the Wabi Dual Function Sterilizer and Dryer safely dries and sterilizes all sorts of things, from your baby’s bottles to your electronic devices, even your sunglasses.
How to Choose A Bottle Sterilizer
As you may have noticed from our list of the best bottle sterilizers, this very important cleaning equipment comes in different types. Here are a few important pointers to help you find the bottle sterilizer that fits your needs and lifestyle.
Bottle Sterilizer Types: Pros and Cons
There are several types of sterilizers but the most common ones are the steam sterilizers. Each of them has their pros and cons. Choosing the type you need greatly depends on your lifestyle and preferences.
Electric sterilizers involve a quick sterilizing process, ranging from 5-30 minutes. Some types have multiple uses – they can clean, sanitize and dry the bottles all at once. However, these types are generally more expensive than others. Most electric sterilizers are large and bulky and therefore could eat a lot of space on your counter.
Microwave sterilizers, on the other hand, are less expensive. They’re kind of portable in a sense that you can simply stash it away when not in use. This type also involves a much shorter sterilizing process, just about five minutes. The downside, however, is that they offer no drying option.
There’s a newer type, called UV/Portable Bottle Sterilizer which is practically useful when traveling. Instead of high-heat steam, it uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria. UV sterilizers are generally small, lightweight and compact, so you may need to dismantle everything and sterilize the bottles one at a time.
Capacity
Some sterilizers can hold more bottles (up to 9) while others are only limited to one or two. If you have more than one child, opt for the sterilizer that will let you clean and sanitize multiple bottles at the same time. Same is true even if you only have one infant who is dependent on formula milk as you may need about 6 bottles each day.
One more thing, check if the sterilizer can accommodate other important baby gears like teethers and pacifiers. If you pump to express milk, it would be great if your sterilizer can disinfect your breast pump too.
Ease of Use
One major consideration when choosing a sterilizer is how easy and convenient it is to use. Some brands have parts that need to be taken apart and put together after each use. If this doesn’t bother you, you’re one-of-a-kind! Otherwise, choose the product which makes sterilizing bottles and baby gears as simple as A, B, C.
Versatility & Durability
You want the sterilizer which you can use for a long time, and for cleaning other items like teethers, breast pumps, and pacifiers, not just the bottles. Remember, these things require sanitizing too! Also, as your baby grows a little older and starts eating, it would be much better if your sterilizer can also be used to disinfect spoons, cups, and bowls as well.
Safety
Lastly, make sure that the materials used to build the sterilizer have passed safety and quality standards. It shouldn’t contain BPA and other compounds that can expose your child to potential health risks.
As a mom, you already have a lot on your plate. Having a high-quality bottle sterilizer not only ensures that your baby’s most important stuff is cleaned and sanitized, it also saves you time and energy… which only means one thing – more time for baby!