As a nursing mom, I underestimated the amount of bottle washing that would be necessary. I pump at least once a day at work and she takes at least one bottle while I’m gone during the day.
My pump parts are sealed in a Ziploc bag and refrigerated between uses so that I don’t have to wash them after every use. Then, I take the parts home and wash them every other day (also- I have two sets in case I need them before the dirty ones get washed).
So, every other day I have a set of pump parts and at least 3 bottles and bottle nipples that need washed. I have always believed it is best to keep the baby's 'dishes' separate from our food dishes, and separate from any stagnant water sitting in the sink of leftover food pieces, so I wash baby’s items in a large mixing bowl.
I keep this bowl in the cabinet with the bottle brush, microwave steam bag and baby dish soap inside. When it’s time to wash, I pull the bowl down and place all the bottle parts and pump pieces in the bowl with hot water and soap. Then I wash the items in the bowl and thoroughly rinse with hot water. The items that need micro steamed are placed in the bag while the others are placed straight on the drying rack or clean paper towel.
When everything is clean and drying, I pack the items back into the bowl and return it to the cabinet- out of sight …and repeat at least every 48 hours…
Here's a peak into my 'baby dishes' cabinet (pre-baby it was the liquor cabinet... my how times have changed!). When I took these pictures, the cabinet was only about half full, as the other items were on the dish dryer. But you can see we try to keep everything within reach. I love the little plastic trays made to separate silverware- I use them to hold baby spoons, bottle lids, nipples and any little parts.
I also love Medela and I use their pump, bottles, labeling lids, and microwave sterilizer bags. The sterilizer bags are good for multiple uses, and have a place on the back to mark each time you use it, so you can keep track and know when it needs replaced. Therefore, I also keep a Sharpie marker in the cabinet so I can mark the bag each time it's used.
Inside of the cabinet door I added two removable hooks. The top hook holds bibs and the lower hook is for "instructions" (I've got so many different baby dishes, it's hard to remember which ones can go in the dishwasher, which ones can be steamed, etc., so I've just kept the instructions and hung them in the cabinet for easy reference).
I have a larger basket on the middle shelf for baby foods and puffs (even though I make most of her baby food, I do keep some store bought pouches for traveling). Next to the food are spoons and containers of oatmeal.
The top shelf is harder to reach, so it's mostly items we use less frequently, extras, and milk storage bags.
So- these are a few of my favorite bottle washing items. These can all be found on Amazon - check out our favorite items list on the Amazon panel on the right side of this page.
Hope this helps other new mom's as they organize their baby dishes!!!
*Some have asked why I don't use the dishwasher for baby’s
dishes- I have washed her items in the dishwasher and used the sanitize cycle,
but we only run our dishwasher about once a week and I need the items cleaned
more frequently. Also, I’ve found that the nipples don’t seem AS clean in the
dishwasher basket. So it’s just a matter of personal preference.
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