How are we to wash and sanitize equipment used to feed infants?
Infants under three months are more likely to contract illness from micro-organisms in bottles and nipples which are improperly cleaned, or are cleaned in contaminated water. Therefore, for infants less than three months old, glass or hard plastic bottles and bottle parts should first be thoroughly cleaned using hot, soapy water with bottle and nipple brushes, and then either sterilized in boiling water for five minutes (as stated in “Feeding Infants: A Guide for Use in the Child Nutrition Programs”) or, according to further additional information from USDA, washed in a properly functioning dishwasher (must reach at least 155° F—check with the manufacturer if it has no temperature gauge).
