How to wash a pacifier. How to sterilize pacifiers at home
After birth, a baby needs a mother. Not only for feeding, but also for comfort, emotional intimacy and relief. It is physically impossible for a mother to be constantly next to her baby and offer breasts for any reason. Many babies have a very pronounced sucking reflex. They put everything into their mouths: clothes, diapers and their own fingers. It is at such moments that you think about how to choose a pacifier for a child and how to properly sterilize it.
Should I give a pacifier to a child
Disputes about this do not end to this day. Some pediatricians say that it is necessary. Other doctors do not recommend. It is only known that all children are individual and the sucking reflex in each baby is expressed to varying degrees.
Another well-known fact: pacifiers were invented a long time ago. Children were given to suck on a piece of bread wrapped in a cloth, or a piece of leather. It was only around 1900 that modern items to satisfy the sucking reflex began to be produced.
Features of pacifiers from different materials
Currently, pacifiers are made from two materials: silicone and latex. It is not difficult to distinguish them. Silicone nipples are transparent, more rigid, but also more durable. Latex pacifiers - yellow color, they are soft, more like a female breast to the touch, but they wear out quickly and have a smell. Both of them are quite durable. In terms of cleanliness, silicone nipples are more hygienic as they pick up less dust, hair and dirt.
These two materials also behave differently in sterilization. Silicone pacifiers can withstand repeated boiling without visible change. But latex nipples do not have these qualities. They are, of course, heat-resistant, but prolonged boiling can ruin it. Therefore, latex pacifiers need to be changed more often. The service life according to the instructions of the silicone nipple is 6 weeks, the latex one is 4 weeks.
- Silicone pacifiers are heat-resistant, durable, rigid, hygienic and transparent in color.
- Latex nipples - do not withstand long-term temperature treatments, wear out quickly, are soft (more like babies), attract dust and have a smell.
How to choose the right pacifier for your baby?
Small children do not care what kind of latex or silicone dummy they have. But when it's time for teething, it's best to offer a latex nipple. It is softer and will in no way affect the bite and position of the teeth.
Few know, but nipples vary in shape and size. You can’t just go to a pharmacy or baby store and buy a “breast substitute”.
The shape of the pacifiers are: round, oval and orthodontic. If in the first two cases everything is more or less clear, then questions arise with the third. These are nipples, the silhouette of which resembles a mother's breast. More specifically, she has a thin neck and a beveled tip. Pediatricians recommend buying pacifiers with a flat end to form the correct bite.
In addition to differences in shape, there are "substitutes" of any size that fit different ages. For newborns, pacifiers are quite small. Finding the right size is easy by reading the instructions on the package.
Marketing does not stand still, and today there are nipples for sale at night and for the dark time of the day that glow.
To determine which model is right for your baby, you need to try several varieties of pacifiers.
How to sterilize a pacifier?
People have come up with six ways to sterilize baby supplies:
- The easiest way to disinfect a pacifier is to boil it. We collect water in an enamel pan, bring it to 100 degrees. Then gently put the item in boiling water and leave for 2 minutes. Too long stay in hot water not recommended, as pacifiers tend to deform from high temperatures.
- You can disinfect baby charm by resorting to water vapor. In this case, it is enough to hold the nipple over the spout of a boiling kettle for a minute. Just do not take it with your bare hands, otherwise the burn of your fingers is guaranteed. You can use cosmetic or medical tweezers.
- The next method is modern: you can sterilize children's dishes and accessories by putting them in a dishwasher. But you need to choose the right mode of operation. Sterilization is possible only at a high water temperature of 80 degrees.
- An excellent method that does not require much time and effort is disinfection using a microwave oven. But before using, make sure that the instructions allow this action. If so, feel free to put the pacifier and bottle in the electrical appliance for 90 seconds.
- Sterilization in a double boiler is also an excellent solution to the problem. The time is about three minutes.
- For those who do not trust microwave ovens and steamers, they created specialized equipment - sterilizers. The devices are equipped with halogen lamps and produce several types of them: electric and for microwaves.
It is important to remember: before sterilization, the pacifier must be thoroughly washed with a solution of soda or laundry soap. The shops also sell special dishes for children. detergents.
Read the instructions before use.
- The service life must be indicated on the packaging.
- A new nipple should be boiled in water for three minutes.
- Store the item in a place protected from sunlight so that the pacifier does not lose its original shape.
- Wash the pacifier at least once a day.
- To protect children's items from dirt and dust, use a special chain with a clip that is attached to clothing, and a cap.
- When the baby is six months old, bottles and pacifiers do not need to be sterilized. It will be enough to pour boiling water over children's dishes.
- A separate place should be reserved for clean nipples. For example, Plastic container. This way they will always be kept clean and ready for use.
- Don't lick your baby's nipples. Because the human oral cavity contains millions of different bacteria and will not the best option pass them on to the baby.
Today on the shelves of specialized stores and pharmacies you can find great amount pacifiers from different manufacturers. Experienced mothers recommend contacting Avent. This company's products are:
- The quality of materials, they are environmentally friendly and completely safe for the health of the child.
- The nipples do not have their own smell.
- Badly deformed.
- A wide range of pacifiers of different shapes and for all ages.
Avent makes its products from two materials: natural rubber (latex) and silicone.
Latex models are perfect for newborns. They are soft but have a rubbery taste.
Silicone analogues are more rigid, but there is no specific smell. These pacifiers are recommended for older babies and those prone to allergies.
Types of nipples from the company "Avent":
- Good old pacifiers with a round end.
- Anatomical breast substitutes. Their peculiarity lies in a specially flattened end and a thin base. These pacifiers can be selected according to the age of the baby and even weight.
- Orthodontic nipples "Avent" imitate the female breast in shape and stiffness. Naturally fed babies will love it.
Will you bother with sterilization?
YesNo
More than two hundred years ago, European mothers began to use nipples and pacifiers to soothe their babies. The debate about the benefits and harms of this device does not subside. What different experts of all stripes say to force parents to refuse this convenient means of feeding and lulling the baby. But nipples are still used.
Processing and storage
The only danger that can await children and parents using them is the possibility of catching an infection due to improper handling. Constant treatment of the nipples will help to easily avoid this problem. Before the advent of electrical appliances, parents simply boiled them. Now there are enough ways to sterilize nipples for newborn babies.
In order to always have a clean one at hand, you need to have 3-4 pieces in stock. To store sterile items, you can prepare an ordinary glass jar with a lid. How often you have to sterilize depends on how many nipples you have and how often your child uses them.
Kinds
What are nipples and pacifiers?
- latex. Very soft and comfortable fit. With constant sterilization, the latex breaks down and becomes unusable. Needs to be changed every 2 weeks.
- Silicone. Pretty strong nipples that are not subject to deformation when sucking. They do not have foreign odors. The use of these nipples is recommended before the appearance of the first teeth. The material is easily bitten by babies, and pieces can get into the throat. They will need to be changed about once a month.
Boiling water and steam
There are many ways to sterilize nipples. The oldest and most proven processing option, of course, is boiling water.
Pour 200-300 grams of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Put the papillae or pacifiers necessary for sterilization in boiling water and hold for 5 minutes. You don't have to disassemble the blanks. Plastic parts also need processing.
How to steam sterilize nipples and bottles? This method takes a minimum of time. It is enough to hold the nipple over a jet of steam from the kettle for 1-2 minutes - and you can give it to your child.
If you need to process several pacifiers or bottles at once, it is convenient to use a regular double boiler or a pan covered with a colander.
Pour water into the steamer. Put bottles upside down. Heat the water to a boil and keep the dishes on fire for 5 minutes.
Steamer and dishwasher
How to sterilize nipples in an electric steamer? This kitchen gadget is most convenient for sterilizing nipples and bottles. The timer that the device is equipped with allows you not to waste time monitoring the condition of the nipples.
An electric steamer brings water to a state of steam in about 5 minutes. The same amount is needed to process accessories to a state of sterility. With such a steamer at hand, it is enough to turn it on for 10 minutes and use clean bottles and nipples until they run out.
Can nipples be sterilized in the dishwasher? If the device is equipped with a mode with a temperature above 80 degrees, then you can also use a car to help mothers. Otherwise, the nipples will simply wash out, but sterilization will not occur.
Microwave
Do I need to sterilize the pacifier in the microwave? If the recommendations for use do not indicate the possibility of using a microwave oven, then it is better not to do this. Plastic bottles and latex nipples can wear out quickly.
Microwaves can only be used to sterilize glass drinking and feeding bottles.
The dishes should be put in the oven, pour water to a third of the volume. Then you need to set the maximum power. Sterilization time - 2 minutes. Drain the water and let the bottle cool to avoid cracking the glass.
Using a sterilizer
How to sterilize baby nipples? Recently appeared on sale special devices for processing children's dishes. The device is convenient and affordable. Some models provide for sterilization of only the nipple. But there are also multivariants in which you can process different children's dishes. Is it worth spending money on this device, it's hard to say. Most parents do not have a problem how to sterilize a pacifier without this fashionable gadget.
Antiseptics
For emergency cases, when a clean nipple is needed, and sterilization is not available under normal conditions, special antiseptics are used. This is a pharmaceutical preparation that must be diluted in cold water. This method causes a lot of controversy.
The antiseptic tablet is diluted according to the instructions. The pacifier should be placed in the solution for 30 minutes. The need for rinsing reduces sterility. And although the drugs are harmless, the child may refuse the pacifier treated in this way. Besides chemical composition antiseptic can cause allergic reactions in children.
When asked whether it is necessary to sterilize the pacifier, doctors unequivocally give an affirmative answer. Despite the fact that this is a troublesome business, sterilization will save the baby from many health problems.
In no case should you give your child a pacifier that has simply been rinsed with clean water. Even the use of bottled water can cause an upset in the gastrointestinal tract in the baby. The delicate body of a child is not able to fight all the microorganisms contained in raw water.
It is absolutely unacceptable to give a baby a dropped pacifier, just wiping it with a handkerchief, for example.
Some mothers manage to put a nipple in their baby's mouth by licking it. The bacteria that are contained in saliva will definitely get to the baby. The microflora of an adult can be dangerous for a newborn.
Processing dishes before sterilization
Every housewife knows, but for children's dishes you should not use ordinary detergents. The composition of such liquids can be dangerous for the baby. Some ingredients can cause allergic reactions that are extremely undesirable for a child.
Baby things, whether diapers or dishes, must be handled by special means. Although they are not suitable for every child.
Absolutely safe to use old proven products: laundry soap, soda and mustard powder. These products are hypoallergenic and help to achieve results.
However, we must remember that soda can destroy latex. Therefore, its use for washing the nipples is undesirable.
Rules to be followed when processing baby dishes and nipples:
- Thoroughly rinse all parts of the pacifier.
- If a white coating appears inside the latex can, then the nipple is unusable.
- Bitten and cracked accessories should not be given to the baby.
- Wash milk bottles to a shine. After washing, wipe with table salt and rinse with clean water.
- Be sure to sterilize all utensils and nipples.
- Do not use chemical detergents for washing dishes and nipples.
Conclusion
Doctors argue until what age and how to sterilize nipples for newborns. Some argue that it is enough to keep children's dishes clean for up to a year. It is up to each mother to decide how to care for a child and how to sterilize nipples. But it is worth considering that the environmental situation currently leaves much to be desired.
In the first months of life, it is important that the child grows up clean. An indispensable attribute of a baby is a pacifier. During the day, the little fidget drops it a large number of once. It is important to clean the pacifier after a fall, as pathogenic bacteria rush to the “target” with lightning speed. So whether it is necessary to process it over and over again, or a simple rinse is enough, and how to sterilize the pacifier before the first use, we will consider further.
At every step, the baby is lured by bacteria, with which weak immunity unable to cope on their own. Therefore, the efforts of a young mother should be aimed at organizing everyday life, for the comfortable development of her child. The answer to the question about the sterilization of a pacifier is unequivocal - it is worth sterilizing - both before the first use, and subsequently.
Cleaning dishes before sterilization
It is important that the dishes in which the first and subsequent sterilizations will take place be processed. Ordinary detergents used in everyday life are not suitable for children's dishes, as they have a chemical composition, and if not carefully processed, they lead to allergic reactions and even to dysbacteriosis.
Laundry soap and soda are safe for children's dishes. They are not capable of leading to allergic reactions, but they do an excellent job of disinfecting. To process the dishes for further safe use, the following recommendations must be observed:
- all parts of the bottle must be individually and thoroughly washed;
- the pacifier is unusable if a white coating has formed inside the silicone cavity;
- if the baby has bitten through a favorite attribute, it can no longer be used;
- both nipples and bottles should be sterilized;
- It is strictly forbidden to use "adult" chemical products for cleaning dishes.
If you follow these simple rules, sterilization of nipples and bottles will be successful.
How to sterilize baby pacifiers?
There are many ways to sterilize nipples. Consider the basic, proven over the years and experienced mothers, methods.
Boiling
Boiling is the most affordable and effective method of sterilization. In order to boil, you should take a pre-washed pan, pour water into it, bring to a boil. Immerse the pacifier in it and boil for several minutes or put in boiling water without boiling. Both of these methods will help eliminate bacteria.
You can also clean the pacifier of germs with steam. To do this, just hold the nipple over a pot of boiling water.
If there are several pacifiers, or if you need to sanitize the feeding bottle, you can use a steamer. To do this, take a container, fill it with water, wait until it boils completely, put the bottles upside down in the double boiler and keep it over the steam for 3-4 minutes.
In a steamer or dishwasher
automated Appliances- excellent helpers in the sterilization of pacifiers. An electric steamer has a number of advantages. It allows you to set the temperature mode, time mode, and also quickly copes with the task.
Can bottles and teats be sterilized in the dishwasher? The answer is yes if the dishwasher is equipped with a mode of more than 80 degrees. With a lower temperature regime, sterilization will not occur, and the material will wear out from time to time.
Microwave
A microwave, like a dishwasher, is not designed to sterilize nipples, but it is still possible to clean using it. To do this, you need to take clean dishes in which the process will take place, immerse the pacifiers in water and clean them at maximum power for 7-8 minutes.
With a sterilizer
Of the above household items, the most suitable for cleaning bottles and pacifiers is a sterilizer. It's easy to use, affordable, and excellent at killing bacteria with a UV lamp.
We process with antiseptics
Antiseptic - a drug that you can purchase at a pharmacy, is used to disinfect household items, has a chemical composition.
Application: we dissolve an antiseptic tablet in a five-liter container with water, immerse pacifiers or bottles in water for 15 minutes, then rinse boiled water. It would seem that the deed is done, the microbes are killed, and this is so. However, after using the antiseptic remains bad smell thanks to which the baby can refuse the pacifier.
What to consider when sterilizing nipples
There is no consensus on how often a pacifier should be sterilized. Some are of the opinion that boiling is necessary only when buying an attribute or when the baby is sick, other parents sterilize bottles and nipples several times every day.
It is important to observe the following rules:
- Keep utensils for disinfection clean, boil before use.
- Boiling for a few minutes is the key to a clean nipple. Bacteria do not live in high temperatures over a minute.
- Sterilize all parts of the nipple, not just the latex or silicone part.
- Rinsing with cold tap water is unacceptable and can lead to dysbacteriosis.
With the birth of a baby, many questions arise, doubts about how to properly care for him so as not to harm him. Pacifier sterilization is no exception. Each mother chooses this or that method herself. But it should be remembered that cleanliness is the key to the health and well-being of the child.
Soothers accompany babies from the first days of life, when immunity is not yet strong, and for many subsequent months, so their hygiene and safety for the baby is especially important. Unfortunately, the package with a beautiful accessory does not include instructions, and young parents often violate the rules of use, not knowing how to use the pacifier.
If you have not yet decided how to properly teach a child to a dummy, read about it in ours.
How to clean a pacifier before first use
When purchasing a pacifier in a pharmacy or store, do not immediately give it to the baby. The accessory must be prepared for sucking. After removing from the packaging, wash the pacifiers in warm soapy water, rinsing under running water.
The second stage is sterilization, designed to destroy bacteria and contaminants that are not washed off with water. There are several heat treatment methods:
Attention! Boil the pacifier after purchase and every time it falls on the floor.
The nuances of product care
In addition to washing and boiling the pacifier in various ways, when using it, it becomes necessary soften the pacifier or enlarge it. To do this, put the product in a container with water, bring to a boil and “cook” for 5-7 minutes. Leave to cool in boiling water, making sure that it does not melt.
The indicator that how often do you need to change the pacifier, depends on the material. Latex accessories last from 2 to 4 weeks, the "life" of silicone pacifiers is 1-1.5 months, the rubber pacifier needs to be replaced after two months of use;
How to choose the right pacifier (material, shape, dimensions) and which ones are better read from ours.
Attention! Special holders and containers will help to avoid the frequent drop of the pacifier on the floor and the need for further disinfection treatment..
How to use a pacifier correctly
Safety precautions are designed to protect the baby and parents from negative consequences improper handling of the pacifier:
- you should not give the baby a nipple if it is torn, stuck together or partially melted during boiling, since a damaged product is a favorable environment for the reproduction of microorganisms;
- it is recommended to buy a pacifier in pharmacies and specialty stores, checking the integrity of the packaging and the expiration date of the product;
- do not lick the pacifier and dip it in honey or syrup to avoid allergies. To teach the baby, it is more correct to lubricate the nipple with a mixture or breast milk.
Attention! Do not allow your baby to constantly suck on a pacifier. This impairs lactation (in the case of breastfeeding) and leads to defects in speech development child.
Useful video
Watch the video of Dr. Komarovsky with an interesting point of view: why you don’t need to regularly sterilize nipples:
Hygiene of the nipple is the key to a healthy oral cavity and the whole body of the crumbs. Simple Rules using a pacifier, the implementation of which will not take parents much time during the day, will help extend its life and protect the baby from germs and infections.
