How to Sterilise a MAM bottle

Of course, as a parent, our number one priority is to maximise the safety of our child. Sterilising your baby’s bottles before and after use is one way for us to protect our infants from ensuring they are safe when they are being fed. 

Yet the issue is, that not all baby bottles are made in the same way. This means that there are various methods of sterilising your baby bottles.  

In today’s guide, we are going to uncover how you can sterilise your MAM bottle safely. We will discover a little bit later more about what precisely a MAM bottle is, and what makes it so unique, but in brief, it is a baby bottle with a unique silicone nipple shape. The advantage of this is that it mimics a more realistic breastfeeding experience, which allows them to feel more comfortable when being breastfed, and means mothers don’t always have to use the traditional method of feeding their little one.

Why is sterilising important?

We have mentioned before that sterilising is an essential way for you to keep your baby safe. Although you might still be wondering at this stage about how exactly that helps to keep them safe. For example, I may be right in saying that you had watched your mother or grandmother sterilise their baby bottles for you in the past. But of course, in the 21st century, our drinking water (and general health & hygiene standards) are at a much higher level. This leaves many parents still wondering whether or not it is still necessary.

It is undoubtedly true that safely sterilising your baby’s bottles isn’t quite as critical as it was years ago. But the argument has come back into the spotlight after some cities have had contaminated water supplies in certain parts.

This means that sterilising your baby’s bottles and feeding types of equipment are still extremely important when it comes to protecting your baby. By cleaning your baby’s feeding equipment, you can protect them from various kinds of parasites, bacteria and viruses. These can make babies very ill and frequently make their way into the milk that they drink. When you sterilise your baby’s bottles, you protect them from vomiting, diarrhoea and other illnesses.  

Now I’m sure you’re thinking at this stage that your little one puts everything into their mouth anyway, so why would you still need to take the time out and sterilise your baby bottles? Well, you are right, but there is one crucial difference. The issue is that milk is a breeding ground for some of the worst pathogens. This means that any bottle which isn’t thoroughly sterilised has the potential to make your baby very sick.  

You may also want to bear in mind that cleaning and sterilising are two different processes. Cleaning is a process which removes most of the foreign objects such as milk and dirt. Sterilising, on the other hand, is much more comprehensive. This is a process which destroys pathogenic substances and micro-organisms. It is only sterilisation which can offer full protection to your little one from transmissible agents which can cause harm.

What is a MAM bottle?

What makes MAM bottles so unique is some of the advanced and useful features that it has. Most notable of all, it is self-sterilising. The anti-colic bottle allows babies to feed themselves using the same technique that they would use from the mother’s breast.

 The anti-colic is built into the base of the bottle. If you have done any research on baby bottles before, you may know that most bottles will vent air out through the top of the container. Uniquely, however, this bottle will vent the air out through the bottom. The advantage of this is that air can go into the box as the baby is being fed, meaning no air is entering into the milk when the baby is being fed. Put simply, this reduces the risk of your harmful micro-organisms entering your baby’s milk.

How to sterilise a MAM bottle

Like mentioned before, the MAM bottle is self-sterilising. This means that different approaches can be used to sterilise the bottle, compared to regular baby bottles. The process to clean a MAM bottle begins by breaking the bottle down into four pieces. Initially, you must wash your bottle with hot soapy water before you start sterilising. Ideally, this should be done both immediately after you feed your baby, and before you plan to clean the bottle.

The next step is to take the ‘lid’ of the bottle and measure out 20mm of water using the measurements outline on this part. Next, pour this amount directly into the base of the bottle, and take the top lid and place on top of the station. All that’s left is to stand your bottle over the pieces, add your cover and place in the microwave.

Ideally, you should microwave your bottle for about 3 minutes, which is enough to sterilise the bottle entirely. Next, allow the container to cool for a couple of minutes before you use it.

Another way in which you can sterilise your MAM bottle is to do so within a natural steriliser. But just bear in mind that when doing so, you have to keep the individual pieces of the bottle separate, rather than sterilising the baby when it is built up.

Takeaway

In conclusion, then, sterilising a MAM bottle isn’t quite as hard as it seems. The design of this bottle is unique, which allows for a painless and straightforward method of ensuring that your baby’s bottles are entirely safe.

If you don’t quite fancy going through this process of sterilising your bottle, you can always opt to take it apart and do so by steam instead. Either way, these MAM bottles are a great way to ensure that your little one is fully protected when they enjoy their milk, offering the invaluable peace of mind to you as a parent.