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Health & Nutrition: Food Safety and Quality

What is the safe way to handle baby bottles?

Clean

• Wash bottles, bottle caps and nipples in the dishwasher or hand wash, rinse and boil for 5 minutes or more just before refilling

Refrigerate

• Keep filled bottles of formula or breast milk in the refrigerator until just before feeding.

• Refrigerate open containers of ready-to-feed or concentrated formula.

Warming

• Place bottles in hot (not boiling) water for 5 minutes.

• Shake well and test milk temperature to make sure it's not too hot before feeding.

Microwave

• Never microwave baby bottles. Microwaves heat unevenly resulting in "hot spots" that can scald the baby's mouth and throat.