Basic Food Safety

Safe Handling of Bottles

Clean

Wash bottles, bottle caps, and nipples in the dishwasher. If you wash them by hand, wash them in warm water with dish soap. Rinse well and then boil for five minutes.

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.

View the short video clip about refrigerating formula.

Warming

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

Shake well and test milk temperature by putting a few drops on the inside of your wrist to make sure it's not too hot before feeding.

Never Microwave Baby Bottles

Why? Microwaves heat to very high temperatures and heat unevenly. They could make a portion of the milk too hot. The baby's mouth and throat could be scalded.

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Breast Milk and Formula Storage

Food	When to throw away
Leftover Formula	Immediately. Bacteria from the baby's mouth contaminate the formula, where they can grow and multiply.
*Prepared bottles	After 24 hours
*Open containers of ready-to-feed or concentrated formula	After 48 hours
*Unused breast milk (May be frozen for two weeks)	After 48 hours
* These items should be kept in the refrigerator

View the short video clip about leftover formula in the bottle.

Final note:

Check "Use by" dates on formula. If the date has passed, stay safe. Throw it out.

	Remember Use bottles only once. Clean them thoroughly before using again. To avoid tooth decay and ear infections, don't put babies to bed with a bottle. Milk pooled in the baby's mouth can allow bacteria to grow on teeth. Milk can also get into the ear canal and cause ear infections.