Keeping bottles clean on the road

[mom2jcc]

It hit me the other day as I was washing out my twins' bottles that I won't be able to do that in the car. I was wondering how other moms do this on long road trips. Do you wait until you make a stop somewhere and use the restroom sink or what? We use the playtex drop ins which will help, but what about the nipples?

 

[MSSANDRA]

I would be sure that you have enough nibbles to get you to you destination or at least the hotel for the night. There you can wash as you do at home. I just do not think I would want to wash bottle items in a public bathroom sink.

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

I would try switching them to sippy cups or straws and then do the disposable sippy cups. There is no way I would wash my dd´s bottles, etc in a public restroom.

The one time when we went with dd to a hotel and she was 3 months old, I brought my own sponge, soap, drainer and tray for under the drainer, and a colander so her stuff wouldn´t touch anything.

 

[tjmw2727]

Since you use the drop in liners I would consider purchasing more nipples so you don't have to wash on the road or during the day at WDW. Bring some sponges and dish soap for washing at the resorts.

If they are close to dropping the bottle and you don't want to spend more $$ on the nipples then I agree with the PP, disposable sippies are the way to go! They are inexpensive enough to purchase quite a few, you can wash and re-use them but if they get lost or yecky then you just throw them out. They are a lifesaver for when you are on the go. There are playtex and first years brands, they have spill proof and straw cups and are avail at target, wallmart and even the grocery store.

TJ

 

[CastleCreations]

I washed mine with bottled water on the side of the road, or where ever we happened to be. I also got hot water, meant for tea, put it in a cup and dropped in the nipples to sterilize them (slightly) at whatever restaurant we were at.

 

[NotUrsula]

I used to carry a small watertight plastic container of soapy water, and I'd put the nipples in it to soak after use, until I had the chance to use a brush on them in my hotel sink. I treated bottles sort of the same way; I carried a little travel-size bottle of dish liquid, and after use I'd put a little in the bottle with some hot tap water, shake it well, and rinse. It kept them from getting nasty before I had the chance to wash them properly.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I've tried making bottles and washing them while away from home and I just can't get the hang of it and I'm always concerned about the cleanliness (I never even wash bottles and nipples by hand at home - I always run them through the dishwasher).

So, the latest thing I've tried is buying the Enfamil 6 oz. nursettes and the disposable nipples. They have turned out to be so convenient and there's no washing! It's a bit pricey, but worth it to me for my peace of mind.

The nursettes can be found at Target or Walgreens and the nipples can be purchased on the Enfamil website. If your children are not on Enfamil or are already on whole milk, this may not be an option for you but I wanted to mention it to you anyway just in case.

 

[brergnat]

Ok, maybe I'm just not as germ paranoid as some other moms, but good old soap and water is all you need. Who cares if you're at a rest stop? Make up a bottle of dish soap + water mix from home. Use that in the restroom, rinse the nipple in the tap water (gasp!) and dry it with a paper towel. It's not that big of a deal. If (heaven forbid), I find myself needing to clean a dirty bottle nipple and there is no bathroom nearby, I pull out a Wet Ones wipe (always carry those) and wipe it down, then rinse with water. I figure that is better than leaving milk and mouth bacteria on a nipple closed up inside a diaper bag.

I use Playtex drop ins also, and we go to Disneyland a LOT. I just wash the nipples in any of the bathrooms or at the baby care center (they have soap and sinks at those).

 

[Stephres]

I did carry extra nipples so I could wait to wash until I was in the hotel room. Good luck!

 

[dougsmom98]

We always just washed them wherever there was hot water. If it was in the rest room on the side of the road that was where we did it. Don't forget to bring a bottle washing brush and some dish soap.

 

[write2caro]

When I did this we used drop-ins like you do and brought enough nipples to make it to our first stop at least. By the next trip he was old enough to use the disposable sippy cups and they were great.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

I vote for disposable bottles it is alot easier and maybe bring two nipples for each day. Bring a bottle brush and a small bottle of dish soap with you that way you only need it for the nipples you don't have to worry this way about them not being clean enough. I also use the bottle brush to clean my refillable mug. If you do a sippy cup I would go with the nuby brand no plug soft nipple type spout easy to clean.