In all of my checklists when preparing for a baby, a bottle cleanser wasn't even on it. You have the big ticket items and when it comes to nitty gritty, it's easy to miss when you don't anticipate certain things. When I was pregnant, I just assumed I would breastfeed, pop the baby on the boob and that's it.

We didn't anticipate bottle-feeding, and wasn't prepared. The questions I wished I asked my pregnant self: If I can breastfeed, will I mix direct latch and bottle-feeding? If I can't breastfeed, what do we need to prepare formula feeds? What items do we need?

Items you need for bottle-feeding

5 baby bottles 

1 baby bottle brush

1 baby bottle cleanser

1 steriliser (steam, UV or other kinds that suit your preference)

1 drying rack for bottles

1 container to store the sterilised clean baby bottles

1 breast pump (if expressing, you can choose to use manual or electric breast pump)

Can I just use my dishwashing soap to wash bottles?

The difference is the exclusion of nasties coming into contact with your baby's bottles and accessories. It's a safer alternative to dishwashing soap which contains harsh ingredients that's best avoided (associated with skin irritants, endocrine disruptors, eczema and allergic reactions).⁠

But the soap will be rinsed off anyway. So what's the problem?⁠

That's a valid point. But this doesn't mean it's the best choice for your baby. You can still take the “safe not sorry” route.⁠
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If a bottle is not washed properly, chemicals from the dishwashing soap could leach onto it and when heated with milk, these chemicals could contaminate the bottle.⁠
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We hope this post is super helpful! For more on what your baby will need, you can see our range here.