Babies are susceptible to infections since their immune system is not well developed. Hence, their utensils must be cleaned, sterilized and dried thoroughly. Comotomo bottles particularly can harbour germs when milk dries and gets stuck inside the bottle and the nipple. To prevent your baby from getting infections, it is important to ensure that the bottles are well cleaned and sterilized. Sterilization can be done through boiling or in a bottle sterilizer. In this article, we will look at how to sterilize Comotomo bottles using a sterilizer and also review the best sterilizer for Comotomo bottles readily available in the market today.

A quick comparison chart for the best sterilizer for Comotomo bottles

Brand	Image	Sterilization Time	Important features
Tommee Tippee electric steam sterilizer		5 minutes	• Electric Steam sterilizer • Easy to use • Compact • BPA free
Philips Avent 3 in 1 sterilizer		6 minutes	• Electric steam sterilizer • Automatic shut off • Fits a variety of bottles, pumps and accessories
Munchkin Steam Guard sterilizer		2 minutes	• Microwave steam sterilizer • Light in weight • Heat resistant handles
Philips Avent microwave sterilizer		4 minutes	• Microwave steam sterilizer • Holds a variety of bottles, pumps and accessories • Light in weight • BPA free plastic
Medela quick clean micr-steam bags		3 minutes	• Microwave steam sterilizer • Bags are reusable • Easy to clean • BPA free • Fits a wide variety of bottles, pumps and accessories

How to clean Comotomo bottles

Prior to sterilizing baby bottles, you must ensure they are clean and no dry milk or dirt is stuck in them.

Comotomo bottles should be cleaned as soon as your baby finishes a feed. This is based on the fact that if milk is left to dry in the bottle, it becomes very hard to clean especially in the corners.

These are the steps to follow when cleaning a comotomo bottle.

1. Prepare hot water and add a recommended dishwashing liquid for baby bottles. Dishwashers for baby bottles are free of toxins and are gentle on the bottles.

2. Disassemble the bottle so as to clean each part separately.

3. Dip all the parts into the hot soapy water.

4. Start by cleaning the bottle using a bottle brush or sponge.

Since Comotomo bottles have a wide neck, you do not have to use a bottle brush. The wide neck allows you to use your hand and a sponge to clean the sides and the bottom of the bottle.

Thoroughly clean the area between the ring and the bottle.

Avoid using a rough scouring pad as it might scratch the bottle and create cracks where dirt can get stuck or become a hiding place for bacteria.

5. Clean the ring and the nipple

Pay extra attention to the ring as this is where milk is likely to get stuck and promote the growth of bacteria.

Use a nipple brush to thoroughly clean the nipple.

7. Alternatively, comotomo bottles are dishwasher safe; hence you can clean them in a dishwasher. Just avoid placing them too close to the heating element as advised by the manufacturers.

You can use a dishwasher basket for the nipples and rings.

7. Rinse the bottles under cleaning running hot water and ensure that no soap residue is left.

8. Place the bottles on a drying rack to drain and dry.

Once the bottles are clean and dry, you can choose to sterilize them.  Sterilization does not have to be done after every use but it is important to sterilize baby bottles regularly.

In the following section, we review some of the Comotomo bottle sterilizers.

Top 5 Best bottle sterilizers for Comotomo bottles Review

Tommee Tippee Electric Sterilizer

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature sterilizer is ranked among the top ten most used steam sterilisers in the market. This is due to it being modeled to be hassle-free, easy to use and keep.

In addition, its accessories are pristine and germ-free because it has a chemical-free mechanism that eliminates up to 99.9% of germs on bottles. This makes it ideal for an infant’s fragile immune system.

This bottle sterilizer can sterilize up to 5 wide neck bottles especially Tommee Tippee bottles all other major feeding bottles like comotomo. It achieves maximum sterilization in just 5 minutes and keeps the bottles sterile for about 24 hours as long as the lid is closed.

Pros

• It is big enough to fit nearly all types of baby bottles including pump accessories, nipples, caps, teethers, and pacifiers
• Very easy to set up
• Easy to clean
• Cover has a handle
• The new model comes with a pacifier and nipple tongs [/yes_list]

Cons 

• Does not have a dryer

Philips Avent 3-in-1 electric sterilizer

This is one of the best electric steam sterilizers in the market. Its adjustable feature increases its capacity allowing it to hold as many as 6 bottles together with accessories like pacifiers, nipples, toys, and breast pump parts.

You can sterilize all these at once since the sterilizer is wide enough to accommodate them all.

Since it operates at a higher temperature than a dishwasher, Philips Avent 3-in-1 kills most of the household bacteria in baby’s bottles and accessories.

This sterilizer has a six-minute cycle. Thus, it takes only 6 minutes to achieve complete sterilization after which the sterilizer shut off automatically.

Pros

• Has an automatic shut off
• Items remain sterile for 24 hours as long as the lid remains closed
• Comes with a 2-year warranty
• Very easy to use
• Does not take up too much space on the kitchen counter
• Fits most brands of bottles including the wide-necked ones like Comotomo and Tommee Tippee bottles.

Cons

• Does not dry the items after sterilizing

Munchkin steam Guard microwave sterilizer

There are two types of Munchkin steam Guard sterilizers; the steam sterilizer and the microwave sterilizer.

The microwave sterilizer fits well in all standard microwaves and sterilizes bottles in not more than two minutes.

It fits different brands of baby bottles including Dr Brown, Philips Avent, Playtex and Comotomo among others. You can also use it to sterilize sippy cups, pacifiers, nipples, teethers and breast pump accessories such as breast shields.

A major challenge that parents face when using microwave sterilizers is how to safely remove them from the microwave without getting burnt. Fortunately, munchkin microwave sterilizer has a latch that opens away from you; hence, preventing steam burns.

Pros

• Fits up to four bottles along with their accessories
• Very light in weight
• Heat resistant handles
• Affordable
• Very safe to use; no risk of getting burnt by steam

Cons

• May leak water if not tightly sealed during sterilization

Philips Avent microwave sterilizer

This is also another very affordable microwave sterilizer. It eliminates nearly 99.9% of germs in baby bottles and other accessories in just less than 2 minutes.

It is large enough to accommodate four bottles and a number of accessories like teethers and nipples. Breast pumps and their accessories can also be sterilized using the Philips Avent sterilizer.

It is very easy to use and fits well in all standard microwaves.

I recommend this as the best sterilizer for comotomo bottles since they fit perfectly.

 Pros 

• Very affordable compared to other sterilizers
• It is fast and efficient
• Very compact design and light in weight
• BPA Free plastic

Cons 

• It needs to be opened carefully after sterilization as the steam can easily burn you. It is advisable to wait until it cools down before opening it.
• Takes too much space in the microwave and storage as well due to the large contraption

Medela quick clean micro-steam bags

These are among the best microwave sterilizer bags that help to eliminate 99.9% of germs in baby bottles. Each box of Medela contains five steam bags, which can be reused a number of times.

You can also use them to sterilize breast pump accessories, small toys, pacifiers, nipples, cups and teethers.

Since they take up very little space, they are the best for sterilizing bottles travelling.

Pros

• Very affordable
• Best for travel
• Very easy to use
• Each bag can be reused for as many as 20 times

Cons

• Need to be careful when removing them from the microwave; they can get really hot
• May melt some items such as the tubing of breast pumps

Factors to consider when buying comotomo bottle sterilizer

• What type of sterilizer do you want? Microwave, Electric or UV sterilizer?

Bottle sterilizers come in three major types; microwave, electric and UV sterilizers.

For microwave sterilizers, you simply place the bottles in the sterilizer, add water up to the recommended mark and then place them in the microwave for sterilization. The steam produced sterilizes the bottles by killing the germs and bacteria. Microwave sterilizers are cheaper and light in weight compared to electric sterilizers.

Electric sterilizers are easier and faster to use because one simply needs to add water to the base, load the bottles on the rack and turn on the power. They use the hot steam generated to kill germs and bacteria in the bottles. Most electric sterilizers are large enough to accommodate several baby bottles of different sizes and shapes. Although their price is on the higher side, they are a great time saver and work efficiently.

The UV sterilizers use the latest technology of Ultra Violet rays to sterilize bottles. They are considered the best sterilizers for baby bottles because they eliminate even the toughest bacteria like E.Coli, staph and MRSA, which may not be killed using the microwave or electric sterilizers. They are also very portable due to their lightweight and are easy to use, clean and store.

• Do you want a sterilizer with a dryer?

One of the cons that most parents complain about is the fact that most sterilizers leave the bottles dripping wet. They have to be placed on a drying rack after sterilization, which increases the chance of recontamination.

Fortunately, some sterilizers have a drying feature for the bottles after sterilization. For instance, the Baby Brezza is a 4 in 1 sterilizer and dryer that fits the comotomo bottles perfectly. You can choose to use the sterilizer only, the dryer only, sterilizer and dryer combined or simply as a storage system. It is an electric sterilizer, which is very easy to use.

How to sterilize and dry bottles using the baby Brezza sterilizer 

• Portability and storage?

If you travel a lot of your baby, you need a sterilizer that is light in weight for portability. The UV sterilizer is the best in this case. Microwave sterilizers are also light but not easy to carry around when traveling.

When it comes to storage, a sterilizer that takes up too much kitchen counter space may inconvenience parents who have small kitchen spaces. Hence, if your space is small, get one that is not too big and can be stored away after use.

• How easy is it to use?

Most sterilizers are pretty easy to use. You simply put water in the reservoir, place the bottles and place in the microwave or electricity for microwave and electric sterilizers respectively. However, some sterilizers may have too many parts, which could make it hard to assemble or place the bottles before sterilization. Hence, choose one that you will have no trouble using.

• How many bottles can fit in it at once?

The more bottles a sterilizer can hold at once, the better it is. It saves time and consumes less power since you do not have to sterilize a few bottles at a time.  So get one that can accommodate several bottles and accessories at once to save time. Comotomo bottles as reviewed in this article, have a wide neck. Thus, not many of them can fit into one sterilizer at a time.

• The price?

Your pockets also determine how much you are willing to part with when purchasing a sterilizer. Electric sterilizers are a bit expensive but efficient while microwave sterilizers are affordable but may not be as efficient. However, they all do a good job of killing nearly 99% of germs and bacteria in baby bottles.

• How long does the sterilization take?

One of the main reasons why parents buy bottle sterilizers is to save time while sterilizing the bottles. Therefore, you need a sterilizer that does a perfect job in the shortest time possible. There are some which achieve maximum sterilization within 2 minutes while others may take as long as 10 minutes.

FQA about how to sterilize comotomo bottles

Q 1. Do I have to sterilize baby bottles?

Traditionally, most parents just cleaned their baby bottles in hot soapy water, rinsed them thoroughly and kept them to dry. Some babies were lucky not to catch any infections while others were not so lucky.

The truth is sterilizing bottles, whether by boiling in water, using chemical agents or sterilizers, helps to eliminate bacteria that cannot be easily killed by simply washing in soapy water.

Q 2. Can comotomo bottles be sterilized?

Absolutely yes. There are several benefits of sterilizing comotomo bottles. These are;

• Eliminating a wide variety of microorganisms including the stubborn ones like bacterial spores
• Reducing the risk of your baby getting infections, which may cause diarrhoea, vomiting and possibly dehydration.

Q 2. Can you boil comotomo bottles

As aforementioned, comotomo bottles are made of heat resistant medical grade silicone. So they can be boiled even in high temperatures without losing their shape.

Conclusion 

Just like other bottles, comotomo bottles also need to be sterilized. The good thing is that silicone is a heat-resistant material so it can withstand very high temperatures whether in a microwave or sterilizer. However, due to their wide neck, comotomo bottles do not fit in all bottle sterilizers. Thus, you need to make sure you choose the best sterilizer for comotomo bottles from the list we have discussed in this article.