How to sterilize a Baby Bottle on a plane?

If you are travelling by air with a baby, you may be wondering how to sterilize a baby bottle on a plane.

Newborns feed quite frequently, hence if you are planning to fly, it is highly likely that you will need to sterilize your baby bottle at some stage during the flight.

We have different recommendations, depending on the length of your flight. Keep reading to learn how!

Can you take an empty baby bottle on a plane?

You can definitely take all you need to feed your baby on a plane, from empty water bottles or baby bottles to baby formula and even breastmilk.

Make sure you declare everything at the checkpoint.

How to sterilize a baby bottle on a plane?

First things first. To begin with, before you attempt to sterilize a bottle on the plane you will need to wash it or give it a good clean… so, be prepared!

It may be a good idea to travel with a really small amount of detergent from home and give your baby bottle a good rinse in the toilet of the plane before sterilizing it.

Remember that detergent is considered a gel or liquid, so make sure you take approx. 3 oz ( 100 ml maximum) in a small container. You will also need to declare it at the checkpoint after doing customs, together with your baby formula or breast milk.

Options on how to sterilize a baby bottle on a plane

We are going to present two ideas for you to consider, which consist of sterilizing your baby bottle using boiling water or a portable UV sterilizer.

Option 1: If you do not have a sterilizer, ask for help from the flight attendant

Consider that airline staff understand the challenges of travelling parents and generally are king to attend to their needs.

Once you have cleaned your baby’s bottle, using a little amount of detergent you would have carried with you in a container of 3 oz (100 mls) or less, ask the flight attendant for some boiling water.

Pour the boiling water in your baby bottle and then seal it. Make sure it is properly sealed and then shake it vigorously for some time.

Make sure you close the baby bottle properly to avoid boiling water being spilled over your baby, yourself or other passengers. You can then dispose the water in the toilet of the plane or ask the flight attendant to dispose it for you.

Sterilizing the baby bottle nipple

You can use your baby bottle with the boiling water to sterilize the nipple on both sides by turning it and sterilize the inside part first and the outside part after with the same boiling water.

Another option is to use a small container with a lid. Then place the bottle nipple inside the container and add some hot water to sterilize it.

If you don’t have a small container, just ask a flight attendant for a coffee cup, and remember to be careful.

This is by no means the ideal sterilization you would undertake at home, it would be best to use a portable sterilizer.

But at the very least you would be killing some of the germs in your baby bottle.

How long to sterilize baby bottles?

Ideally you would do sterilize both the bottle and nipple for about 5 minutes. However, any amount of time you do it for will be better than not sterilizing at all.

Option 2 to sterilize baby bottles on a plane is to use a portable UV sterilizer

A good value for money option is to travel with a portable baby bottle UV sterilizer. This can help you sanitize your small items, like the baby bottle nipple, your baby’s dummy and a nipple shield if you need.

Portable baby bottle sterilizers UV are quite affordable, so we have two options to present to you for consideration.

Best Portable UV Sanitizers

Grownsy Portable UV sterilizer

The reason why this is one of the best portable UV light sterilizers is that it is capable of sanitizing bottle nipples and pacifiers in just 59 seconds.

Its lithium battery can be used for 90 minutes when fully charged, so you can use it during your flight or even charge it on the plane if you need to.

This sterilizer has 2 different kind of uses. You can place the dummies or bottle nipples inside the box, or separate the lid, which is powered by the LED lamp and place it on top of other items like phones, keys, or even on top of your baby bottle! So, it is definitely an option to consider.

For convenience it also includes a strap to attach it to your travel bag.UV

Key Features

Sanitises items in under 1 min
lid detaches for 2 kind of uses
Strap included

Pros

✓ Long lasting battery life
✓ compact size
✓ versatile use

Cons

✕ Risk of exposing skin to UV light

Portable UV Light Sanitizer Box Grownsy 1

Portable UV Light Sanitizer Box Grownsy 2

Portable UV Light Sanitizer Box Grownsy 3

Portable UV Light Sanitizer Box Grownsy 4

Portable UV Light Sanitizer Box Grownsy 5

Portable UV Light Sanitizer Box Grownsy 6

Papablic Portable UV Light Sterilizer

Like the Grownsy portable UV sterilizer option, the Papablic sterilizer is also able to sanitize items in 59 seconds. The only difference is that the lid does not detach, so you can only sanitize small objects that fit in the container.

The design is small and ergonomic. You can even open the mini box using one hand, which can be helpful for busy parents. You can also forget about recharging the battery. One charge can last weeks when you sterilize for 59 seconds, of course it depends on the frequency you use it. Nonetheless, the manufacturers of this product are quite confident to give it a battery life of 2-3 weeks after each charge, which is promising!

Functionality wise, both models are very similar. This one is a very trusted option by Amazon parents, with a high product rating with 4.5 stars out of 5 and over 1,000 reviews.

Key Features

Sanitizes in 59 seconds
Fits 2 dummies at a time
Long lasting battery – up to 3 weeks

Pros

✓ Small and compact
✓ Value for money

Cons

✕ Lid does not detach from case

Recommendations for sterilizing baby bottles in short vs. long flights

For the purposes of this article we have defined a short flight to be any flight up to 4 hours from door to door. For some people this may be considered long, and that’s ok! This is just the way we have done the segmentation for this article. Just take what works for you.

Short flights (up to 4 hours)

If you are taking a short flight, one baby bottle should do and you may not need to clean and sterilize the bottle until you arrive at your destination.

Nonetheless, if you have a small baby that feeds very frequently, you may want to consider bringing some spare bottles.

Remember to consider all the time you spend at the airport, doing customs and the time on the air, as well as picking up your luggage and taking a taxi to your hotel/ home or accommodation.

During all that time your baby may need to feed, so it may be wise to bring one or more pre-sterilized bottles and some extra formula, just in case.

If you are not bringing too many bottles with you, we advise to sterilize in any occasion you have.

Long flights (4 hours or more)

During long flights, we would definitely recommend you take more than 1 bottle with you.

Although remember that you can always sterilize the same bottle after use over and over again. If you have a very small baby and need to sterilize very frequently, you may want to bring many pre-sterilized bottles (minimum 3) with you.

Try to sterilize the bottles when you can, ideally after a feed, then you will always have at least 1 of them ready to use when you need it and some time rest.

You can sterilize the bottle even before boarding the plane if you need to. Just as for some boiling water in one of those coffee shop at the airport and you will have a bottle ready to use.

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