What's your bottle/cleaning routine?

[@llli*Hellchick]

Okay, ladies, one of the things I LOVE about BFing is the lack of bottle care...but now I'm back at work so it's pumping and dealing with bottles!

I feel like I'm probably not setting my nightly routine up efficiently and I'm looking for tips. So when I'm at work I pump into six bottles since I pump three times. These bottles are marked with DS' name per the daycare policy. That night when we pick him up they send the empties home from that day with me (those are also marked with his name). So that night I wash all those bottles, along with my pump parts, lay them out to dry for the night, and the next morning I pack the washed empties for pumping into, and I put nipples and caps on the new bottles for that day (that I pumped the day before -- they require full bottles with nipples and won't let me leave what I pumped that day).

I feel like I'm spending a lot of time each night washing bottles and pump parts. What is your routine like and how can I make more time to spend with DS and less time dealing will bottles?

[@llli*scienceteachermommy]

One word: Dishwasher.

[@llli*Hellchick]

But here's the thing: we don't generate enough dishes to fill our dishwasher every single night, and I don't want to run it half empty.

[@llli*darwinthesun]

We have more than two sets of bottles here, so that there is one set already clean, another being used to pump, and another that can sit in the sink if we dont get to the dishes. I also usually only pump into two 5 oz bottles throughout the day (shorter days), so we dont go through as many.

[@llli*scienceteachermommy]

Obviously you just need to dirty more dishes.

Before I started be diligent about getting them in the dishwasher, I noticed it always seemed to take less time if I did it as soon as I could once I got home. That way I could just relax in the evening after dinner.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

I don't use the dishwasher as that film doesn't come off.

I'd get bigger bottles and pump twice or three times into them myself to reduce how many bottles I wash.

But yes, it takes time. One of my biggest peeves about EPing.

Or make DH wash them

[@llli*morgan11]

I pump 3 times at work but can get away with only using 4 bottles. I pore all my milk into one bottle and then reuse the empty bottle and a new one at the second session. Repeat for 3rd session. Depends on your output on whether this would work for you. My husband usually does the dishes (bottles, pump parts) for me while I put the baby to sleep.

[@llli*mek]

I usually make DH do the washing, since I do all of the food production. :-P

And now that DS is eating solids, there is even more to wash before daycare! It sucks.

We found that having enough bottles to get through at least 3 days before needing to wash them helps. It's too much to have to wash everything every night. We still wash the pump parts daily, but the bottles get washed about every 3rd day.

[@llli*toddlerandtwins]

Why wash your pump parts every night? I store my parts in a ziploc bag during the day at work, then use a sterilizing bag at the end of each day, air dry, and reuse. I only bring home to wash once a week.

I would suggest getting more bottles/nipples, perhaps then you can run the dishwasher every other day. We run our dishwasher at least daily!

[@llli*pizanite]

I also recommend two sets of bottles so one set can be filled and ready to go in the morning while the other is drying.

But otherwise, it just takes time. I agree with Susan and always handwash mine. Right when I get home or while making dinner if possible.

It's such a nice break on the weekends to not have to do it!