How should I clean pacifiers and bottles when my baby is sick?

Here's the key: You need to wash thoroughly, not sterilize. Since your baby's immune system already knows this germ, she won't catch the exact same illness again right away, but keeping things clean helps with comfort and recovery.

How often?

• Pacifiers and bottle nipples: Wash with hot soapy water and scrub after every use. Once a day (preferably in the evening), drop them in boiling water for 5 minutes or use a sterilizer.
• Bottles and sippy cups: Take them apart and scrub each piece after every use; sterilize once a day by boiling or sterilizer.
• Hard plastic toys and wood: Wipe down once a day with a soapy cloth, rinse, and air dry.
• Soft stuffed toys: Wash in 60°C water if the label says it's washable; if not, skip it for 2 days or seal it in a plastic bag for 48 hours (the virus won't survive on fabric that long).

How?

• First, always use running water and dish soap with a brush — this physical washing is the most important step before you even think about disinfectant.
• Don't use bleach or alcohol sprays; since your baby puts these in her mouth, chemical residue is risky. Boiling water or a steam sterilizer is enough.

Once she's recovered, give everything one final sterilization, then go back to your normal routine.