How to sterilise baby dummies

Baby dummies often end up on the floor more than in your baby’s mouth, so knowing how to sterilise them is essential, especially when you need one asap.

In this post, we’ll cover why you need to sterilise dummies, how to sterilise baby dummies, how often to do it and where to store them once sterilised

Why do you need to sterilise baby dummies?

Babies are more vulnerable to germs than older children or adults. Sterilising dummies helps protect babies from infections like diarrhoea and vomiting caused by harmful bacteria. NHS advice is to continue sterilising feeding equipment, including dummies until your baby is at least 12 months old.

How to sterilise baby dummies

There’s no one right way to sterilise dummies. It really depends on what you’ve got at home and what fits into your day. Here are a few tried and tested methods:

1. Boiling water

This old school method doesn’t need any fancy kit, just a pan and some water.

• Bring a pan of water to the boil and put the dummies in for at least 10 minutes.
• Make sure they are fully submerged in the water for the whole time so they sterilise properly.
• Boiling can cause wear and tear faster than other sterilisation methods, so check them regularly and replace them if they look damaged.

2. UV sterilisation

If you’re looking for a more travel friendly option, you can get a UV Dummy Steriliser. Our UV Dummy Steriliser sterilises baby dummies in just one minute with no water, microwave or chemicals.

• Put the dummy in the unit and press sterilise to start the one minute UV cycle.
• Once the minute is up, the dummy is good to go.

Or, you may have a UV steriliser at home like our 3 Minute UV Steriliser, which can fit baby dummies and other baby accessories such as baby bottles and teethers.

• Put the baby dummy into the UV steriliser.
• Press the Nuby button and press it again to start the three minute UV cycle.
• Do not open the lid during the cycle.
• Once the three minutes are up, the baby dummy is good to be used.

3. Steam sterilise in a microwave or electric steriliser

If you already have an electric steam steriliser at home for bottles, great news, you can use it for dummies too.

Some dummies come with their own sterilising box for the microwave. If yours does, check the packaging for the right way to use it.

4. Cold water sterilising 

This one’s handy if you already have cold water sterilising tablets or solution for bottles.

• Fill your sterilising container with cold water and add the solution as directed.
• Submerge the dummy fully for at least 30 minutes.
• Remember to change the solution every 24 hours to keep things sterile.

How often should you sterilise baby dummies

New dummy? Sterilise it before the first use. Then, sterilise dummies before every use until your baby’s at least 12 months old. If it’s been dropped on the floor (and let’s face it, it will be), it needs sterilising again before you give it back. According to the NCT, most manufacturers recommend re-sterilising after 24 hours if not used.

Where to store dummies 

Once you’ve sterilised your dummies, keep them in a clean, dry container with a lid. If your dummy came with a storage case, that’ll do the job nicely too. You can also leave them in the steriliser until you need them, just make sure the steriliser stays closed so everything inside stays germ free.

If you’re looking for a steriliser specifically for dummies, try our UV Dummy Steriliser, or if you want one to fit all your baby equipment in, try our 3 Minute UV Steriliser.