Baby Gadget: Steam Sterilizer (for us moms who aren't in this century yet)

As moms in the new millenium we have so many products available to make our lives easier. Since the invention and common ownership of the dishwasher and microwave, companies have shaped their product lines around our needs even further. Dishwasher and microwave safe everything! So what's a mom to do when she doesn't have any of these technological advances in her house?

When we bought our house we knew there was no dishwasher. I was easily swayed by the 1920's charm of the place. The built-in shelves, crown molding, and designed glass windows swept me off my feet so I really could get over the fact that there was no dishwasher... until I had a baby. Bottles, nipples, breastpump parts, spoons, even the highchair tray are all dishwasher safe. Well that's really grand, but I don't have a dishwasher. Instead of reverting to the early 80's and boiling my baby's feeding supplies like my mom did, I registered for a bottle sterilizer. At under $50, this was sure to ease my fear of not getting everything clean enough.

To use the sterilizer simply fill the little metal "dish" on the bottom with tap water (we do actually have running water), place your bottles, nipples, rings, whatever onto the rack and press the button. That simple! The sterilizer works quietly and a beep lets you know when every thing's done. Be careful not to fill the water up too high. We learned this the hard way. We couldn't figure out why only the Playtex drop-in bottles were melting and coming out of the sterilizer in a deformed contorted version of what they were before we put them in there. They must have a lower melting point than the other bottles we used. Eventually they shrank down so much we had to toss them.

So for the Mad Moms out there that are still stuck in the dark ages before the glorious invention of the dishwasher, try out the Especially for Baby steam sterilizer at Babies R Us. This product is sure to ease your nervousness about all the microscopic germies on your bottles waiting to invade your baby.