ishwasher Safe: Cleaning Baby Gear Without Losing Your Mind

 

Before I had a baby, I used to hand-wash my dishes. It was therapeutic. Now? If it can't go in the dishwasher, I don't buy it.

But baby gear comes with a million tiny parts—straws, valves, bottle nipples, and pacifiers. If you throw them in the dishwasher loose, they either melt on the heating element or vanish forever.

The Tool You Need: The Dishwasher Basket

You cannot survive without a Universal Dishwasher Basket (like the one from OXO Tot). It’s a plastic cage that sits on your top rack. You throw all the tiny valves and nipples inside and snap it shut.

  • No more melting: It keeps small plastic parts away from the heating coils.

  • No more losing parts: Everything stays in one place.

What Can Actually Go in the Dishwasher?

  • Plastic Bottles: Yes (Top rack only).

  • Silicone Bibs: Yes (Top rack).

  • High Chair Trays: MOST of them! Check your manual. If your tray fits, do it. It sanitizes it better than a sponge ever could.

  • Bath Toys: Yes! Throw them in the basket once a month to kill mold.

Stop scrubbing. Your time is worth more than that. Load it, press "Start," and go take a nap.

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