Reusing Playtex Bottle Liners

I guess I'm a bit of a slacker but I used them twice. If you rinse them immediately after use they are fine to use again. My kids immune systems are much richer for it. Sometimes we make them live in such a sterile world that any germ that comes along makes them deathly ill. Also those bags are the safest to use because they do not have the toxins that plastic bottles have.

I reuse mine..I am just careful to wash them out good. Dont let milk set and stay clean but its fine to reuse them. :)

I see no problem with it - I reused only one other time after using them. What's the difference if you put the bottle of unused formula in the fridge? Not like you are leaving it to fester and the milk sitting in it.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bnutrition/0,,b11b,00....

**Gasp** I don't believe in sterilization either, but proper washing.

I think I just heard a few shrieks...

Good luck :)

There is no way that you can sterilize a plastic bag!! Go ahead, re-use it, and because of the bacteria it harbors your wee one will get sick...very sick...your call! I am frugal too, but that is over the top! and....very unsafe! Please, please, don't!

I always reused them.

Maybe a couple time but they could wear out!!

The plastic is so thin that temperatures needed for sterilization would melt or warp it, and then you would not have a usable liner, so forget high-temperature sterilization. It isn't an option.
I guess the deal is this: I wash and re-use the bottles I pump into, so why not the liners my baby drinks out of? Well, in my view, because the liners are more difficult to get clean, because they are wrinkly and the plastic is thin. Even very hot water can warp them, and then you've damaged the integrity of the liner and you risk chemical leakage. The other thing is that I pump into the bottles, put the cap on them, and that's it. They aren't opened until they are dumped into a bottle, and then they are washed and used again. But your baby drinks from that bottle, and bacteria from your baby's mouth gets back into the bottle, and may stay on the plastic through a washing.
If the bottle was emptied and immediately refilled you probably would be fine, I think, but if it sat at all I don't think it's worth the trouble, and not worth the risk either. Seriously, it's like $4.99 for 100 of them at Publix, which is a nickel each. I'm pumping twice a day when at work and getting about 12-16 oz, which is about typical, I think. So between 15 and 20 cents a day. Is the cost really worth it?

To me, it's not worth the few dollars that a box of the generic brand costs. Do you want to worry that you have actually gotten them sterilized. You really have no way of knowing and you have no way of knowing that you aren't creating more harm than good by raising the temp of the plastic when you are trying to sterilize them. They are made for a one time use. Do yourself and your baby a favor and use them as intended.

Washing and sterilizing breaks down the integrity of the plastic and releases toxins that will leach into the babies formula. Depending on the plastics used the effects could range from cancer later on in life to health problems right now similar to being poisoned. If you are interesed in reusing I suggest a different kind of bottle that is made for that.

As long as you dont let the milk sit in them after the baby finishes the bottle and you wash them and sterilize, I dont see any good reason you couldnt reuse them. There is a really good sterilizer that you just put water in and put in the microwave that would be perfect.. my friend uses it.. let me know if you are interested and I will find out the brand and where she bought it! =))

I'd be more worried about the phthalates in the plastic. Pthlalates are plastic softeners that contain an estrogen-like chemical. It can cause premature puberty, it can emasculate boys, it can cause man-boobs, and of course, it causes cancer. When you re-use plastic bags these chemicals can be released into the formula/milk. That is scary. More scary than bacteria.

Personally, I wouldn't reuse the plastic liners. To me, the whole point of using the liners was so that I had one less thing to wash.

If cost is your concern, the generic ones from Target work just as good as Playtex. If the environment is your concern, they are recyclable. Just check to see if your community recycles that number plastic (there is a number on the bottom of the liner).

I don't think it is save to use plastic for the baby's bottle...

Kelly,

You don't want to reuse them. There is no way to wash or sterilize them. So do yourself a favor and follow the instructions on the package.

S.