by Michelle Stein posted in Products & Prizes

Even though my 3-month-old daughter is exclusively breastfed, bottles are still an important part of my family's life.
Mama's milk straight from the source works just fine if I'm with her. But if she's hanging out with just dad or her grandparents for extended periods of time without me, bottles become essential -- and so do the tasks of prepping, washing, and actually feeding them to her.
Now that we're three kids in, my husband and I have learned a few shortcuts to streamline these processes. Here are 7 bottle hacks guaranteed to make your life easier:
1. Prepare nighttime bottles before bedtime: Whether this is measuring out powdered formula ahead of time or simply thawing breast milk in the refrigerator before you go to bed, a little prep can go a long way. The fewer steps involved in getting that bottle in your baby's mouth, the better, especially in the dead of night when you've got a hangry baby and drowsy mama or daddy,
2. Use your dishwasher: At the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is wash bottles, lids, nipples, and caps by hand. It's so much faster to pop them in the dishwasher with the help of a caddy. I like this flexible dishwasher basket from Dr. Brown's because small parts get clean without going missing in action -- and without melting. (Double win!) Bonus: It works well for pacifiers, teethers, and sippy cup parts, too.

3. A bottle sterilizer is golden: Using a steam sterilizer is so much fas...