How can I reuse or recycle … babies’ bottles?
We featured babies’ dummies last week and it made me realise we hadn’t covered much baby paraphernalia – but there is a sure to be a lot of it out there.
So how about babies’ bottles?
Can they be sterilised sufficiently to be passed on to others? And if not, what other things could they be used for?
(Photo by spekulator)
Could they be donated to animal shelters that often deal with baby animals that have lost parents and need to be hand reared?
Also works great to hold any liquid you would need small amounts of, when I was little we put grape juice in them to fill the communion cups because they were such small glasses.
Keep oil in them to lube squeaky doors etc.
They would make some cute decorations, fill with something pretty.
Use to transport fish.
I have a friend who has a bunch, and she fills them with change, then when they’re full she puts them in her kid’s college fund.
Seal it closed put colored rice (you add rubbing alcohol and food coloring, mix with dry rice or pasta, let dry) give them to kids to play with.
Fill with food coloring and water, let kids “paint”
The painting one sounds great fun, especially for bottles/ teats that are past it.
There are no shortage of charities that need baby bottles and other baby items for underprivileged babies and for third-world countries. Your local hospital or charity, or international organizations like this one: http://www.feedthechildren.org.uk/pages/resources_giftsinkind.shtml
There’s no shortage of people who need baby equipment like this if it’s in good shape. If not, then give them to your little girls for their dolls.
We keep a couple of old baby bottles to use as measuring cups for liquids. If you need to add a quarter cup of milk or water to a recipe, it’s the same as two ounces on a baby bottle.
If they can be sufficiently sterilised for your baby, they can be sufficiently sterilised for someone else’s – these things are manufactured to be sterilised between uses. Hand them onto a family member or friend who needs them, pass them on to a charity or a local hospital with a baby unit, take them to a car boot sale/jumble sale, or ebay them.
Running late to that baby shower and haven’t got a gift…well put in some money and crumpled tissue paper tie a ribbon around the top and you have a cute and useful gift.
Tie them into the top of a big ribbon to put on your friends new babys mailbox to show off that they have a new girl or boy. Make a wreath and add baby bottles as decorations for the hospital door or home.
Make a wind chime out of them for new moms.
Use by your grill put out those grill fires. Fill with vinegar and water the vinegar will help cut the grease which started the fire anyway.
I’ve used my Avent bottles as snack pots/storage for home-cooked baby food. You can buy flat discs which go inside the screwtop (in place of the teat). I found mine in Mothercare, but guess they are sold in other places too.
I fill them with trail mix, put them in the side pocket of my diaper bag, and have a great snack for on the go!