Cleaning Methods and Microbial Safety of Child Feeding Equipment: A Systematic Review

Microbial contamination of child feeding equipment (CFE) includes feeding bottles, teats, and breast pumps. This contamination is a recognized pathway for enteric pathogen exposure during early childhood, particularly during the complementary feeding period (6-24 months). Inadequate or inconsistent cleaning of CFE has been associated with increased diarrheal risk. Many cleaning approaches are practiced globally. However, comparative evidence on their effectiveness remains fragmented. This systematic review (CRD420251058230) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of commonly used CFE cleaning methods. We included studies that assessed microbial contamination on CFE. Each study compared at least one cleaning method with another method or a control. We included all epidemiological study designs conducted globally. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched from January…