Sanitize pacifiers while on the go

I'll bet Sarah's son had the best breath in playgroup:

Here's a tip on keeping binkies (pacifiers) somewhat clean in public.  My son would never tolerate his binky being clipped to his person, so I was forever picking up, rinsing (or sometimes not!) and plugging him back in.  Then I started carrying a small, watertight snack container filled with water and a dash of Listerine mouthwash in the diaper bag.  Then when a binky hit the floor, I just popped it into the container, closed the lid and shook for a few seconds.  The Listerine has an antiseptic that kills any germs that made it onto the pacifier in the 3.2 seconds it was on the floor.

Related:

"Scrub" toothbrushes and toys with denture cleanser tablets
Order a mug of hot water for impromptu silverware "cleaning"

Comments

[Audryn]

How funny - I was just going to send in a similar suggestion. During our latest trip I didn't trust the hotel's super-smelly hand soap, so I used the freebie mouthwash to disinfect the kid's binkie. Rinsed afterwards to get rid of any alcohol residue, though...

[Beth]

I have to say I was taken aback by this suggestion. There's enough bad chemicals and alcohol in Listerine that I would never put a pacifier coated with even a diluted solution of it in my baby's mouth. My solution has been to not let my baby suck on her nookie except in her crib, which I realize all babies won't tolerate, but why not just carry a bit of water? Kids put their unsterilized hands in their mouths all the time, so sterilization seems a bit like overkill.

[Jessica]

Crest makes a non-alcohol mouthwash. I've been using it since I got preggo.