After coming home with a new baby, one of the things we realized we needed was a drying rack. We use Dr. Brown’s bottles, so there are a lot of parts to wash. With a two-story home, we were washing baby bottles in our bathroom with nowhere to put the clean bottles. This is where the Munchkin Drying Rack came in. This is one of those items we never even thought to put on the baby registry, but is something we absolutely need on a daily basis.

“…the foldable drying rack organizes all your bottles, nipples, cups, valves and accessories on your countertop…keeping it clean and dry.”

The Munchkin Drying Rack

- Rack has built-in reservoir to keep countertops dry
- Rack has two peg heights to hold all bottle sizes
- dishwasher safe

The rack measure approximately 8” x 11” (the base). There are 8 tall pegs in the back of the rack, for bottles. Then there is a medium row of 4 pegs, and finally a row of four small pegs. In the very front are slots built into the tray that hold discs (which belong to some bottles, but not the ones I use). All of the pegs fold down, and the rack is dishwasher safe. There are little “handles” in the sides where you can stick your hand under the tray to pick it up.

I believe we got this at Walmart, but I have seen it other places (including Babies R Us). It is relatively inexpensive, at around $6.00.


My Thoughts

This is one of those products that I used from the very beginning when we got home from the hospital. We learned very quickly that we needed a bottle-drying rack, so my husband picked one up on an emergency trip to the store.

We have a two-story home so I keep the rack in the bathroom where I wash and dry the bottles. Especially right after giving birth, there was no running down to the kitchen every time I needed to wash or prepare bottles.

There is no assembly with the Munchkin Drying Rack. You simply unfold it and you are ready to go. (I don’t think I could have dealt with assembly just days post-partum!)

One of the nicest features of this product is that it is designed to hold water in the tray, so water doesn’t get all over your counter. The tray is tilted so the water drains to the front. Every so often, I pop this in the dishwasher (obviously, it is dishwasher safe). The tray gets kind of gross-looking after a while so it needs it. The area where water collects dust and grime, so I fold down the pegs and toss it in the dishwasher. Good thing – I don’t have time for any extra chores with a newborn!

I have this out all the time and never store it away, but folding it down takes just a second, so it is convenient, should you need to toss it in a drawer, etc. I may take this with me when I travel, since it folds flat and is the best way for me to dry bottles!

The pegs work pretty well. The eight bottle pegs are sufficient for the most part, although sometimes dirty bottles pile up and there’s not enough room. My smaller Dr. Brown’s bottles (4 ounce) fit just right – however, the larger bottles are a bit of a squeeze. I have some 8 ounce Dr. Brown’s bottles that are a little too wide to fit side-by-side, so I try to limit drying them on the outermost pegs. There are some other brands I notice would probably be big – such as Avent’s 4 oz bottle, which is short and wide.

The shorter pegs are perfect for things like nipples, bottle inserts (from the Dr. Brown’s bottles), and pacifiers (like Soothies).

And the very bottom of the tray has just enough room for some extras. I don’t use bottle disks so I use this area for things like bottle caps, inserts (Dr. Brown’s), and the part that screws on the bottle (that the nipples go in).

The pegs stand up pretty well, although sometimes they seem to get weighed down by the heavier bottles or I push on them too much when I am trying to get those 8 ounce bottles on there and the back row bends back. Fortunately, it pops right back.


Overall

This drying rack has been a lifesaver. I use it on a daily basis, as I am constantly washing bottles, bottle parts, pacifiers, and Medela bottles. It is really convenient to have on the counter and be able to pop it in the dishwasher every so often, and also to travel with. One of those forgotten items that is a must! I haven't seen or used other bottle drying racks, so I cannot compare.

3 stars - this is a must have. The quality seems ok, because the pegs sometimes fold back. Larger bottles are a tight squeeze, and I don’t use the disk dryer portion, so there are some limitations on use.


http://www.munchkin.com/

My other baby reviews:
Pampers Swaddlers New Baby
Johnson’s Naturals Soothe & Protect Balm
Munchkin Bottle Brush
Dex Wipe Wamer With Light
Soothie Pacifiers
Diaper Genie II


Recommended: Yes