# Sterilising question...



## GettingBroody

Hi all!

I am very new to this forum - my dd was born on Tuesday at just 28 weeks. So far she is doing really well but now that I've been discharged from hospital I have a question about sterilising my pumping equipment. I have a microwave steam steriliser and lots of spare attachments for the pump. But the instructions for the steriliser (Tommy Tippee) say that the equipment will only remain sterile if the steriliser is left unopened... So I can't sterilse a batch of attachments and then just take them out as I need them? Is there any way of storing sterilsed equipment?

Thanks in advance for any replies or tips!!


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## lauren1991

I have the tommee tippee closer to nature steam steriliser. 

I don't Breastfeed but this is what I do. 

I sterilise 6 bottles at one time and build them all and put them to the back of the fridge and make a feed when needed. 

So why not pump and store in a sterilised bottle in the back of the fridge for the next feed? 

Means u can use the pump while sterile and just make one feed in advance x


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## Ice Cold Cube

Your attachments might not be sterile once the steriliser is opened, but they will be very very clean. I have read in many places that if you're pumping, you don't really need to sterilise all the equipment all the time - a good hot wash is sufficient with sterilisation just once a day. However having had a little one in NICU myself, I know that I made sure and sterilised all my equipment, just in case!

I had to take my Medela pumping attachments into the hospital so I used the sterilising box that comes as standard with the Tomee Tippee hand pump and sterilised everything in that, and then took the whole box to the hospital with me. It is quite a handy size.

I pumped for a month for Ella then made the transition to breastfeeding without any major problems, thankfully, so if you ever need any info or advice feel free to message me. Good luck! 

Laura x


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## rbourre

I used to sterilize my pump after every 2-3 times I pumped and in between just cleaned it with hot soapy water and a bottle brush. After sterilizing, I put it out to dry on a bottle drying rack.


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## Stelly

I sterilize mine once a day at night.. in between pumping sessions during the day I just wash with hot soapy water.


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## 25weeker

When my girls were born I was staying in a Ronald McDonald house so no access to a steriliser. The breastfeeding adviser told me they only needed washed in hot soapy water.


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## GettingBroody

Thanks girls! I have got into a bit of a routine now and it doesn't seem so daunting. I think I will continue to sterilise every time for the moment - maybe when she is a bit older I'll feel a bit braver and reduce it but for the moment I'm playing everything as safe as possible! Thanks again for the replies! :flower:


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## DonnaBallona

I would sterilise it every single time I used it when mine were in hospital. My son Jude got an infection in his gut twice and generally was quite a poorly prem, I wanted to make sure that the milk I gave him was as safe as I could get it. 

I found the easiest way to keep it clean was to wash it in hot soapy water after each pump and then put it into a Milton steriliser on the side which I changed every 24 hours. 

hope your LO is doing well xx


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## misspriss

I wash mine with warm soapy water after each use and then leave to dry on the counter on a clean towel and covered with another clean towel. The only germs in the air at my house are well...my germs. Baby will need to be used to the air in your house anyway.

At least, that is what the Lactation Consultant at my hosptail said. She didn't even tell me to sterilize the equipment every day, but the instraction booklet said to so I either boil the pieces for 10 minutes or run through the sanitize cycle on the dishwasher.

I am instructed to use the Snappies bottles given to me by the hospital when I pump and bring them. If I pump and then pour both into one previously sterile bottle from the hospital, I can save the other bottle and wash it and reuse it for storage at home, but he cannot use that while in the NICU they said. So I have tons of bags of those Snappies sterile bottles around from the NICU, and I have a bunch of washed bottles to store milk at home. I have my frozen stash in those used-then-washed bottles.


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## Bumpblessing4

Your question had me wondering, because I haven't been sterilizing my pump parts as the lacation consultant in the hospital said to just wash them with hot water and soap. So I did some research just now and found this link:

https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/...er/ConsumerProducts/BreastPumps/ucm061950.htm

The take home message is that you don't have to sterilize the parts of your breast pump. I did learn today that I shouldn't be drying my parts on a towel as I've been doing and should be using a paper towel instead.


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## rbourre

misspriss said:


> I am instructed to use the Snappies bottles given to me by the hospital when I pump and bring them. If I pump and then pour both into one previously sterile bottle from the hospital, I can save the other bottle and wash it and reuse it for storage at home, but he cannot use that while in the NICU they said. So I have tons of bags of those Snappies sterile bottles around from the NICU, and I have a bunch of washed bottles to store milk at home. I have my frozen stash in those used-then-washed bottles.

That's what I did too until I was filling the snappies. I sterilized them too after washing. After a while, my freezer got so full of snappies, that I switched to breast milk bags because they hold 5oz.



Bumpblessing4 said:


> I did learn today that I shouldn't be drying my parts on a towel as I've been doing and should be using a paper towel instead.

Before I bought a bottle drying rack, I used a cooling rack like this one. I found it worked better than drying on a paper towel because it was lifted off the counter.
https://www.traderscity.com/board/products-1/offers-to-sell-and-export-1/cooling-racks-98319/


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## misspriss

rbourre said:


> misspriss said:
> 
> 
> I am instructed to use the Snappies bottles given to me by the hospital when I pump and bring them. If I pump and then pour both into one previously sterile bottle from the hospital, I can save the other bottle and wash it and reuse it for storage at home, but he cannot use that while in the NICU they said. So I have tons of bags of those Snappies sterile bottles around from the NICU, and I have a bunch of washed bottles to store milk at home. I have my frozen stash in those used-then-washed bottles.
> 
> That's what I did too until I was filling the snappies. I sterilized them too after washing. After a while, my freezer got so full of snappies, that I switched to breast milk bags because they hold 5oz.
> 
> 
> 
> Bumpblessing4 said:
> 
> 
> I did learn today that I shouldn't be drying my parts on a towel as I've been doing and should be using a paper towel instead.Click to expand...
> 
> Before I bought a bottle drying rack, I used a cooling rack like this one. I found it worked better than drying on a paper towel because it was lifted off the counter.
> https://www.traderscity.com/board/products-1/offers-to-sell-and-export-1/cooling-racks-98319/Click to expand...

So far I freeze in the Snappies but I actually pour them into small amounts in several snappies, like 1 oz or 1.5 oz portions. LO is only eating 30mL at a time right now....I would rather have to defrost 2 or 3 small bottles than defrost too much and not use it because you can't refreeze or something. I want to stock up on glass bottles to store pumped milk in, but I don't have those yet.

I have a few Lansinoh "My Mommy's Milk" bottles that my Mom bought and saved for us a while back, but they sadly don't make those anymore (I would pay for those for sure!)

I want a drying rack....


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## Foogirl

the BFing attachments, once sterilised, wrap them in cling film til you next need them. the bottles, just put the lid on them as soon as you take them out. I was like you, all the attachments that could be sterilised went in the steamer.


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## Lisasmith

I steam sterilized every time at home then put everything in a Milton bucket. While pumping in the nicu they sent our pump parts away once a day to be put through the sterilizer but had us wash them in super hot soapy water after every pumping session


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