Confused about Bottle Sterilisers

[MissTanya]

I know you can get electric steam ones and you can get microwave ones too. What are the advantages/disadvantages for each??

As I am hoping to breastfeed, we were thinking of just buying a single bottle (travel) microwave steriliser.

How practical would this be if I couldn't breastfeed and had to bottle feed?

I noticed the bottles stay "sterile" for up to 24 or 48 hours if you don't open the container once it has finished. But I don't understand...if you sterilise 4 bottles...then open it up to use one bottle for a feed, does that mean that the other three bottles will need to be sterilised again?? What is the point of doing more than one bottle at a time? Or is that only beneficial if you do all the bottles at once, then fill them all immediately with forumla/breast milk and store them in the fridge?

Thanks for your replies. I am really confused.

 

[lottie_2007]

Erm not really sure of the answer to this, but i had a microwave sterilliser for my daughter which does 6 bottles at a time, we would take one out to use but not put sterilliser back on! Although we did tend to make up a few bottles at a time! The bottles were never left more than a few hours once sterillised though as we got through so many! x

 

[suzanne108]

I have a microwave steriliser which fits about 4. I don't know the pros and cons of mine against an electric steam one, I'd guess they work the same way, maybe the microwave one is quicker (just a guess!)

I THINK that the bottles will stay sterile for 24 hours if the lids are put on straight away...so for example you would sterilise 4 bottles and then attach the teats and lids and they'd be OK for 24 hours. From reading up a lot of people would put the boiling water in to make formula with at this stage, although its recommended to make each bottle as you need it.

Sorry, not much help, hope someone else can be better!! x

 

[MissTanya]

Thanks girls! Hehehe. I am still confused. I just can't work out why you'd sterilse more than one bottle, if once you open the sterilser unit the bottles start going 'un-sterile' ?

So I guess there is no difference between a steam one or a microwave one, it just comes down to preference?

 

[new mummy h]

my friends got a microwave one as i think they thought it would be cheaper to use - but then they wont use it in the microwave unless its full - so dont want to waste electricity
we've got the electric one, they stay sterilised for 48 hours - only takes 6 mins per cycle

xx

 

[suzanne108]

Thanks girls! Hehehe. I am still confused. I just can't work out why you'd sterilse more than one bottle, if once you open the sterilser unit the bottles start going 'un-sterile' ?

So I guess there is no difference between a steam one or a microwave one, it just comes down to preference?

I tested my steriliser the other day lol (yes, I have nothing better to do!) and when I took it out the microwave the bottles were farrrrr too hot for me to touch, maybe thats a reason why you wouldn't sterilise as needed, no way you'd be able to use a bottle straightaway.

Also, I guess you'd use more than 4 bottles a day anyway, so it doesn't matter that they aren't sterile after 24 hours because you would have already used them.

Just get whichever you think would be easiest for you, if your planning on BFing anyway I wouldn't stress about it too much xx

 

[Caz-x]

I have an electric steam one, a friend of mine had a microwave one & her microwave broke & she couldnt get to buy a new one straight away so had to use a friends for a while.

The bottles stay sterile in the container once steralised for the time given, but once the lid is taken off you need to seal them (you cant leave the unused ones in the container after getting one out for example.) What I used to do was steralise however many I was going to use that day, & fill them all with the amount of boiled water I needed for the formula, seal them & then let them cool sealed & add formula powder as & when needed. They are alright for I think 24hrs this way & the water is already done & sterile too. I used to do this the night before in advance of the next day before I went to bed.

 

[hudz26]

i have a microwave one and had the same with dd and ds, you can use them as a cold water steriliser if needed as well which is great on holiday or in a power cut, i have always made 6 bottles up and put them in the fridge rather than one at a time, the trick with them though is once they have finished in the microwave open the microwave door and wait 10 mins before you take them out.....otherwise you get burnt lol xxx

 

[MissTanya]

The bottles stay sterile in the container once steralised for the time given, but once the lid is taken off you need to seal them (you cant leave the unused ones in the container after getting one out for example.) What I used to do was steralise however many I was going to use that day, & fill them all with the amount of boiled water I needed for the formula, seal them & then let them cool sealed & add formula powder as & when needed. They are alright for I think 24hrs this way & the water is already done & sterile too. I used to do this the night before in advance of the next day before I went to bed.

Thanks! That was exactly what I was confused about...if you sterilise 4 bottles, take one out to use it...the other three start becoming unsterile.

I guess that makes sense though, just partially make up the bottles in advance and put them in the fridge. I wasn't sure if that was okay to make them in advance and if the bottles would stay sterile in the fridge.

 

[Goosie]

I've gotten a microwave steriliser. A few years ago they were thought to be possibly less safe due to uneven heating of the mocrowave, but I figure now with a new microwave it should be OK. Maybe if the microwave is a really old one (like my mother in law's from 1980 sometime) they are less reliable.

If you don't make up the bottles straight away, and alternative to keeping them sterile is to put the lids on them, either straigh away with teat and lid, or bottle and lid in one package and teats and lids in another. The avent range comes with little lids for both teats and bottles.

I'm planning to breastfeed so only plan to sterilise bottles when also needing to sterilise the breast pump. I tried it out too, and with one bottle and all the breast pump bits the steriliser is full.

Most of the bacteria we want to keep out of the bottles comes either from out fingers, or grows in the left over milk from a previous feed, so I think just as important as sterilising is a) washing the bottles well prior to sterilising to get rid of all old milk, and b) washing our hands well before handling the bottles/pump etc, and c) also not putting fingers inside the bottles and teats.

On an aside, and I really don't agree with this advice, here in Holland they've decided that sterilising is unnecessary and doesn't need to be done. Bottles can just go in the diishwasher and that's that.

Cheers,

Goosie

 

[MissTanya]

Huh! Thanks Goosie. That is interesting regarding Holland! Maybe I'll do a bit of a google search on sterilising and see what info I can find