Microwave V electric steriliser?

[bubbles82]

Hi ladies,

Just looking for some advice really from anyone who has experience of sterilisers! I'm only 10 weeks but doing loads of research and getting a list together of what we need/want for baby so I can get an idea of the cost, and shop around and pick up any particular bargains as we see them.

At the moment I'd like to try breast feeding, but if it works out ok I'd ideally like to have a mixture of bottle and breast feeding so DH and family can get involved at feeding times too, so I bought the Avent starter pack this week as it was on a good deal in Boots.

Now I've read all about the pros and cons of manual v electric breast pumps and know electric is probably the way to go, but have no idea if it's worth paying the extra for an electric steriliser or not. Obviously if the breast feeding goes well we probably won't have that many bottles each day especially in the first few weeks, so not sure if a microwave one would do the job fine.

Any advice appreciated!

 

[dizz]

Microwave ones - check they actually FIT inside your microwave... ours didn't, well was so tight it was actually dangerous to get out when full of red hot water.

We use a milton cold water steriliser - found it easier - change the liquid once a day, refill with water and a tablet and just chuck everything in there - was what worked for us.

 

[Amygdala]

We used a microwave steriliser with no issues at all (have used boots own and tommee tippee, both fine!). They use no extra counter space and do the job just fine.

 

[MummyMana]

I'd personally go with an electric one, but then again I hate the microwave and won't go near it.

 

[amandad192]

Liam was bottle fed from birth and we started with an electric one. I've no idea how, but it used to mess up the electric in my dads flat (I was still living with him at the time) so I got a microwave one.
I definitely prefer the microwave one, you can store it inside the microwave, all bottle parts go on the same level so I found it easier to load, it's easier to keep clean because you don't have to descale it.

Unless you don't have/have a tiny microwave I'd definitely recommend microwave over electric.
Also buy a packet of sterilizing tablets in case you ever have a power cut

x

ETA: Sterilizing tablets are also great for bleaching poo stains or food stains out of clothes x

 

[ppgirlsteph]

I breastfeed so just need to sterilise bottles occasionally. We got a microwave one, its fine but I wish we'd just bought a Milton one as i'm constantly burning myself and they just seem SO much easier x

 

[maybebaby3]

If you're going to be bottle feeding quite a bit i would go electric. The avent iq 24 is great, though pricey!

 

[maybebaby3]

https://www.mumsnet.com/reviews/baby-feeding/sterilisers/9835-philips-avent-iq24

 

[Twinkie210]

I love my microwave sterilizer! I bottle fed from a week on and I loved that it didn't take up room on my counter.

 

[MumMumMum]

Our microwave is small (didn't realise until SIL tried to put her microwave sterlisier in ours) so we went straight to electic last time, and will again this time.

We do have a TT single travel microwave one which we used if we went to visit someone for a day, rather than take the electric one.

 

[minnie83]

We had a microwave one last time and it was rubbish! It kept getting stuck, and we kept burning ourselves. We've invested in an electric one this time.

 

[mummytokeelie]

we use an electric one easier to just stick it on and walk away plus with a toddler we need the microwave spare for warming up her milk ect so just easier to have it free plus i dont think our microwave one will fit as its quite big, though performance wise i think they both do the job xx

 

[kitchenware]

I'd recommend microwave. We had an electric one with my first and although it said on the pack it took eight minutes, once it started getting any limescale at all (and we lived in Scotland so had relatively soft water) the time it took increased dramatically. I have memories of trying to sterilise a bottle before going out and it taking about 40 minutes to run a cycle (it was the AVent one in case you wondered). Also a problem if you have a screaming child wanting to be fed!
If I had my time again I'd get a microwave one as it wont have the same problem.