Sterilising?

[nessajane]

Hi Girls,
Im after some advice really about sterilising.
After reading alot about sterilising im still very confused about it all

Basically i want to know once bottles are sterilised do you make all the bottles up straight away for the day or do you make them as and when needed?
If you make all the bottles up for the day do they need to be kept in the fridge or room tempreture?

I realize that everyone does different but i wanted to know basically what others will be doing?
Someone help im soooo confused at how it all works!!

 

[enigma]

Ill go off my last one as ill probably do the same this time too.
Id sterilise the bottles,when i wasent going out id make them up as i went along as i prefared this way, i felt the milk was fresher. You can make them up and put them in the fridge, i forget for how many hours, it says on the back of the milk! Id make them up at night because, half asleep, id often forget how many scoops i was upto, lol and id make them up if i was going out anywhere.

 

[Hevz]

You must now make bottles up as and when needed....not in advance.

If you're going out you can fill your sterilised bottle with the required amount of pre-boiled water, pop it in your bag, when baby's hungry you can warm the water to required temp and mix with the required amount of scoops of formula (which you can measure into a special container and take it seperately in your changing bag).

Does this link help too?


https://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2005/nov/infantformulastatementnov05



Not sure if you're planning to breastfeed at first or not but it's definitely easier to store and carry round

 

[Hevz]

Ill go off my last one as ill probably do the same this time too.
Id sterilise the bottles,when i wasent going out id make them up as i went along as i prefared this way, i felt the milk was fresher. You can make them up and put them in the fridge, i forget for how many hours, it says on the back of the milk! Id make them up at night because, half asleep, id often forget how many scoops i was upto, lol and id make them up if i was going out anywhere.

Babe....you're not supposed to do this now. Is amazing how procedures change since our last baby's....even just a few years.

(oooh, I look like I'm preaching, nooooooooo I didn't mean that but health visitors and midwives will be giving different advice to the newer mums and didn't want Nessajane to get confused)

 

[nessajane]

The sterilser i am thinking of buying keeps the bottles sterilsed for 3 hours after sterilsing, If i make bottles up as i need them does that mean ill have to sterilise the bottles again everytime LO needs a feed as the bottles will need sterilsing after the 3 hours is up?

 

[Hevz]

The sterilser i am thinking of buying keeps the bottles sterilsed for 3 hours after sterilsing, If i make bottles up as i need them does that mean ill have to sterilise the bottles again everytime LO needs a feed as the bottles will need sterilsing after the 3 hours is up?

In theory....yep but if it's been left unopened then I can't see how they won't still be sterile



It's so confusing isn't it babe? As long as you're sensible and use your head



When on holiday a couple of years ago I saw a pram with a tiny, tiny baby in it (a couple of weeks old tops). The bottles were stored... (all made up) on top of the hood of buggy....in direct sunlight all day and I was freaking when I saw the mum feeding them to that poor baby

One feed was at about 4pm and we'd all been at the pool since 10am so god knows what bugs were in that milk. If that baby was sick I bet the stupid woman would have blamed the foreign water or something

 

[enigma]

Omg how times change, my youngest is 4, when i had him, you could make the bottles up and reheat them and the bottles stayed sterile for 12 hours.
That might explain why i had sickly kids.
Nessa, im with you know hun, confused!!!

 

[nessajane]

The sterilser i am thinking of buying keeps the bottles sterilsed for 3 hours after sterilsing, If i make bottles up as i need them does that mean ill have to sterilise the bottles again everytime LO needs a feed as the bottles will need sterilsing after the 3 hours is up?

In theory....yep but if it's been left unopened then I can't see how they won't still be sterile



It's so confusing isn't it babe? As long as you're sensible and use your head



When on holiday a couple of years ago I saw a pram with a tiny, tiny baby in it (a couple of weeks old tops). The bottles were stored... (all made up) on top of the hood of buggy....in direct sunlight all day and I was freaking when I saw the mum feeding them to that poor baby

One feed was at about 4pm and we'd all been at the pool since 10am so god knows what bugs were in that milk. If that baby was sick I bet the stupid woman would have blamed the foreign water or something

My god even i know that doing that isnt good
It is confusing, Right let me get this straight, i sterilse bottles, Open lid take a bottle out and make bottle up, Because ive opened the lid of the sterilser does that make them unsterile? Or only if its left unopened they are no longer sterile?

 

[Hevz]

Yep....but what you could do is what I do and when you open steriliser and it has say....4 bottles in it. Make one bottle up that you're using and put all the other bottles togeather so they're all sealed and sterile....ready for you to add water and powder to later. Does that make sense????



Good eh?

 

[nessajane]

Yep....but what you could do is what I do and when you open steriliser and it has say....4 bottles in it. Make one bottle up that you're using and put all the other bottles togeather so they're all sealed and sterile....ready for you to add water and powder to later. Does that make sense????



Good eh?

i think im starting to understand, So say i sterilse all 4 bottles or how ever many, make one bottle up im going to use for then and then take all the bottles out and seal them and then theyll stay sterile for the next few feeds?
arrgghhh so confusing!!

 

[enigma]

Do you mean put the lids on them and stuff, that makes sence, oh my, so many new things to learn, just when you think you've cracked it

 

[Hevz]

Do you mean put the lids on them and stuff, that makes sence, oh my, so many new things to learn, just when you think you've cracked it

Yeah....that's what i do anyway

 

[nessajane]

Do they need to be kept in the fridge then the empty bottles that are sealed or just at room tempreture?

 

[Blah11]

Oh god, how confusing. This is why I'm planning to BF LOL

 

[Hevz]

Do they need to be kept in the fridge then the empty bottles that are sealed or just at room tempreture?

Just at room temp for the empties

 

[nessajane]

Blah, tell me about it its mind boggling!!

Hevz, thanks for your help im understand it alot more now

 

[Blah11]

Can you not just sterilise them and take out what you need, make up the bottle, and leave the others in there until you're ready to feed again?

 

[helen1234]

oh god how confusing lol, 14 yrs since i made a bottle and i did them for the day in the morning and at teatime for the night popped them in the fridge warm them up as i need them.
if i needed more i made them up then i would, thats why i love cold water sterilisers, cheaper to run and buy, and can make up as you go along. i intend to make small batches anyway these new rules change like the wind...
i think your more likely to breed bacteria messing with bottles adding milk powder when your out and about... in my eyes the more you take the lid off etc fiddling with the bottle the more you spread germs.
think i'll take advice from my midwife and then make a judgement.

 

[nessajane]

Can you not just sterilise them and take out what you need, make up the bottle, and leave the others in there until you're ready to feed again?

Some sterilisers have a time span on how long they stay sterile after youve sterililsed them Some only stay sterile for 3 hours after!

 

[Fossey]

So wonder what we do with pumped breast milk? I was planning on pumping some for the night DH is feeding so he just has to get out of fridge do the necessary heating and feed. Can we still do that?