sterilizing bottles - how long???

[pcsoph2890]

I'm planning on returning to.work when lo is 6.5m old. I intend to.do baby led weaning (start on solids straight away) at 6months if she lasts that long, she loves watching us eat now!!
When do I stop sterilizing her bottles, as she'll be moving round.more, picking up germs from the floor, and general life.
I have a microwave sterilized which I love, but need to know whether I have to buy another one for the grannies who'll be helping out with childcare?? So so they have one at their own houses if they need it (they are only £10 each so no great expense, but would rather save that for something like spoons or highchairs which she'll need more!!!

 

[BlueWater]

I'd say around the 12months age

 

[vegazbaby]

the ruling is that all the time babys milk is involved you should steralize although i have read that some stop at 6 months, my baby is 9 months had only has 2 bottles a day since the rest is in a sippy cup. you could just get milton tablets and cold water steralise, or just steralize enough bottles for the day.

 

[sue_88]

For however long you are using formula

 

[pcsoph2890]

Well I thought about having enough spare bottles, but just in case the grannies need more (I have currently 10 bottles I rotate)... also I'll be using sippy cups too, so when she has her food she'll have some water too to have with her meal - do I sterilize those too... or will hot soapy water do for those???
12 months seems quite a long time esp as they are out in the garden, mixing with other kids etc?? But I get that it'll be the old milk gathering in the nooks and crannies of the bottles and that needs to be clean. But again would hot soapy water suffice again???

It's complicated stuff and my sister breastfed so she cannot help, no where is there a set rule of what should be done?? So relying on others experiences!

 

[sue_88]

It doesn't matter about picking up germs here and there etc, formula milk breeds bacteria, and nasty types of bacteria too that will cause gastroenteritis.

Water cups etc don't need it be sterile if ONLY used for water. Anything with formula in, should be (needs to be!) sterilised.

 

[pcsoph2890]

Sue - cheers. Will get some microwave sterilizers.for grannies houses then.... better safe than sorry, as she will not be exclusively eating foods at that stage when I first go back to work, she still be 90-95% bottle fed!!
Sippy cups will just be washed when used with water only!

 

[vegazbaby]

It doesn't matter about picking up germs here and there etc, formula milk breeds bacteria, and nasty types of bacteria too that will cause gastroenteritis.

Water cups etc don't need it be sterile if ONLY used for water. Anything with formula in, should be (needs to be!) sterilised.

this is spot on!

 

[AJCart]

Funny the different recommendations isn't it. When I was in hospital with LG we were told that sterilising was completely unnecessary and a good wash with hot soapy water was all that bottles need right from day one.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

At about 8 or 9 months I stopped sterilizing bottles and just washed with dishsoap, but I used boiled water to prepare the formula until I stopped using formula.

 

[Loui1001]

I sterilised for as long as I used formula

 

[adrie]

At the beginning, I was very overwhelmed with boiling everything every time we needed a new batch of feeds. And all of the hard water left the bottles and nipples with mineral buildup that I would rinse off before giving to LO anyways. IMO My fiance is so bang on when he says that we do not live in a sterile environment. The place in which you 'sterilize' your bottles and nipples is also not sterile. When I was hand washing them in the early days, the nipples were never really clean and so I'd have to put them in the washer anyways.

We honestly are just boiling nipples pacifiers about once per week at this point--the rest of the week they are washed and sterilized in the washer with other teething toys, etc.

My LO is 7 months old and is crawling all over the ground, carpet, out on the deck, has been on grass--none of these areas are sterile either, and she constantly puts her hands in her mouth. We try to keep our place clean, but it's never going to be sterile no matter what. As long as we are diligent about giving her a clean bottle, I'm none too concerned.

 

[adrie]

It doesn't matter about picking up germs here and there etc, formula milk breeds bacteria, and nasty types of bacteria too that will cause gastroenteritis.

Water cups etc don't need it be sterile if ONLY used for water. Anything with formula in, should be (needs to be!) sterilised.

This may be a stupid question, but how does a 'sterilized' bottle counteract the bacteria already present in formula? That has never made sense to me.

 

[sue_88]

It doesn't matter about picking up germs here and there etc, formula milk breeds bacteria, and nasty types of bacteria too that will cause gastroenteritis.

Water cups etc don't need it be sterile if ONLY used for water. Anything with formula in, should be (needs to be!) sterilised.

This may be a stupid question, but how does a 'sterilized' bottle counteract the bacteria already present in formula? That has never made sense to me.

The (potential) bacteria already present in formula is killed off by using boiling water to make your feeds up as per the instructions.

The sterilising of a washed bottle is to kill any bacteria breeding in the nooks and crannies of your bottle where there could be residual formula milk you've not washed away. This breeds the bacteria. You might think the bottłe looks clean and you've washed in hot soapy water but dangerous bacteria is obviously invisible so can be left behind. Sterilising is a very high temperature and can kill off the unseen nasties.

 

[steph.]

We have also been told that sterilizing is unnecessary and a lot of my friends have never sterilized.

However I chose to sterilize. She has 5 bottles a day, so every night I put them in the dishwasher with everything else, then in the microwaveable sterilizer for 5 minutes, then put boiling water in them, and they go straight in the fridge ready for the following day.

 

[adrie]

It doesn't matter about picking up germs here and there etc, formula milk breeds bacteria, and nasty types of bacteria too that will cause gastroenteritis.

Water cups etc don't need it be sterile if ONLY used for water. Anything with formula in, should be (needs to be!) sterilised.

This may be a stupid question, but how does a 'sterilized' bottle counteract the bacteria already present in formula? That has never made sense to me.

The (potential) bacteria already present in formula is killed off by using boiling water to make your feeds up as per the instructions.

The sterilising of a washed bottle is to kill any bacteria breeding in the nooks and crannies of your bottle where there could be residual formula milk you've not washed away. This breeds the bacteria. You might think the bottłe looks clean and you've washed in hot soapy water but dangerous bacteria is obviously invisible so can be left behind. Sterilising is a very high temperature and can kill off the unseen nasties.

Our formula does not require the use of boiled water, but boiled water that had been left to sit until it reaches room temperature in order to mix the two.

I honestly just think all of these 'sterilization' techniques are suggested to cover the manufacturer. I don't think it's bad to try to sterilize anything; I just don't understand how a person can sterilize something in an unsterilized environment.

I also read online that you can use your washer's sterilization option, but that you have to fill the bottles with formula immediately as bacteria may then grow if not done straight away. I've personally never done that.

 

[BabyMamma93]

i never really understood why you need to sterilise stuff, i was always tought like at school in cooking class, that hot water from the tap, plus a bit of cleaning product, kills germs left from raw meat.. then when i was told that its the forumla that causes bad bacteria to grow on products it makes sense to sterilise.
I will be sterilising baby bottles until he stop having forumla, at about 12m. my mum mentioned to me yeterday about getting some cold water sterilising tablets as ill need them for little ones spoons and bowls when hes eating solids. i would probably do this the first time to rid anything thats got onto them in storage, but after that i dont think ill bother unless formula has got into contact with it..
like said above, babies around this age are constantly putting things in their mouth, etc. but people need to understand, most of the bacteria on bottles is from forumla