Sterilizing pumping supplies

[sheldonsmommy]

Hey ladies!

Just curious how often you sterilize your bottles and breast pump paraphernalia.

Currently my ds2 is almost 12 weeks old. I pump about once or twice per day. Once sometimes in the morning with excess supply, and once in the evening when I feed him a frozen stash bag (to rotate my stash and keep him accustomed to bottles).

I try to sterilize by boiling in water for 5ish minutes daily, but sometimes I go 2 days.

Opinions - is this too infrequent?

I'm in Canada.

 

[Noo]

After each use

 

[Mummy Bean]

i try to pump twice a day. so after the morning one i put the bottle with all the stuff still attached in the fridge, then pump again in then evening and put the milk in the freezer and steralise all the stuff

 

[misspriss]

Never, but I sanitize occasionally. When LO was in the NICU I sanitized once a day (per NICU instructions, washed in warm soapy water between). At home, I wash in warm soapy water once a day, put in the fridge between uses.

However, I routinely run them through the dishwasher, at least twice a week. Most dishwashers get quite hot even on a normal hot wash cycle, and sometimes (not every time) we run our NSF certified sanitize cycle.

I don't ever sterilize.

 

[kung_pao mama]

I pump twice at work (and occasionally once at night after my son goes to bed). i only rinse parts between uses and keep them all refrigerated. then, at the end of the day, i wash in hot, soapy water. I only sterilize in boiling water once a week or so.

 

[seaweed eater]

I think you are fine to go every 2 days. I did the hot soapy water soak after each session when LO was tiny and in the NICU for 4 days. If that was good enough for the NICU, I think you should be fine with a 12-week-old. Later on I only did the hot soapy water once a day (adding vinegar to your soaking water will help a lot too). Ran them through the dishwasher every few days.

 

[Noo]

I'll add I'm lucky to pump once a day so mine will go in dishwasher after each use then into sterilising liquid if planning on using it that day as it'll have sat around.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

Thanks ladies!

Lots of variance here! I wash with hot soapy water after every pump because of the length of time between pumps (12+ hours), and sterilize as stated above.

With my first son I sterilized everything every time (including bottles for formula later on)!! That's what was recommended to me. Until one day at 5 months or so I caught him putting a huge dust bunny in his mouth and thought his food can't be THAT bad lol

 

[kung_pao mama]

Dishwasher is a great idea. I may actually start doing instead of boiling every week. Like you pointed out, babies are exposed to germier things all the time, especially older babies. I don't bottlefeed often, he mostly takes it right from the tap. Lol. I don't "sterilize" my nipples before feeds.