When do you stop sterilising?

[RainbowDrop_x]

DD2 is on 2 bottles a day, 1 before morning nap and one before bedtime.

From the day she was born (and even when my first was a baby) bottle washing has been the Bain of my life. It literally fells like all I do all day is wash bottles!

She's coming up to a year now, been walking for about 1.5 months and eating food off the floor (I'm not like putting her dinners on the floor or anything but if she has a snack and drops it she'll go back to it and pick up where she left off)

Baring that in mind I was just wondering when I no longer need to sterilise the bottles

 

[Lucasmum]

Sorry no advice but it did make me chuckle, I always said for the amount of food DS did and still does drop on the floor then eats I may as well have just heaped it onto the floor

Personally I would probably stop

 

[wtbmummy]

When I had ds (3 on monday) the guidlines were to sterilize for first 6months. Once weaning (and eating off the floor ) there immune systems are better developed to handle the general "germs" they can come into contact with.

Never had any problems with ds so will most likely do the same with dd and stop after 6months. I do however have a dishwasher which on a hot wash n dry does sterilize the bottles (to a point) but better than hand washing n leaving on draining board. Xx

 

[messica]

I never sterilized anything. Like ever. We have well water so I have it tested annually but beyond that everything went into the dishwasher after use without a second thought and that was it. All four of my kids were born prematurely and to date they have amazingly strong immune systems. They're saying now using antibacterial this, sterilizing that and bathing every single day is actually hindering immunity development.

I'd say you can stop anytime you want!

 

[nessaw]

I started putting everything through thd dishwasher at 1 year but I still sterilise the bottles after as I read that the dishwasher isn't hot enough to do that. She also shoves anything in her mouth off the floor!

 

[caz_hills]

The advice I hadn't with my son who is now five in the U.K. Was to sterilise until they are one. I feel your pain as all I ever do (and need to do now!) is wash and sterilise bottles! In France I think they only say to three months as a friend who is French thinks we are all mad sterilising for so long! I'm such a rule follower I will do it until one but I do think once they are weanedand like you say picking everything up anyway it's a bit pointless!

 

[CRWx]

Willow is on exactly the same as Daisy and I've just automatically always done it, never thought not to!

Just had a quick Google and NHS says until 12 months so I think I'll follow that. Probably because I hate the smell of formula and feel like they're really clean through the steriliser... I still do her dummies of a night as well... even though she picks them up off the floor/cot/wherever, think it just became a reflex

 

[broodymrs]

I stopped at about 6 months but still always did dummies until he stopped having them as those dummies had been in some grim places!

 

[george83]

I thought - maybe rightly or wrongly - that you could stop when they turn 1 but that's because they start switching to cows milk around that time and it's the baby powder which needs things to be sterile. I stopped sterilising when they were just on cows milk

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

I thought - maybe rightly or wrongly - that you could stop when they turn 1 but that's because they start switching to cows milk around that time and it's the baby powder which needs things to be sterile. I stopped sterilising when they were just on cows milk

That's what I did with DD1 but DD2 has a cows milk protein allergy and at the point we would have been introducing cows milk as a drink we'll only just be introducing dairy in the form of a biscuit at around 13 months which is another thing that confused me.

So many rules!!

 

[LoveCakes]

I think it's 12 months

As George83 said it's not general bacteria you sterilise against it's the formula. That's why you don't need to sterilise spoons and cups. I also sterilised until we went to cows milk

 

[smileyfaces]

Im bf'ing this time round but with my others i stopped somewhere between 6-12 months. I feel its quite unnecessary anyway to be honest!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

About 7mths but I dont steralise dummys.

 

[dani_tinks]

Been wondering this myself, will probably stop at 12 months x

 

[MindUtopia]

We stopped a little after 5 months. I planned to stop at 6 months, which is the guidance, or at least it was at the time (this was 4 years ago), but then we were going on holiday and it was to our family's cabin, which is really remote, no electricity, but we did have a kettle to boil water. So I couldn't bring my electric steriliser and I couldn't deal with doing milton's again, so I just stopped and washing in hot soapy water (from the kettle) while we were away that week. When I came home, I thought, why bother? So I never sterilsed again. It made it much easier just to wash and dry bottles rather than faff with the sterilising.

 

[xdxxtx]

I sanitize when taking my (glass) bottles out of storage, and I sanitize new nipples when I buy them. After that, my baby is on their own. I do nurse, and I certainly don't clean my nipple in between feedings (when my fourth baby was born, I didn't even have time to shower most days, and we did lots of skin to skin with my sweaty gross self). As soon as my kids meet the baby (at 1 day old), they give them big slimy wet kisses, and my furry kids (dogs) do the same. My kids have awesome immune systems, to say the least. I live in the US, and our pediatrician recommends sanitizing for the first 6 weeks of baby's life. After that, baby should be strong enough to battle the germs on their own. I'm not sure what the guidelines are in other places.

I do think you've certainly done your part and then some. Go ahead! Quit sanitizing those bottles because you know your LO is licking the floor half the time anyway! Haha

 

[babyjan]

Just wondering. Those with older babies do you sterilise sippy cups? I hope you don't mind me asking rainbow

I'd personally continue sterilising till she's a year. Not long now

 

[minties]

Somewhere between 4-6 months isn't it? Depending on the guidelines of your country. Emma isn't using bottles or cups but I've never sterilised anything she's touched, or put in her mouth.

 

[mara16jade]

Hmm, here in the USA they told us not to sterilization unless you have a premie/NICU baby. Just hot soapy water.

That's what we did. And that's what all if my friends did.

 

[mum22ttc#3]

I stopped at 6 months, that was always the guidelines for my older ones and once they start weaning I don't personally see the point.
I know a previous poster mentioned it was because of the formula but as long as your still using boiling water then and throughly washing the bottles then the formula will be being sterilised that way iykwim?