When to stop sterilising?

[baileybubs]

Hi everyone,

I know this question has probably been asked loads of times but thought I'd get an idea of what everyone currently thinks with a little poll.

When do you think it's ok to stop sterilising? My lg is 6 months now and she's also started BLW and pretty much puts everything in her mouth she gets hold of (including a handful of dog hair the other day after she was "hugging" the dog!). So it made me wonder if it's worth sterilising when she's doing things like that?

But then I think that the bacteria in milk can still be nasty, but surely if I wash bottles properly should they be ok?

Any thoughts?

 

[baileybubs]

Bump

 

[felix555]

I will sterilise for as long as my LO uses bottles. it is no extra effort I have a cold water steriliser and put them in there after washing them once a day. they stay there until I use them

 

[baileybubs]

Thanks Felix, what spurred me to ask is that my microwave blew up (lol strange reason I know!) but we have a microwave steriliser and realised we rarely use our microwave otherwise so it's either buy another microwave, or sterilise with Milton from now on lol, which isn't much extra effort of course it's just we are more likely to let the bottles build up before sterilising I think whereas with the microwave one it only fit 4 in so we would do them regularly lol!

 

[felix555]

I've actually never owned a microwave! I think they just take up space

I have this ...
https://www.mothercare.com/Innosense®-Cold-Water-Steriliser/452906,default,pd.html#q=innosence cold

Then I get the sterilising tablets from superdrug £1 for 64 tablets.

Big enough to hold 5 Dr Brown's wideneck bottles with all their bits

 

[baileybubs]

Oh that looks good value thanks! Might invest in one of those, we will be ttc next year anyway so will still need something for sterilising in the future either way!

 

[BellaBoo0512]

I don't own a microwave.. We have got the tommee tippee electric steam steriliser. Thomas is almost 6 months old and I plan to sterilise his bottles for as long as he has them. My steriliser was playing up last week and I was going to buy a new one but it seems to of fixed itself now.

 

[babyhopes2010]

around 7 months i stopped but i always used v hot water and soaked the bottles for long time

 

[+tivethoughts]

I stopped when I stopped using formula as formula is not sterile itself. Just washing the bottles isnt enough to kill all bacteria from the milk. Which is the reason it is recommended to sterilise until you move onto cows milk.

 

[TRINITY25_99]

I agree with Felix, my LO is only 5 months and I hear once baby gets to being 6 months plus you can stop sterilizing, but I am going to continue to do so as long as she is bottle feeding, it really doesn't take that much time to do

 

[Scout]

I steralise the bottles before the 1st use and that's it. I just wash them with hot soapy water. This was on the advise from my pediatrician. It may depend where you live too, bc I don't know anyone irl who steralises bottles on an ongoing basis.

 

[geordiemammy]

Once your baby is crawling around and putting everything in their mouth its ok to stop

Once I stopped with my others I used to just use fairy antibacterial to was them in you can't sterilise everything in your house they also say that the reason kids catch so much these days is due to the fact that they can't build immunity as people keep things too sterile but everyone does their own thing

 

[baileybubs]

Once your baby is crawling around and putting everything in their mouth its ok to stop

Once I stopped with my others I used to just use fairy antibacterial to was them in you can't sterilise everything in your house they also say that the reason kids catch so much these days is due to the fact that they can't build immunity as people keep things too sterile but everyone does their own thing

That's what made me wonder about it, because she puts everything in her mouth now, dog hair, corner of the rug, my slippers....and that's before she can even crawl so it will be even more soon lol! So that's why I didn't see the point of sterilising, however I do know formula can be different and potentially more dangerous (not sure if that's true or just because formula companies don't want a reason to be sued) so I just didn't know what was best.

I think for now I'll keep sterilising, until she's eating more foods because surely they can be just as potentially dangerous (I may be wrong with this but just assume she could just as easily catch food poisoning from solids as from milk).

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

[geordiemammy]

As long as you wash them properly it won't make a difference like you say she puts everything in her mouth that's what they do and that's why they started to advise people to stop sterilising at 6 months now with my first 2 it was a year but with the second 2 and this little dude I'll stop at around 6 months I've never herd the danger thing before xx

 

[baileybubs]

I think it's just because there's a teeny tiny risk of more harmful bacteria being present in the formula. I didn't know they were advising to stop at 6 months anyway, would have saved everyone helping me on this thread if I'd known lol!

 

[geordiemammy]

They chop and change their mind so often its ridiculous so your thread hasn't wasted people's time xx