sterilising sippy cups, until when?

[christmasid]

little one is 8 months, should I be sterilising her sippy cups?
I don't recall their being any advice either way on the NHS website, but it did say from 6 months they can have water straight from the tap
health visitor says to sterilise when making formula bottles until 1 year old, but I think this might be because of the bugs that could be in the milk, not the actual bottles (the bugs that could be in the milk are worse)

[DonkeyOaty]

Have you a dishwasher? Stick it in there

Otherwise hot soapy water should be fine

Presume you are completely dismantling the cup/valve/top to clean each time?

[LaurieMarlow]

Dishwasher fine at that age. Apparently in France they don't sterilise at all.

I get the issues with formula, but for everything else I don't think it's a big deal.

[Nan0second]

You don't need to sterilise sippy cups at all :)

[NeedACleverNN]

You don't need to steralise them. Just the bottles. It's the formula that's the problem so as long as you aren't using the sippy cup for formula, hot soapy water is fine

[arethereanyleftatall]

Never knew you were supposed to sterilise supply cups. Dishwasher fine. It's the milk I thought.

[peggyundercrackers]

Once they are licking the carpets I don't see the point in sterilising anything.

[christmasid]

thanks all
i'm also wondering about how long you use it for each time. Like if it's got water in, do you use it for 6 hours before considering it too dirty to use so you empty it out and add it to that day's dirty dishes, and if it's cordial 4 hours, or what?

[OiWithThePoodlesAlready]

I've never sterilised them.

[JustHappy3]

Never sterilised them - just bunged in dishwasher. But i think of it as like a cup of tea...you have a drink then wash the cup up. But then i have 5 sippy cups in the drawer.

[cookielove]

I have never sterilised ds's cup, i also work in a nursery and we only sterilise the lids if there is a bug going round!

I change his water or top it up when it looks grim or each day! At nursery they get fresh water at each meal! And the water is offered all day!

[Thomasisintraining]

Never sterilised soppy cups but be warned some have valves and some valves get incredibly yucky over time so try to take apart the valves whenever you wash them in the dishwasher or with hot soapy water.

[Topseyt]

I never sterilised them at all.

I also stopped sterilising bottles for formula well before mine were a year old.

Once my babies got to the stage of shoving everything they found straight into their mouths I saw no further point in sterilising and just bunged ut all into the dishwasher. Job done, and they have survived unharmed.

[AndroidAddict]

I never bothered sterilising the sippy cups and I emptied, cleaned and refilled them when the water started looking murky.

[christmasid]

thanks again everyone for your feedback
better go and get the little angel out of the jumperoo!

[Atenco]

Once they are licking the carpets I don't see the point in sterilising anything

This

Actually, while I'm a great believer in hygiene, I do think OTT hygiene can be as almost as bad as OTT lack of hygiene.

[BertieBotts]

Nope.

It's different with milk because milk is a very friendly environment for bacteria to grow. Water and even juice, not so much.

[teraculum29]

I stopped sterilising bottles and cups when everything was ending up, and rubbed off on the floor coz is tastier around 9-10months

[JustMarriedBecca]

Never sterilised anything here. DD never drank milk and never did sippy cups. Bunged toys in the dishwasher occasionally but she was rolling and crawling from 3 months and everything went straight in her mouth so didn't seem much point. Very much follow the Australian Laizzez faire method and they don't sterilise either.