Sterilising Bottles Question

[Ploppymoodypants]

Hi there
I am breastfeeding but do give the occasional bottle of expressed milk of formula (so DH can do a feed and I can skew or pop out etc).

My question is, once I have sterilised the bottles, and put them back together, how long are they sterile for? For example I have ten bottles but only use one every other day at the most. Do I need to resterlise them daily to make sure they are fresh?

also the bottles and pumps instructions stay make sure everything is dry before you reassemble and use. But the steam steriliser makes it all wet, and so how do you dry it, without make it u sterile again?

Many thanks

[honestlynotagain]

This is what I did, I was unable to breastfeed:
In the early days I bought a bottle of liquid steriliser, I would wash and clean the bottles (two small ones) put them in the sterile water and take them out when needed, wash and repeat.

I got given a mircowave steamer steriliser I would steam all 6 (it could fit six) bottles in the morning and according to the instructions they were sterile for 24 hours. I owuld use each bottle as I needed them, keeping the lid on and keeping them sterile after taking out each bottle.

It's only water on your bottle after steriling them. just shake it out a the sink. the little bit of water wont do any harm.

[KMoKMo]

Yes sterile for 24 hours so I’d sterilise one at a time if I were you. 10 bottles sounds like an awful lot. You could probably pack 8 of them away and just use 2 if it’s only one a day.
The water on them is fine. No need to dry them as anything you wipe them with will desterilise them. Just shake as PP said but be careful not to drop them! I’ve done that more times than I care to admit.

[Ploppymoodypants]

Okay thank you everyone. Yes will put the spare bottles away so they dont get muddled up then.

Bottle feeding feels like such a faff!

[KMoKMo]

Expressing is a real faff. I had a preemie so expressed for 8 weeks exclusively and washing and sterilising the pump equipment was a right pain. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours I think but after that it needs washing and sterilising.
With my second I didn’t even bother expressing. She just had a bottle of formula here and there if she needed it. Breastfeeding is definitely the easier and lazier option in my opinion.

[Ploppymoodypants]

KMoKM thank you. Can I ask, didnit affect your supply to give formula as hoc on occasion?
For example I want to be able to pop out for a few hours every now and again. And I know DD will happily take the formula so that’s not an issue. But I won’t be going out at a set regular time. It will be a couple times a week, completely ad hoc.

[WhenLifeGivesYouLemonsx]

24 hours but I've always given my DS bottles after that and he is fine. He had 10 bottles and as he got older, he was only having about 3 a day so the others was there for a few days before I had to wash them all again.

[TheRhythmlessCarolMan]

I thought sterilising isn't necessary if using only breast milk?

[KMoKMo]

@Ploppymoodypants
Sorry only just seen your question. My DD was 12 weeks early so my supply was never particularly great to be honest. She started having formula from 6 weeks ish as I simply couldn’t express enough but then as soon as I was with her permanently my supply increased and I had a freezer full!
I struggled with cluster feeding so she had an evening bottle right from when she first came home but I was so sick of expressing I moved to formula as soon as the supply was used up. I don’t think it helped my supply but she had some great milk until she was 9 months old which was nothing short of a miracle quite frankly.
I think you need to play it by ear. When I had my second I mentioned to my HV was I thinking of expressing so I could get some sleep (both babies were horrific sleepers) she was quite old school and told me I’d be doing no such thing, I had enough to do and why would I want to put additional pressure on myself! So I took her advice and the second had formula for a few weeks and then she was exclusively breastfed.
Also, don’t know if you’ve started already but some babies are really fussy about bottle teats. They can get nipple confusion and start to refuse on or the other. Both of mine were fine but my SIL had a nightmare with her exclusively breast fed baby that then refused to drink from any bottle when she went back to work.
So I think you just have to find what works best for you and your baby.

[KMoKMo]

@TheRhythmlessCarolMan
NHS advice states to sterilise bottles whether using formula or expressed milk.

[mummabubs]

I exclusively expressed for a year and was also told by NHS and LLL that bottles should still be sterilised for the first year whether it's formula or expressed milk.

[honestlynotagain]

@therhythmlesscarolman. Love your user name! (if it's regarding the thread I think it is?!)

[3boysandabump]

You don't need to sterilise pump. Bottles only need to be sterilised if you've used formula. If you've just used breast milk it's fine just to wash everything in hot soapy water and leave to air dry

[TheRhythmlessCarolMan]

Yup @honestlynotagain
Not sure if the concert ever took place.

[honestlynotagain]

Haha @therhythmlesscarolman, I wonder what happened in the end?! That thread was so funny!
Sorry for hijacking your thread op. Have you had any luck with the sterilising?

[Ploppymoodypants]

Ha, so I discovered Mam bottles, which you just chuck in the microwave as and when you need them. So if doing a bottle, you grab a MAM bottle, Miss in microwave for 2 minutes and it’s good to go. It’s wuifkwr than waiting for the kettle to boil to heat the milk, so solves my dilemma. Thanks everyone

[Ploppymoodypants]

That’s wizz in microwave! And the unreadable word is ‘quicker’!
Newborn babies make me soooo tired 🙈

[honestlynotagain]

@ploppy, glad you solved the problem! Thank you for the typo chuckles I was you about 8 months ago!