Sterilising - when does it end??

[Tiredqueen87]

Interested to know at what age people stopped sterilising bottles???

[youngestisapsycho]

I stopped at about 6 months when DD started crawling... didn't see the point as she was shoving anything she found in her mouth!

[Artandco]

Never. I have mentioned before, that's it's a very British thing to do. America, France etc all use bottles and formula and never sterlise. The premature baby units in the uk don't sterlise either

[dementedpixie]

I sterilised bottles and teats until 1 year while they were still having formula milk (and I think that is still the nhs guidance). I didn't sterilise anything else

[Heirhelp]

I thought premature baby units use single use pre sterilised bottles?

[Tiredqueen87]

DD is 6 months and like you say, chewing on bloody everything, so I don't see the point in doing it now ??

[dementedpixie]

It's because of the bacteria that could be in the formula which is more dangerous than general bacteria found in other things she is chewing on. I liked it as peace of mind in case my washing up wasn't up to standard. Gave somewhere to put the bottles too.

[GingerbreadLatteToGo]

You don't need to sterilise IF you are 100% sure the bottle is clean. However, bottles aren't that easy to be totally sure about as milk is really fatty, bottles are easy to get to every bit of well due to shape & screw top, teets etc & that's without considering how well other people in your house wash up, so sterilising is just better.

If, for the above reasons, you decide sterilising us the best option, then you need to sterilise bottles for as long as milk is being put in them really. The bacteria from milk grows really quickly.

It has zero, zilch, nada, nothing to do with babies crawling, shoving other things into their mouths or anything else. It's all about the type of bacteria that milk multiplies at a ridiculous rate. Saying the baby crawls & puts everything into their mouths anyway is like saying you might as well let them eat dog poo. All things are not created equal!

[Kel1234]

It is supposed to be once you stop giving formula, you can stop sterilising bottles. But everything else, after 6 months you no longer need to

[NoCapes]

I sterilised until we'd stopped using bottles with the eldest 2 (DS1 was 2 )
With the youngest I couldn't bleeding wait to stop sterilising so stopped at 6 months
The day I took the steriliser to the charity shop I did a little happy dance

[AnnaBegins]

Any formula remaining after washing in the nooks and crannies of bottles can grow some rather nasty bacteria if not sterilised. I'm still sterilising at 12 months and will until we completely swap to cows milk as I can't guarantee that I haven't missed a bit when washing bottles.

[Tiredqueen87]

It's bulkyness on the kitchen side is irritating me (small kitchen) I've bought some bottle cleaner so I'm assuming it will remove all grime etc, also leave to soak properly

[Tiredqueen87]

Also I have the comotomo bottles and as they are silicone seem to wash very well

[Artandco]

No they don't use ready made bottles in premature baby units. They don't sterilise and they batch make and refrigerate 12 he supplies at a time ( no making fresh each time)

[dementedpixie]

Do you work in one then? I wonder why it says one thing on the nhs website but then you say they don't follow the advice for the most vulnerable newborn babies

[Ellieboolou27]

I stopped at 10 months, would put teats and bottles in boiling water with fairy liquid and soak for 5 mins before scrubbing and rinsing. Six months is fine to stop as long as you clean them properly.

[Artandco]

My sister works in one, and my one child was in there and that's what they did

[Artandco]

*Own child

[Ellieboolou27]

Not sure what hospital artandco is referring to but I know 100% that the hospital my friend works uses sterilised pre made bottles with disposable teats. She's a midwife who works in the special care baby unit.
I doubt very much hospitals would be so careless with prem babies.

[Artandco]

It one of the main hospitals in London

[fitzbilly]

Artandco both my children were ornate and spent months in NICU, everything we used to feed them with were single use, wrapped up.

For tube feeding every syringe was single use, and once we moved to bottles I would express into a new bottle, then the teat would be unwrapped and used once on that bottle.

Same for the formula feed babies, little bottles of formula would be decanted into another little bottle, single use teat out on, and thrown away once used.

Perhaps it's different in different hospitals?

[Redwagon]

I've been in 3 different special care baby units and they use disposable bottles and teats and provide sterilisers for breast pumps etc.

[Artandco]

Ok some don't, but many countries parents never sterlise. I think French make formula from tap water. They have no higher rate of illness from formula than the uk.

[Kel1234]

Though I really don't see why people seem to dislike sterilising so much. We use the proper Milton tub with Milton fluid. It's so quick and easy. Simply full with water, add a cap of fluid, and there you go. It lasts for 24 hours and during that time you can add and take out as much as you need to.
My little one is nearly 13 months now, but we are giving him toddler formula instead of cows milk, so we still sterilise. I honesty do not find it so annoying or anything like that.
I like cold water because I think it's easiest, and you can out literally anything in there. Even now I still stick his teething ring and beaker top in once a week, just because it's there and I think I may as well.

[fitzbilly]

Kel I use Milton too and find it so easy. The tub lives in a cupboard so doesn't take up room on the counter tops.

[Kel1234]

When my son was in special care, they would open a bottle of pre made formula, pour as much as he needed into another plastic type bottle, and keep the rest until his next feed. It's all to do with saving the milk and wasting as less as possible