Is this normal at a nursery?!

The current NHS guidance is to sterilise until 12 months?

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/sterilising-baby-bottles/

The current guidance is you don't have to sterilise after 6 month but I always did until 1 year x

No, it doesn't and I agree it will be fine.
But the milk residue is very difficult to remove completely and there will be traces of both milk, and bacteria left behind.
Which is fine because there won'tbe enough to cause illness, but if its left too long the bacteria keep multiplying and can get to levels that can cause illness, especially if you add milk and don't use it right away.

I used to take milk to work in a plastic bottle, washed it in dishwasher, put it away in the cupboard....a week later it stank the whole house out.

We used pre sterilised bottles and the ready mixed cartons for nursery so they were only opened moments before, we were the same. One before nursery and one after so only needed to buy for the lunchtime milk

The bottles you take out of the steriliser in the morning will be safe to use. When making up a feed, you don't need a completely sterile bottle, just one that has been through the sterilising process so any bacteria from milk residue has been killed off. As the pp said, the bottle isn't going to acquire more milk residue bacteria sitting in a clean plastic bag in your changing bag.

It’s worth noting that most Americans have dishwashers with santize and heated dry settings so tend to use those for the bottles. So they are sterilising really, just by another method.

It’s because the powder in baby milk needs sterilised with hot water.

some people do still make up bottles for the day, but adding the powder to cold water is the thing people are told to avoid now

Both the CDC and American academy of pediatrics do not advise that sterilizing or boiling water for formula is necessary unless you suspect your tap water is contaminated. Say whatever you want about American healthcare but there are not widespread numbers of babies getting sick from unsterilized bottles. Recommendations differ from country to country and on this one, the NHS is going for the more extreme option. Your baby will be absolutely fine with a bottle that has been sterilized a few hours prior. NHS has some recommendations that are more lax than American ones, it goes both ways 🤷‍♀️.

Both of mine started nursery at 10mths, I don't think I ever sent bottles in as by that age they had 2/3 a day which I gave at home. At nursery they ate food and drank water very happily.

I did read the OP so I’m confused why you can’t just send the bottles already sterilised?

They are sterile for 24 hours (or some people have said 48 hours with the MAM bottles which I’m not sure as don’t use these ones) but it’s not 2 hours. You can keep the formula once made up for 2 hours.

So send the sterilised bottles and measure out the scoops of formula into the pots and let them know how many oz? Or if they provide the formula just send the bottles.

When my kids were young, I sterilised the bottles in solution, rinsed them out and then made up bottles ready for the next 24 hours, kept in fridge and warmed up in jug of hot water. We did not leave the bottles out once opened for more than that feed though. Used to clean the teats using dry salt and rubbing the sides together before rinsing then popped in steriliser. Is that still acceptable today?

My son went to nursery at age 6 months and by then he was fully weaned and only having bottles in the morning and at night, he had to be taught to drink from a skippy cup before starting nursery. Seems far too young now!

Wow things have changed….when mine were young I’d sterilise the bottles then put the water in them and do a days worth so I only had to add powder.

the bottles remain sterile for 24 hours after you take them out of the Milton, just make sure you put the teats and lids on straightaway. We use Milton and I generally put them in the steriliser before bed then get them out in the morning and put the lids on them so that they’re ready and just need formula/boiling water adding when baby needs a feed. So I’d just take them out of the formula in the morning then send the sterile bottles to nursery.

This. What a fuss about nothing

600-800ml per day seems a lot? It does vary between babies but the recommended amount between 10 and 12 months is 13oz (just below 400ml).

2hrs seems ridiculous but could be because the solution will only kill bacteria it comes in contact with, so if the bottles aren't completely free from milk residue there will be some left. If you use heat/steam then it will penetrate further and kill everything.

We used Milton though and I am pretty sure it said 24hrs back then, or didn't say anything.

Odd, our nursery sterilised bottles. They asked for only one bottle per child, it would be labelled by them, if they needed more than one bottle of milk a day it was washed and sterilised between feeds ready for the next one. My eldest is 5 and started nursery at 9 months and my youngest is 2 and started at 10 months, same nursery and they had the same policy both times. I had seen the steriliser etc in the room before with my eldest and again with settling sessions for youngest.

Bottles /dummies re sterile for 24hrs if in air tight container

2hrs is how long milk can be left till throw away tho tbh I Chuck after an hour

Either they drink it or not

If need another then would make fresh

We don't sterilise at our nursery. Parents send in sterilised bottles either already made up or with the powder so that we can make them up fresh.

The MAM website Q&As says a bottle only needs to be sterlised occasionally from 6 months of age here

It’s actually 48 hours if you self sterilise the Mam bottles in a microwave! I’ve never heard of any sterilising method only being good for a couple of hours, how would ever leave the house and prep a bottle on the go? I strongly suspect OP has confused the 2 hour rule for milk with the usual 24 hours for sterilised bottles.

Tbh though the issue is the milk in the bottles so as long as the bottles are sterilised and the milk is prepared/used properly it’ll be fine @beth10

Is that not the easi start bottles done in the microwave? They’re definitely 48 hours as long as not made up.

Ones in Milton might be different as it’s a different method.

I thought it was up to 24 hours for MAM bottles if you used certain methods of sterilisation e.g. UV? We use MAM bottles and UV sterilise, we’ve never had an issue with using them inside of 24 hours of being sterilised. As long as they’re clean and sterilised it shouldn’t be an issue.