Does dishwasher sterilize baby bottles?

[Spencer2]

I have been using the mam self sterilizing bottles (just pop them in the microwave after washing with soapy water), which is absolutely fine but today we got our dishwasher (yay) and I wondered if I could just pop them in there instead of microwave sterilizing?

Not a problem if not, just thinking of saving energy as i’m using the microwave an awful lot!!

How old is your baby? I stopped sterilising bottles after about 7 months and just used dishwasher instead.

I wouldn’t dishwashers get hot but not sterile hot
also dishwasher detergent is very chemically

you could always go for cold water steriliser tablets

We used a cold water steriliser with both of ours as I didn't like using the microwave so much. Just stick a tablet in and boom! But we also stopped sterilising around 6 months once we started weaning and they were putting everything in their mouths! I'm not sure how hot dishwashers get but I'd be worried about the bottles melting but that's probably stupid as they presumably don't get hotter than a microwave!

What country? American ones do, but it’s a specific sanitise setting that I’ve never seen on a British dishwasher.

No, not as a rule.

As for when you can stop sterilising, the current advice is 6 months if you’re breastfeeding or when you stop using formula if you’re formula feeding.

I wouldn't use it for that. I sterilised until 12mths and then just cleaned (dishwasher or sink).

Most dishwashers in the U.K. have a pots and pans setting that runs at 60C and then high heat dry. This is enough to sanitise, but not sterilise. If you use any “Eco” setting or your dishwasher only does Eco washes, then it won’t even sanitise dishes as Eco / Energy efficiency is achieved by washing with colder water for longer because the most energy used in any appliance is in generating heat.

Some have a hygiene/ sterilise function which is what a lot of nurseries use, but it's a lot of effort to do a whole domestic dishwasher load that way for just a few bottles. You'd be better off just getting a microwave steriliser and have them all fine in six minutes.