AIBU to have let him talked me into not using the sterilizer any more?

[StealthPenguin]

Hello all :) How is everyone today?

Basically DS is 7 months old now, is on three meals a day with milk for breakfast, in mid afternoon and sometimes a few ounces before bed.

DP has said that we don't have to sterilize the bottles any more, and that just a good scrub in soapy water and then a rinse in good enough. He backed this up by saying that I scrub them out in soapy water anyway, and that if we wanted to continue sterilizing his bottles we may as well sterilize his feeding bowls, spoons and bibs too...

I can see his point, and it makes sense. But a part of me is just going "noooooooo!" and I can't really put my finger on why.

So, what does Mumsnet think? And if I'm being stupid in letting him talk me round to his way of thinking, then tell me!!!!!!!!

Peace out

Sorry, that first sentence isn't worded very well.

We feed him three times a day from either a jar or our own blended food if it's suitable. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. He also has mini petit filou pots that he loves. Bottles of milk are given with breakfast, then he has proper lunch 4 hours later, then maybe a bottle in the early afternoon, then dinner. If he hasn't had his afternoon bottle then we give him half of a bottle just before he goes to bed.

I stopped sterilising when they started shoving anything and everything into their mouth. I can't remember when that was exactly. But I think your DH may be right on this one. YABU, sorry!

Eh,peace out!

Your dp is right. No need to sterilise once they're weaned. Unless you want to sterilise everything their food comes into contact with?

Think you need to find something more important to worry about. Or are you going to sterilise the floors etc when your son starts crawling?

Well, I would say it´s not necessary, but if you still want to you should.
(Not helpful)

YANBU - your dp is absolutely right, but I share your pain: my dh did the same thing at this point with dc1 and I, too, was 'nooooooooooooooo' about it!

(Actually, I think dh had to put a stop to the sterilising with all 3 dcs....)

Callisto - that#'s a very good point. He's crawling, standing, has a walker that he can walk a few steps with and is very fond of plugs and cables!! So nothing is bloody sacred in this house!

Phew, weight off my mind! Thanks all!

I'd been sterilizing his dummy until DS dropped it in ASDA one day.

He just picked it up, sucked it and then popped it back in his mouth. I'm ashamed to say I went a bit mad...

But come on, he's my first! You kind of have to be a bit PFB about your first... don't you?

DP* just picked it up...

It has nothing to do with whether they are weaned or not or how much stuff they chew on that isn't sterilised. The main point in sterilising bottles is that they have milk in them and that grows bacteria really really well. Bottles have lots of 'fiddly' bits where old milk can get stuck. You never ever need to sterilise if you are scrupulous in your bottle washing, but if you or your DH aren't, then sterilising is sensible. So basically it comes down to how good your bottle washing is - not how old your DS is or what else he chews on :)

Hadn't occurred to me to stop sterilising the bottles,my ds is 7 months old. It does make sense I suppose but I'm a bit about it.
Sorry,not much help!

With ds I sterilised for a year -til my lovely SIL very gently told me that there was no point

chipping or if you have a dishwasher

What Chipping said.

why are you still sterilising???? talk about making extra work. DP is right

YANBU. I thought it was Good practise to sterilise bottles until the baby is a year due to certain bacteria caused by the milk/plastic combo? I think I was told something like that

I think it is good practise ann or like chopping says be VERY VERY thorough when washing all the fiddly bits.

the guideline is still to sterilise bottles and teats until 1 year which is what I did with both mine. I didnt sterilise anything else after 6 months but as formula is a good breeding ground for bacteria then i wanted to make extra sure that bottle/teats were totally clean

No need for it as long as everything is clean.

What chipping said with regards to milk and fiddly bits.

its fine if you have a dishwasher that washes at a very high temp but I didn't so sterilised until 12 months and I stopped using formula.

Oh... ok!

I'm the only one that does the bottles. DP has pulled out his "I don't know how to bloody do it!" card and so I'm the one who does it. But I'm bloody scrupulous. I've got two different bottle brushes with different end-bits so that the teats are always gleaming. I've even had my friend comment on the fact that they haven't "gone cloudy" like all hers have