To wonder why I am sterelising my baby's bottles?

[Pepperwand]

Before I get flamed I'll start by saying I am sterelising my baby bottles.....I just wonder daily whether I actually need to be doing it.

Baby is 6 months, I've dutifully sterelised everything up to this point but am wondering more and more whether it's actually necessary. I exclusively expressed for 5 months and bottle fed baby my breast milk. General guidance for this is that you don't need to sterelise bottles for breastmilk, only formula as powdered formula is not sterile. I did a weird combination of sterelising the bottles because they're the MAM microwave ones and so pretty easy to do but only sterelising my breast pump parts every few days and keeping in the fridge the rest of the time.

Now I'm moving on to formula and for pure laziness we are using the pre mixed bottles. It's just been easier when transferring from breastmilk to formula and is more convenient. Thing is, do you really need to sterelise everything when you're not dealing with powdered formula? Why would instant formula milk be so different from breastmilk in this regard? I put all the bottles through the dishwasher and this morning took them out of the dishwasher to sterelise them and thought "why am I doing this?" especially now my baby is 6 months and starting to eat all sorts....I'm not sterelising the spoons and bowls.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble but thoughts appreciated.

The formula milk is sterile too once hot water of 70 degrees is added. I don't think the sterilisation really matters either, but I like to think it's just an extra precaution and that the real work is in washing the bottles up carefully with hot water, fairy liquid and a bottle brush and making sure there's no milk Residue or anything left.

If I'm out and short of bottles I will give a bottle a really good wash and use it for ready to feed milk, though.

Current guidelines are at meast 12 months.

We had to sterilise for years because our son was tube fed - a cold water sterilising tank was by far the easiest way - wash the stuff, throw it in and leave it until needed again!

I stopped once they started crawling and and licking the carpet/walls and putting God knows what in their mouths. So about 8 months

The sterilisation is really important for tiny babies who get formula from birth or not long after. You are right that it is less important for an older baby who has a more robust immune system. I think this is another example where official advice pretends there is no nuance or variability because it is thought women can't be trusted to make the right decision if official advice says "that depends...". Once a child is crawling and putting saucepan handles, wooden spoons and cat litter in their mouths regularly they are going to be exposed to germs.

Milk and formula are ideal growth media for bacteria though, so if you ease back on the sterilising only ever prep the feed immediately before giving it - don't let it wait around undrunk in an unsterilised bottle.

I stopped sterilising at about 6 months. We are in the UK but have family in the USA and spend quite a bit of time there and the US FDA official advice was that sterilising was unnecessary after 6 months if the bottles went through a hot wash in the dishwasher instead.

I carried on sterilising my DD's bottles until way past 1 🙈 with my DS I stopped sterilising at 6 months.

I stopped sterilising when DS was 6 months, I think that's the standard advice isn't it?

I think if you are using formula is ta fine to give them a good wash in hot soapy water (be sure to get inside trays) once baby is 6mo.

the US FDA official advice was that sterilising was unnecessary after 6 months if the bottles went through a hot wash in the dishwasher instead.
US dishwashers run hotter than UK ones, hence the difference in guidelines.

Yonks ago (child in question is now 14), I asked the hv when I could stop sterilising as we were going on holiday (he was 11 months). She said that most people in mainland Europe stop at 6 months when that baby becomes more mobile.

My firsts I sterilised until a year old when he went on to cows milk. With my second, we took a trip when he was 5 months old and somehow forgot to pack the steriliser. He survived with just washed bottles and I was pretty lax about sterilising after that.
Think about it, they stick everything in their months at that age.

My first was bottle fed and I stopped sterilising at 5 months. I did wash and soak in very hot soapy water once a day.

I never sterilised past 6 months, didn't see the point once they start moving and putting everything in their mouth.

Formula was made up correctly (switch from BF at 6 months).

Bottles in the dishwasher or hot soapy water

I stopped sterilising when my ds started doing things like licking the wheels of his buggy and chewing any old random crap he could get his hands on. Seemed a bit pointless by then 😂

If your dishwasher has a hot setting, I'd just do that tbh at this age.

Sterilising bottles has nothing to do with what other things babies stick in there mouths. The bacteria on the floor etc is not the same bacteria that sterilising bottles is recommended for. Sterilising bottles is recommended as milk is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria which can cause stomach upsets, bottles also tend to be harder to clean to make sure all residual milk is removed.

6 months for me. She was crawling and putting everything she could get her grubby little mitts on in her mouth. She’s now 9 months and there have been no issues.

I stopped after 1 year but that’s because my twins were preemie and very small so didn’t start becoming mobile before then, as plenty of PP’s have said, so long as you’re washing the bottles thoroughly as per the guidelines they should be fine 😊

Powder formula can build up a sort of residue in bottles especially towards the neck of the bottle where it curves.

I think your LO will be fine but if you’re not sure you can always run it by your HV.

I know that they say you should sterilise bottles that use formula until you stop using it, but I stopped with my 2nd dc at 6 months and just gave them a hot wash in the dishwasher.

Personally I think these rules are set about to stop the absolute nutters in the world who don't have any common sense and in that way would get their babies ill and then blame the advice. I take it all with my own risk assessment and a pinch of salt

Mum said she stopped sterilising when she walked in and found my sister sucking on a slipper!