What's the worse that can happen and what should I do?

[PennyDreadful66]

Hi all,

I am posting here for traffic I'm sorry but I'm just really worried, my DS is in his 6th month, he's 23 weeks old and we've started him on some puree food a day, only a bit but he's a big hungry baby which is the reason we've started a bit early, I'm unwell in bed with the flu and my mum is here looking after Ds, she's fed him but hasn't sterilised his bowl or spoon, it's been washed obviously but not sterilised, what should I do? What do I need to look out for? I'm don't know if I'm over reacting but I'm terrified of him getting really poorly, it's my fault as I forgot to mention it but in all fairness I didn't know she'd feed him as I normally do it a bit later on in the day, is there anything I should be looking out for?

Honestly I wouldn’t worry at all. He isn’t far off the stage where he will be dining on mud and the random things he finds!

Hope you feel better soon

That's around the time we stopped sterilizing most things except bottles. I would worry about it as it was well washed and probably in the dishwasher too.

From 6 months they don't need things sterilised - that's according to the NHS rules. So I wouldn't be worried at all. Just look after yourself and be glad you've got Mum to look after him.

Erm I’d say nothing. Feel better soon!

I didn’t know sterilizing bowls and spoons was necessary with weaning, I only ever did that with bottles. He’ll be fine!

• wouldn't worry

Nhs advice is that sterilising bowls etc isn't needed after 6 months and he's very close to that so I wouldn't worry

I always think of it this way, how often has your baby started sucking your shoulder, jumper, muslin, car seat/pram straps - none of which sterilised. I wouldn't worry :)

Hell be fine

He'll be fine. They don't need all equipment sterilised at that age, just bottle teats, really.
He's presumably been on the floor, putting toys in his mouth? This is where their immune system needs to learn to work.

I never sterilised any cutlery or crockery.
I continued to do the bottles out of habit but at 6 months it’s not necessary. Remember food isn’t sterile, so what would be the point?

Nothing will happen. You don't need to look out for anything. He will be fine.

I never sterilised DS's bowls and spoons... 😳

Yeah I’d say this is a massive overreaction. Kids at that age have all their toys in their mouths, their hands, everything they can really. He’ll be fine.

I started weaning at 6 months and never sterilesed any bowls spoons plates.
All will be absolutely fine 🙂

I have never sterilised bowls and cutlery for my DS. I never even thought to do that and we have had no issues. The thing is, their little hands are always in their mouth after touching hair, clothes, crawling around and they should rightly get exposed to household germs to build their immune system. Please don't worry!

Thank you everyone, I'm very grateful that my mum's helping with him of course, I think because I'm so poorly I just got myself in a tizz but you've all reassured me it'll be fine, I'm just a bit precious with him at the moment I think but you're all right when I think about all the things he puts in his mouth an unsterilised spoon is the least of my worries haha

Nothing OP! Bowls and spoons don’t need sterilising. Bottles only do past 6 months to make sure there’s no build up on bacteria from the milk stuck anywhere. But a really thorough clean will make sure of that anyway, you don’t really need to still be sterilising them.

@KatherineOfGaunt me neither 😅

Try not to worry. Mine used to crawl along the floor at the age licking it - utterly grim in school hall at toddler group

In the hospital I was advised when they start putting their hands in their mouths sterilization is no longer necessary.

My 2 adult ds were weaned at 10 weeks. I sterilised bottles but never plates or cutlery. It didn’t cause any problems Guidance has changed so much.
They are now very healthy and both over 6 ft tall.

You only need to sterilise if the items stay damp between feeds so spoons bowls etc are fine

Bottles get sterilised because there are many books and crannies that don't dry out between use so do need that added extra precaution

Please don't stress, your baby will be fine

Too much sterilisation, and you hamper the immune system from doing its work. So no need to worry, OP, and feel better soon

Would you like to know a secret Op? Dh thinks dd’s first food was some vegetables on the day she turned six months.

Actually at 25 weeks we were at a baby group and doing a sensory play where the kids were sitting in a big tub of cooked spaghetti.

You can guess the rest! (But don’t tell dh!)