AIBU not to trust hotel kettles? (Related to travelling with a bottle fed baby)

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Hello all

We have a few 3-4 day trips planned in the country I live in - an Asian country where locals don’t drink the tap water (and non locals certainly don’t). It’s OK boiled for adults.

DS is two months old and primarily formula fed. Normally I boil water - usually filtered water - to make his bottles. But I’ve heard horror stories about people using hotel and B and B kettles to boil their pants and do other grimballs things that mean I wouldn’t usually have a hotel room cup of tea - and make me wary for DS’ food too!

Am I being unreasonable? What are the alternatives? Do people use hotel kettles to boil their pants?

While we’re at it, how does one sterilise bottles while on a trip without a microwave?!

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I don't know what you mean by boiling their pants! But can you just use ready made formula if you're worried?

For sterilising, either get an electric steriliser or a tub and some cold water sterilising tablets.

I've worked in hotels and have never found anything nasty in a kettle- they should be checked and emptied as part of the cleaning routine! Can you use Milton in water to sterilise?

Could you buy a cheap supermarket kettle?

Get some sterilising tablets for the bottles.

I think I’d just use cartons of formula. And buy a plug in steriliser.

I don't think hotel kettles is really a danger (boiling water sterilises everything) but can understand you feeling icky about it. My DM always takes a little travel kettle on holiday with her!

You say DC is "primarily" FF - would it be an option for you to gradually BF more so you can EBF on your trips?

You can get small travel kettles. I used disposable travel bottles on holiday when mine were little, you can still get them!!
here

Surely the boiling gets rid of germs so I'm fine with using a hotel kettle?

But I’ve heard horror stories about people using hotel and B and B kettles to boil their pants and do other grimballs things that mean I wouldn’t usually have a hotel room cup of tea

Care to share? I can’t imagine a kettle being used for any other purpose than to boil water. I’ve never heard of people boiling their pants in it. Where on earth did you hear this from?

Re sterilising - Milton tablets. You can buy them from pharmacies or large superstores.

I boil and throw away the first lot of water. I think that’s enough to clean/sterilise the kettle.

I'm with op, I can't imagine anyone doing horrible things with a kettle but have read so many stories about it, it's put me off! You can buy silicone collapsible travel kettles off amazon

Get a small travel kettle. Cheap and easy to pack in luggage. I know people that have used hotel kettles for all sorts of strange things, boiling pants to clean them and eggs for breakfast to name a few

Maybe pack some ready made formula if this is an option? If your local airport has a boots, I'm sure you can order it for click and collect on the day you travel. That way you wouldn't need to worry about weight limits with luggage etc.

Boiling does kill germs - but only after 10 minutes rolling boil! I am not a microbiologist or even a scientist but that is my understanding. Yes, people have been known to pee in the kettle and heating water in the kettle to wash their smalls, which they do in the kettle. I'd bring an alternative, better safe than sorry!

WHY would someone want to boil their pants?

Take your own kettle?

I would never use a hotel kettle. I don't know about boiling pants but they definitely get pissed in from time to time. People are vile - don't do it.
I would use ready made cartons but failing that take a small travel kettle of your own. Cold water steriliser with tablets should be fine for your bottles.

Why on earth would someone boil their pants when they could just wash them in hot water in the bathroom sink!?

The boiling process cleans the kettle, so if someone had boiled their pants for some bizarre reason, the kettle would still be perfectly safe to use.

Take a travel kettle or ask the hotel for a fresh kettle or steriliser. I travelled extensively in Asia with a baby (when I lived there) and the hotels usually provided sterilisers, nappy bins, cots etc but they were usually 5 star chains. We were also told some hilarious stories by staff of people preparing food in hotels kettles at 5 star resorts so you are right to be concerned.

I’d take ready made formula if at all possible. Far less aggro all round.

When we lived in a hot country and would travel, the paediatrician told me to just use bottled water for formula, (mix cold with the powder) or buy pre made cartons. We did the bottle water in the end. Dd was about 6 months old at the time. I used to get the single serve powder packets too, so no big open can of powder to lug about.

I have seen things online about people cooking tinned hot dogs and food and all kinds of things inside the hotel kettle. I share your apprehensions.

When I went abroad with a baby, I used a mixture of pre-made formula, and when I had to make it up with powder I used the hotel kettle yes to boil the water. For sterilising, I used sterilising tablets with hot boiled water in microwave steriliser sacks (but any container would have been the same tbf these were just easy to travel with as fold down small).

Take a travel kettle.
You can stuff it with things in the suitcase so it doesn’t take up too much room.

Ready made formula and Milton cold sterilising tablets was what I did but my daughter is combi fed and only has 1 bottle a day. If she needed more than I would just put some Milton in the kettle if you are worried and then use as normal

Even if someone did boil their pants in hotel kettle ( unlikely, and Boyle kettles are tiny), then when you boil first lot of water you will kill any germs inside anyway.

Just boil water first time and tip away, then boil to use fresh for baby. Take ready made formula for travelling about if not in hotel room