FF - all so confusing!!

[BeanInMyBelly]

Hi all - have been reading all the threads about how to safely ff and have to say its very very confusing!!
I have been using boiled water thats been boiled no longer than 30 mins before, or filling a flask up and using the hot water from that.

My question is to do with bottles and sterilising.
So far (lo is 3 wks old on saturday) we have been sterilising the bottles after they have been used - then once the steriliser has finished we take them out, puts the teats/caps on the bottles, then the lids, and leave them on the side ready to be used. We have 6 bottles and lo feeds about 8 times a day, so they probably each get sterilised a few times in a 24 hour period.

Have just read though that the manufacturer will state how long the bottles will stay sterile for. I looked up our steriliser (Avent Express Steam Steriliser) and it says 'if the lid of the steriliser is kept closed the contents will stay sterile for 6 hours'. Does this mean that if i take them out and put them on the side, they will not stay sterile? Because that just doesn't make much sense to me!! I can't keep them in the steriliser because I wouldn't be able to sterilise the other stuff thats been in use, and what about if you were to go out for the day? For example we went to my dh's family for the day yesterday, so we sterilised the bottles and then put them in our feeder pod and took them with us, 4 bottles in total.

If i had to sterilise the bottles just before every feed she'd be screaming, because her feeds aren't regular, so i would have to wait for her to stir, then sterilise the bottles....and what, hope she hangs on till they are sterilised?? I guess I thought once they were sterilised, if you put the lid on them and didn't bring them into contact with anything else, then they would stay sterile!!? xoxo

Bottles are fine to be put to one side, lidded and then left alone until you come to use them again. They should be fine for a day.

Perhaps your HV can help you and give you some confidence about this.

I don't think sterilising is that vital to be honest, so long as you really carefully wash the bottles (or use a dishwasher). I'm sure lidded on the side is absolutely fine.

We store our sterilised bottles in the fridge for up to 24 hours (empty). To be honest they aren't really "sterile" but pretty close (I think medical sterilisation takes longer and uses higher temperatures). Once you open the steriliser airborne bacteria can fall onto the exposed surfaces as you put them together or there is a risk of you getting a speck of dirt on them but since they have been washed and "sterilised" they will be pretty clean and would remain pretty clean for a while. I think the bacteria in the powder is much more of a risk.

You can relax. Sterilised and capped bottles are safe to use.

Thanks for all the replies - you've put my mind at ease!! : )

Meant to add, in NZ and Australia the advice is to air-dry, and they don't sterilise long-term like they do in the UK. You wash all equipment in hot soapy water (or dishwasher), rinse and dry on a little bottle drying 'tree' (for want of a better word!) until no water droplets present. The theory is the bacteria would exist in the droplet, not on dry plastic.

I used to do this, then once dry assemble bottles and cap them, or put them all loose into a large plastic box with sealed lid.