why do you have to sterilise a bottle?

[manitz]

I am exclusively bf at the moment and successfully which is more than can be said with my other children. Yesterday I had to drop my daughters off to a ballet show as dh can't do buns (hair). I was out about an hour. When I got back he had given ds a bottle of formula as the baby had been screaming. Thats all fine but he hadn't sterilised the bottle.

I don't want to start a fight with him but I'm interested to know what happens if a baby is fed (8.5 weeks old) from a non-sterile bottle. I just couldn't believe that on our fourth child he thought this was ok, I strongly think it is wrong but I'm not sure why, mainly just because I've had it drummed into me. Is it just that they are more susceptible to vomiting and diorrhea? (how do you spell that??)

I am not intending to leave him in sole charge again as he is so blase about this and because he is rubbish with babies (great with kids on the whole though) but it would be useful to give him a reasoned argument at some point when I know I wont shout at him.
Thanks

A) If you never leave him with the baby, how will he ever improve?
B) If you never leave him with the baby, do you intend to remain with it at all times? Fine if that suits you but I'd go insane.
C) Yes, I'd have sterilised the bottle as such a young baby has less of an immune system. We stopped sterilising at 6 months as DD was stuffing anything and everything into her mouth anyway.
D) Do you sterilise your boobs?

E) I have heard that in the USA they don't bother.
F) If it really bothers you, they do sell some highly un-enviro friendly pre sterilised disposable bottles.
G) Is the baby OK? If so, it will probably be OK.
H) Relax!!!!!

You must sterilise the bottle each time - there are all kinds of nasty bugs your baby can catch by not doing this.

You don't sterilise your breasts as they are all ready clean and the milk inside is obviously clean.

It's easy anyway I have a microwave one it takes 6 mins and done

You don't need to sterilise bottles unless you are planning to store milk in them. If you make up bottles correctly & use immediately there is very little risk.

In neonatal units bottles are just washed thoroughly and used (I understand from reading, rather than direct experience)

Would like to say I'm totally and a bit about this whole attitude tossers sterilising. You probably won't have a car crash but you would never go in the car without a car seat for DC. It's about minimising risk.

Ha ha don't feel that strongly I meant towards NOT tossers!

"In neonatal units bottles are just washed thoroughly and used (I understand from reading, rather than direct experience)"

I suspect they are done in a dishwasher where the temperatures are high enough to kill any nasties.

Tummy bugs need warmth, moisture & food to thrive- all stuff in a bottle.

Risk is probably minimised if the bottle has had a thorough wash just before making & the feed was taken straight away but it's not something to get in the habirt of doing really.

As one of don't panic but maybe show him how to sterilise, so you can leave them occasionally!

No need to sterilise as long as you wash thoroughly in hot soapy water.

Many hospitals now advise it is unecessary (even for formula- it has long since been considered unecessary when using breast milk) including the SCBU of my local hospital.

MY DD4 has the ocassional bottle of formula and whilst I do tend to run teats through the dishwasher I have never sterilised.

Here is the long running thread started by RTKangaMummy ages ago.

Prob far, far more important to make sure the water is hot when it hits the powder (my opinion only, but based on what I have read).

It's milk traces that causes bugs in bottles, and you can see a bottle/teat is clear of these - very hot soapy water, brushing with a clean bottle brush and rinsing and then keeping clean and dry is prob fine (but the guidelines do continue to stress sterilising, even so).

The bugs in the powder can't be seen so the powder is more risky.

In neonatal units from my experience they use disposable bottles and teats which are used once and thrown away...

I was in neonatal for 5 days with my DD jaundice. Every mum who bf are given our own Milton bucket with a label on it to write the date and time we last change our water.

The bottles are washed in a dishwasher that only does bottles. Before our current new fangle devices, our mothers sterilised using boiling water (for 5 min?) that's what a dishwater does.

It's a myth we don't sterilise there.

Oh and in HDU in another hospital where my DD just stayed, they use disposable like silverangel says. We were given disposable pump parts too and a Milton bucket.

hi there thanks very much for all your answers. I'm kind of over it now. He's looking after our other three kids so I'm not worried that he wont ever look after the baby and generally i am with the youngest and prob will be till he's 6months as i have been with the others. I was also in neonatal with this one for 8 days and we had pre sterilised bottles and teats which were throwaway and milton for the expressing kit like you lilham. However I did speak to my friend who's baby was in a US neo natal and they were told not to sterilise. dh is now reading over my shoulder asking what ott mn answers i had but none of you have yet suggested a restraining order, think he's a bit disappointed!

not planning to do much formula but it was a carton so the boiling water not an issue in this case (although his db did used to make his dd's formula from hot tap water so perhaps it runs in the family. Thanks very much for all your replies, the consensus seems to be that it isn't a huge deal. (I was a bit shocked though and I couldn't work out why)