Bottles For Nursery

[TheSecretCervix]

Hello just looking for some advice about bottles and nursery. My LO is just over 4 months and had his first settling in session at nursery today - which fortunately went well!

I am sending him with expressed milk for the day, but just wanted to know people's thoughts on how best to send bottles to prevent bugs etc. I am currently expressing into Medela bottles and then feeding with Avent (LO hated the Medela calms teat I had!)

I usually sterilise bottles right before a feed but the nursery have asked that I send them all the bottles for the day pre-sterilised. I was thinking of doing them all in the morning and storing them in a Tupperware tub. Do you think this is safe?
If I was going to do this do I need to dry them before storing? After they come out of the steam steriliser they are often wet, although I know they would no longer be totally sterile, should I allow them to air dry to avoid any moisture being allowed to turn to bugs?
Or should I seal the bottles with the teat and lid as soon as I take them out and ask the nursery to refrigerate the empty bottles as well as the milk (heard this lessons bacteria growth!)

Arrrgghh - sorry I seem to be getting a bit fixated on this! What do others do?

All advice greatly accepted :)

could you not sterilise the bottles and put the milk into them before they go to the nursery and then they just need to put them in the fridge.

Yes had thought of that but I'm not sure how much he'll need at each feed so wanted the nursery to give him 4-5 oz and then add more if he needs it as I don't want to waste any! I guess it may be the best solution to ensure bottles are clean though. Better getting pumping!

I wouldnt worry about the totally sterile-ness

he will be putting loads of completely unsterile stuff, quite probably slobbered over by the other children in his mouth.

I sterilise my bottles in the morning, and assemble them while still hot and leave on window sill all day
I keep my expressed milk in the fridge

at bedtime (she has a bedtime bottle every night) I open the empty bottle, give it a forceful throw over the sink (gets rid if most of the teeny drips of water) then pour the milk in.

Have been doing this since she was 6 weeks old (now 16 weeks) and all has been just fine.

Just make sure you wash the AVENT bottles thoroughly cause i find the feeding bottles get oily residue in them, which only comes out with fairy in the bottle + hot water, a good shake, and then a proper wash up with a bottle brush

I agree with nannyl.

Before you know it he's going to be licking the carpet and chewing toys which have been in 6 other babies mouths.

Thanks everyone :) He has now successfully completed his settling in days at nursery! I sterilised all the bottles in the morning, added the milk, put them together, transported them in a cool bag and then put them straight in their fridge. I put the minimum amount of milk I thought he woukd need in each and then put some extra milk in a Medela storage bottle, which they said they would sterilise a bottle for if needed.
Weirdly, I'm not as stressy about him licking other kids and their toys ;)