Sterilising

[MarathonMama]

Anyone know how long bottles stay sterile? I'm off to the Olympics tomorrow (woo hoo!) and my mum is babysitting I've got the expressed milk defrosting and would like to make up the bottles beforehand so everything is ready to go (DM is a bit ditzy so would prefer to do it for her). If I sterilise them in my steam microwave steriliser tomorrow morning, will they be ok at bedtime (7pm)?

I assumed they were sterile till you opened it.
How old is the baby?

The bottles stay sterile until you use them. Im not sure on the regs re: BM but with formula you can sterilise and make up the bottles and refridegrate for 24 hours. Not sure if thats possible with BM?

I thought you only needed to sterilise if you used formula

Hmm, wellI would have thought anything with old milk in would need thoroughly cleaning (and sterilising if baby very young) regardless fo what type of milk was in it.

Mind, I stopped sterilising at 6m.

Very hot soapy water and air drying is fine or a didgwasher

Dishwasher

Thanks

My DD is 4mo.

If I sterilise and then fill them with the defrosted milk, how long will they last?

Breast milk lasts for up to 8 hours at room temp and much longer in the fridge

I meant how long will the bottles themselves be ok? I know the milk will last for 24 hours or in the fridge, I'm more worried about the sterility of the bottles.

I don't know - Sorry

With DD who was EBF, I didn't sterilise anything

Hopefully someone will be along soon to answer

Breastfeeding Network information about using expressed milk here I understand you need to use it straight away, not defrost in advance.

Fresh breastmilk will last several days in the fridge, defrosted milk will not.

Hope you have a lovely time at the games.

BM itself has antibacterial properties so the odds of your sterilised bottles becoming contaminated by airborne bacteria and then having that multiply to dangerous levels with chilled BM in it are pretty tiny.

I always make the bottles up (eg put all the bits together) as soon as they are sterilised, using sterilised tongs. The inside of the bottles and the teats are therefore not exposed to any air for longer than a few seconds and not touched by anything other than the tongs. I then keep them lined up ready to make up the feeds (I FF) as needed.

Thanks Grumpla - if I make them all up first thing in the morning will they be ok at bedtime? How long would you leave them?

once they are sterilised assemble them and they will be ok for 24 hours. (that was the rule i always went by when I bottlefed my 2)

Thanks vodka, that's what I was hoping

My DS has always been fine. We've assumed once we put the milk in its all good until he has his bottle.