sterilising bottles, how often?

[HeavenK76]

Do we sterilise bottles after every feed or once in 24 hours.
After feed can you just rinse with water and use or do you need to sterilise before every use.
If I run out of clean bottles during the night will that mean that I have to go down to wash and steam the bottles.
I don't use the cold water method as I wouldn't feel comfortable with using anything chemical for bottles.
It also leaves a nasty taste.

Could we just rinse of with boiled water?

They need to be fully sterilised after every use. Not just rinsed.

If you buy enough bottles you won't run out. You can run the steamer twice a day.

Defo what Fideline said. I understand the dilemma of running. If you don't want to spend out on more bottles change your routine a bit. I used to do the washing, sterilising and prep of them after dinner, just before I washed up.

I'd be inclined to think that in this weather, it's ideal bacteria breeding conditions.

If in doubt though have a chat with your HV to double check.

How old is the baby?

The cold water method is perfectly safe and actually really convenient. It's what they use in hospital for new babies so it's definitely safe.

We sterilised 6 bottles and then assembled them. Popped them into the fridge - empty but assembled. Took one out as needed. Initially, we sterilised x2 daily.

We did use cold water sterilising in the early days.

You know you need to scrub them with hot soapy water before sterilising don't you?

Our routine was that every bottle was well scrubbed with soap and a brush used only for bottles. Then when we had a few I would steam sterilise. Once they were steamed I would seal them all up and they stay sterile for 24 hours.

I did use cold water sterilising when LO had thrush as steam sterilising doesn't kill off the spores as well. Having done it for a while I would be tempted to do that again rather than steam sterilise. Hospitals cold water sterilise and there isn't I taste that I could discern.

My LO had prescription formula and nothing got rid of the smell better than Milton

Nothing wrong with cold water sterilising. They use it in hospital and SCBU/NICU are the strictest of places when it comes to hygiene! I'm bf this time so don't need to sterilise but would use cold water sterilising if I needed to!

Milton sterilising tablets used for cold water sterilising are perfectly safe and are used in many 3rd world countries to make their dubious water supplies safe to drink.

Everything is a 'chemical' not least the actual formula you'll be feeding your baby so I wouldn't worry about it.

as a PP said you need to wash them in the hottest water you can stand scrub with a brush thats just for the bottles and make sure you wash them in the water first before anything else.
then sterilise everytime

Yes I do always wash and sterilise them it was just to make sure you need to do this for every feed for instance baby finishes feed but still wants more, can I use the same bottle washed with water or do I need a fresh one?

Ah!

It is within the hour I would use the same bottle. My wee one was very hard to feed and for weeks there was a constant bottle on the go. I would remake with a fresh bottle after an hour had passed from the bottle first being touched by her lips if that makes sense?

If baby just schlurps it straight down I would just rinse in the boiling water and make a fresh one - a bit like when you make another cup of tea having just finished one.

Does your baby often do this? Maybe just up the amount?

DD had bottles from 3 months (mix fed to 6 months, then exclusively FF from six months) and I never sterilised a bottle. Always scrupulously washed and rinsed, formula always made up according to instructions, but never sterilised - and no problems.

If your baby finishes a feed and wants more, I can't see the problem with making it up in the same bottle, as long as you make up the formula properly.

Once we got past 6 months I stopped sterilising and put the bottles in the dishwasher instead