Sterilising for breast milk.

[Writerwannabe83]

I understand why sterilising is so vigorous for formula feeding in order to eradicate bacteria in the powder but do we have to be so militant about it for breast milk?

DS is 5 months and we are introducing a sippy cup and he will take EBM from it - although slightly messily.

Do I need to be sterilising his cup and sterilising my pump just to pour it straight into the cup??

DS always has things in his mouth - toys, clothes, his hands, loads of things that aren't sterile so why is breast milk such a risk? How is him taking it from a washed bottle any riskier than him having it directly from my non-sterile nipple and areola area?

Can I just wash everything in hot soapy water and that be sufficient?

Yes you'll be fine without sterilising if you're serving it straight away. It's when milk is stored that you need to worry about bacteria multiplying.

I think it can be very hard to clean all the nooks and crannies around the sippy bit of a cup and the pump. So it is possible to end up with places which can hide bacteria and might cause problems next time you use the pump and cup. I think cleanliness rather than sterilisation is the main thing.

Hot soapy water and air drying is fine for breastmilk

Hot, soapy water will be fine. Or, the dishwasher.

Hot water washing is actually fine for formula too. The issue is that small amounts of milk residue are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. So a teat is more of an issue than, say, clothes. Breastmilk is less risky than formula because of it's properties, but small amounts hanging around in pumps are still a good place for bacteria to multiply. It's fastidious cleaning that is most needed. It's also why a sippy is less of an issue than a bottle (teats have lots of nooks and crannies).

Thanks everyone - I used hot soapy water and an unused bottle brush to get in the nooks and crannies as best I could

His second attempt at using a sippy cup was semi-successful again. He takes 20-30mls but then loses interest