Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Dh mad idea about bottles – dangerous?

31 replies

eddm · 27/05/2004 22:53

My dh is always coming up with 'bright' ideas. Now he's insisting that it is OK to take a bottle out of the steriliser, put the teat and neck and cap on, and then keep it overnight until you feel like adding water and powder. I think this is rubbish and would mean the bottle is not sterile. He spouted something about creating a vaccuum (sp?).
I think he's talking out of his behind and is just trying to avoid having to run the steriliser again when he's forgotten to boil and cool enough water. Is ds (10 months) in any danger if dh gets his way? So far I've stopped dh but he keeps trying this and I know the minute I'm out for the evening he is going to do this as he thinks I'm making a fuss about nothing.

OP posts:
hoxtonchick · 27/05/2004 22:56

Hello! I stopped sterilising when ds was 6 months, & he actually had very few bottles before that. I also didn't always make his bottles up using boiled water, & used tap water. The book you get when they're born says this is OK, I didn't just do it off my own bat! So I reckon your ds will be absolutely fine, he doesn't necessarily need everything to be sterile now & you can save yourselves a job when you're rushing around in the morning. HTH. xx

maisystar · 27/05/2004 22:57

i used to do this when out for the day. take a sterile bottle in the way your dh has described and also used to take the ready made milk and pour it in when ds needed feeding.

did it from 3(?)weeks old till he was 1yr and never had a problem. ds is now a v healthy 3 1/2 yr old!!

Yorkiegirl · 27/05/2004 22:58

Message withdrawn

judetheobscure · 27/05/2004 23:00

And putting the bottles in the dishwasher, if you have one, is supposed to be just as good - apparently that's what they do in the US.

SoupDragon · 27/05/2004 23:01

The bottle is not sterile from the moment you remove it from the steriliser so whether you do it straight away or just before you use it, it;s non-sterile. All the milky bacteria will have been destroyed though which is what you're aiming for really.

cuppy · 27/05/2004 23:05

I get very confused when it comes to sterilising!

You can take a bottle out of steriliser and fill it with milk and you can keep it for up to 24hrs and its still sterile.
However if you take the same bottle from the same steriliser, put lid straight on without filling it, its suddenly unsterile???? How??

I also dont understand how, if you dont make up bottles within 3 hrs of steam sterilising (avent), the bottles are suddenly unsterile. How, if u havent even taken the lid off???

TBH eddm, we just try and use common sense. At the w/e we hadnt made any milk up but has just sterilised the bottles...so we took a bottle, stuck lid etc on it and then just filled it up with readymade later when required. I dont see how it would have got anymore germs on it than if Id made it up properly. We dont make a habit of it though.

Though I'm sure some mn's can tell me why and make me feel awful for being such a bad mum!!!

Gingerbear · 27/05/2004 23:08

am sure tis OK to stop sterilising from 6 months. I used dishwasher on hot wash from 5 months onwards for expressed milk.

meanmum · 27/05/2004 23:08

Just so you realise there are mums out there terrible at sterlising I sometimes don't sterlise dd's bottles it just depends if I'm in the mood and have the time and fill them all up with water and then just leave them in the fridge until I need to use them. I also leave them out overnight and during the day until they're finished once they have formula in them. DD is only 3.5 months old and I've pretty much done this since she was born. I know you're not supposed to and all those things so don't bag me too much for being a terrible, terrible mum it's just what I do right or wrong.

Original poster
eddm · 27/05/2004 23:09

Hmmmmm so you reckon he's right? Don't think I'm going to show him this thread...
PS the water where we live is really, really, really hard, upset ds's tummy when we moved (from another hard water area) so am continuing to boil as at least most of the scale stays in the kettle. Not sure if is OK to filter water for bottles though, I know you aren't supposed to use a water softener...

OP posts:
Aero · 27/05/2004 23:11

At the risk of being shot for this............I was informed the other day that they don't really sterilise in th US. The medical professional) source of this info didn't mention dishwashers, but I would imagine that's what people who have one do and I would have thought that would be enough to clean any milk residue away.

Original poster
eddm · 27/05/2004 23:13

Unfortunately I don't have a dishwasher (used to cite environmental reasons, now realise I'm prepared to sacrifice the environment but no room in kitchen in new house). I just have very, very dry hands from all that hot washing up water...

OP posts:
maisystar · 27/05/2004 23:14

i would definately still boil the water but i think he's right about the bottle. sorry!

Original poster
eddm · 27/05/2004 23:16

PS ds has had an upset tummy today ? four dirty nappies and a sore bum. If I'm being fussy, its because he has a sensitive tummy, despite seven months breastfeeding.

OP posts:
cuppy · 27/05/2004 23:17

Eddm

youre not supposed to use filtered water no

cuppy · 27/05/2004 23:22

I think he is right yes. Basically hes saying the bottles should still be sterile because you are preparing them the same way - the only difference is theyre not being filled yet. That makes sense to me.
I would make them up as you usually do Eddm, as if you dont you will worry. But if you find dh does do it his way, dont worry too much, as you can see there are lots of us mn's who dont do as they're told!!

KateandtheGirls · 27/05/2004 23:33

Just wanted to confirm - we don't sterilise bottles here in the US. (My eldest, a preemie, used non-sterilised bottles from day one.) A good wash in hot soapy water is all they need (if no dishwasher available), and there isn't an epidemic of babies with upset stomachs in this country!

If I were you I'd throw the steriliser away! Who needs more hassle, when preparing bottles of formula is enough hassle as it is?

colinsmommy · 28/05/2004 00:21

Thank you for that, KateandtheGirls. Almost everyone in Colin's playgroup (9-12mo)has a bottle sterilizer they use. I thought I was going to get kicked out for just using the dishwasher.

hazlinh · 28/05/2004 04:16

er eddm, I've been doing exactly that since I started working, its now been abt 2 mths or more, dd is perfectly healthy! I always sterilise all her bottles in bulk (no time for 'ME' time otherwise) and set them aside under some clean cloth and then bung them in an airtight container when dry as per Medela, the breast pump manufacturer's instructions! Should be ok if the 'experts' say so, I reckon.

kiwicath · 28/05/2004 07:39

We're still on the boob so don't have much sterilizing knowhow but but I'm figuring at 10 months everything and anything gets stuffed in their little mouths (toys, rattles, dog tails etc), none of which are particularly sterile. I would probably start to cut down on the sterilizing at this stage but definitely what your hubby suggests would be fine to.

Fio2 · 28/05/2004 07:43

it usually says in the instructions how long you can leve sterilized bottles for. My daughter had gastro so I wouldnt have left them that long myself

moominmama86 · 28/05/2004 08:10

I haven't sterilised a thing since ds was 6 months old. As kiwicath says, once they get to the stage of shoving anything into their mouth anyway, it all seems a bit pointless. However, I do make sure that bottles, cups, plates etc are scrubbed in v hot soapy water! HTH

Original poster
eddm · 28/05/2004 08:32

Yes I do realise he's sticking everything in his mouth (caught him sucking the carpet yesterday. Nice.) BUT isn't milk meant to be an excellent place for bacteria to multiply? That's why I've still been sterilising bottles. Obviously don't sterilise bowls, spoons etc., I'm not that anally retentive.
I hate to admit DH might be right. Didn't show him this thread (but was going to admit MN consensus was it was OK) but the bl**dy crafty so and so has gone and left a message on the Milupa phone line.
Next question, aren't you meant to get them off bottles by a year? Seems a bit sad as he really enjoys them. Mind you, he really enjoyed breastfeeding and I had to stop that too when I went back to work...

OP posts:
Rebi · 28/05/2004 08:50

fwiw - with my dd I filled bottles with boiled water (and yes I sterilised up to 1 year! Although I didn't have a dishwasher then) and only added the powder when bottle was needed. It meant we didn't have to store the bottles in the fridge and was excellent when travelling.

You can buy powder containers (which you fill with correct amount of powder for each bottle) in Mothercare, but can probably get them most places.

I think there would be less worry about milk sitting around with bacteria multiplying.

My dd still has one bottle a day (with full fat milk since age 1). This way I feel she gets enough milk every day. She is 16 months. We are starting to think about cutting out, but as you say, she loves it so much...! The issue with bottles is tooth decay (as far as I am aware), so as long as your baby has his teeth washed after a bottle, I don't imagine you need to rush him off the bottle. In my experience friends who have rushed their babies off the bottle, then worry about how much milk they are NOT drinking.
HTH

jane313 · 28/05/2004 13:00

I take out a bottle I sterilised the night before with water I boiled in the morning plus powder if I am going out all day. Otherwise you have to take a carton of formula and I hate the waste as he won't drink that much anymore. I've did it from about 10 months when I started formula in the afternoon

californiagirl · 28/05/2004 15:08

Here in the US, the hospital told me I didn't need to sterilize -- but I do know of people who do. We are far too lazy. As for filtered water, I thought the problem with softened water was the stuff they added to soften it? I don't see why taking stuff out would be a problem.