Sterlising expressing equipment...can I keep it all day?

[hjscho]

I find the whole sterilising thing such a pain and I never understand how long things are sterile for. Anyway, i just want to know if i can sterilise my breast pump in the morning, use it and then store it in the fridge to keep adding to the milk when i get a minute.

What are you using 2 sterilise? Apart from the rubber on pump the rest can go in microwave steriliser. I used to sterilise pump in morning and eve, if used inbetween would put rubber in boiling water for a bit first. (i boiled 2 rubber parts until they were burnt so understand your problem) It is not advised to add milk to pre pumped milk. Milk should be stored seperatley each time pumped. Bottles need to be cleaned & sterilised after each until until about 1 yr from what I have been advised.Good luck with it all!

Thanks for that...it is what I had suspected. Perhaps I'll give up the expressing.

According to Kellymom, you can pop the pump in the fridge between goes. I'm expressing at work, so not an option to clean and sterlise between times. Not that I sterilise stuff more than once a week anyway - just use hot soapy water. So far no problems.

hjscho yes you can sterilise the pump just once a day in the morning and then keep it in the fridge all day. You can keep adding to the same milk bottle all day too if you like, but remember that the milk is only as fresh as the oldest milk you put in it. Not a problem if you are using it relatively quickly but if you are planning to store it for any length of time, you might want to bear it in mind.

I exclsively express for DS and never sterilise the pump or storing/feeding bottles any more (since he turned 6m) - they either go in the dishwasher or else I just wash them in hot soapy water and rinse well.

I used to express at work mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and I just rinsed the pump with water in between. I used a different bottle when I expressed in the afternoon, so the warm milk didn't raise the temperature of the milk from the morning.

Oh...light at the end of the tunnel! That makes it much easier...phew!

Just a quick question to those of you who were expressing a lot. I have a Medela Mini Electric and find it crap. With last baby I borrowed an Avent hand pump and found I got a bit more, but I could do with having my hands free to deal with 4 week old and 20 month old. What pumps do/did you use?

don't know if you fancy trying those mirowave steriliser bags - in mothercare or boots for about £5 reuseable and quick and easy if you've got access to a microwave!

Medela Lactaline (about £80 or £40 second hand from ebay) - it's a double pump so does the job quickly and quietly - a LOT quieter than the mini electric! And you need an expressing bra.

Try www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk

Sorry, it's actually an Ameda Lactaline

I use the Avent Isis pump, but haven;t tried any others so can't compare. Seems to work for me though performance has tailed off recently - might need to replace a couple parts (they give you spares). I got the Avent out and about kit, which includes bottles and a thermos bag.