Sterilising - stupid question

[tappitytaptap]

DS2 is 4.5 weeks and I'd like to try him with an oz or two of expressed milk from a bottle over the next few days (hopefully to avoid the bottle refusing drama we had from stubborn older bro!). I can't find my steriliser, can I sterilise the Haaka pump plus a bottle and teat by just boiling in a pan of water? How long does it take?

It's the way they used to do it! I'd boil for 5 mins but that's not based on any evidence 🤷🏻‍♀️

I may be wrong but I was always led to believe that pumps needed only to be washed in hot soapy water but not sterilized as there's no bacteria in breast milk.

Have you got a lunchbox handy? You can microwave sterilise in one of those by just covering the bottom with water, closing it up (not an airtight one, if it is just place the lid closed but not sealed) and microwaving for 4 minutes then leaving for 5, shake off any water and leave to air dry.

As an aside I don't think it makes a difference whether they've had a bottle before, some babies bottle refuse and some take it, it just seems to be something which comes on at about 3-4 months.

Thanks all and @BertieBotts, I love the lunchbox idea! DH keepe muttering about how he's seen it somewhere but in the absence of explaining where 'somewhere' might be I'll use the old fashioned method.
I know re bottle refusing (and as an aside to this in my antenatal classes for DS1 they banged on about nipple confusion with no mention of bottle refusal despite the fact I know lots of people with the latter problem and none with the former!) but would like to at least feel I'd tried. I'm back at work when he's 9 months and would.ideally like to as with DS1 transition to bottles at that point.

You don't need to sterilise for breastmilk, just run the Haakaa under boiling water if it's new and then wash with warm soapy water after each use.

Sorry, I might be the unhelpful one here! Breastfeeding didn't work for us sadly so I've been exclusively expressing milk for the first year of DC's life, both NHS and LLL told me I still needed to sterilise pump and bottles! 🤦🏻‍♀️ (They acknowledged breastmilk isn't as big an issue for this as formula but was still told to do it so have been!)

Strange you were told that, even the milk bank don't ask you to sterilise.