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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

A question about sterilising stuff....

19 replies

MrsMar · 04/12/2007 20:38

I'm off to Jersey next week for a few days, we'll be staying in a hotel so I won't really have access to a microwave. I have read a few threads saying that it's ok not to sterilise if you're careful about washing everything thoroughly in hot soapy water. I'm currently expressing in the morning to give my ds an evening top up, and I'd like to carry on doing the same while I'm away. Do you think it'll be ok to just wash the bottles and air dry them or should I pack some milton?

OP posts:

whomovedmychocolate · 04/12/2007 20:44

You will need to pack some kitchen towel and clean them just before you use them (so the germs don't have a chance to multiply,) but yes that should work.

JamesAndTheGiantBanana · 04/12/2007 20:49

I should imagine you'd be alright just washing them in hot soapy water and airdrying as you said, the only thing I'd say is to take a little spray bottle of dettol or some antibacterial wipes to clean the sink etc first as the hotel will have other peoples germs in, and I always think better safe than sorry with other peoples dirt (my own house is another story!!)

I think we've all just washed a bottle in an emergency when baby is screaming for food NOW, anyway, it's usually absolutely fine. I think the advice to blanket sterilise everything is just because a) some people's idea of clean leaves much to be desired, and b) so formula companies don't get sued.

gigglewitchyouamerryxmas · 04/12/2007 20:51

have you looked into the practicalities of...

avent and others who do 'disposable' i.e. pre-sterilised bottles etc which you can attach to a pump, if you use one 2)steri-bottles, sold in Boots and Superdrug etc, £2 for four bottles, choice of medium or fast flow teats

how old is your LO?

gigglewitchyouamerryxmas · 04/12/2007 20:52

in (1) i didn't only mean to sayy bottles, they do cups, bags and all sorts of stuff

Tommy · 04/12/2007 20:58

when we stayed in a hotel with DS1 as a baby, we took an old ice cream tub and a few Milton tablets. I just out all the bottles and stuff in the tub to carry them and it was as easy as doing it at home.

Your shout - but we have always sterilised bottles for milk. I suppose it depends on the age of your baby

walkinginaWILKIEwonderland · 04/12/2007 21:00

Most hotels provide a kettle - I would boil the kettle and tip over the bottle in the sink before use for extra safety.

I stopped sterilising at about 7 months with DS.

JamesAndTheGiantBanana · 04/12/2007 23:15

I was going to suggest steribottles, but imho they are SO crap. I've used them once or twice but everytime I'm shocked how much they leak. They literally gush unless you keep them absolutely vertical. Obviously the designers have never tried to feed a wriggly 16 week old who whips his head from side to side constantly in order to see everything whilst feeding.

Original poster

MrsMar · 05/12/2007 16:07

thanks for the replies everyone... i have found a really compact travel steam steriliser so i'm going to take that, it'll keep my mind at ease. however now i've got the problem of how to keep ebm cool all day if there isn't a fridge in the hotel room. i need to express so i can give my ds an evening top up. is it madness to buy one of those mini portable fridges? they're only about £25 and i suppose we can use it on picnics !!

OP posts:

ejt1764 · 05/12/2007 16:14

There's some really useful info on storing ebm here - the basic tenet is that you can store just-pumped ebm for up to 10 hours ... I was quite surprised until I thought about why ... if it's sterile when it comes out of your boob, then is kept in a sterile container, it's actually not going to be doing much except cooling down!

chipmonkey · 05/12/2007 16:17

MrsMar, I got a mini-fridge from argos to keep my expressed milk in at work and it was an absolute Godsend. It also has a keep-warm facility and can be used with a car adaptor. I suspect you are a bit of a gadget-lover like me, am I right?

Original poster

MrsMar · 05/12/2007 17:05

ejt... i had heard that ebm was ok for ten hours but i thought that was in a cool room, ie below 15 degrees. if i'm expressing at say 10am, then its really only good until 8pm and i was hoping to use it for the late feed at 11pm.

chipmonkey... i think one of those fridges might be the answer, bit of a faff for a few days though. i do like my gadgets but i'm amazed there's nothing small and portable for keeping milk cool that doesn't require freezing an ice block.... hmmm could be a gap in the market. perhaps i should go on dragons den !

OP posts:

ejt1764 · 05/12/2007 17:54

mrsmar - those fridges are also really noisy if they're in the room where you sleep - I once stayed on a B&B that had one in each bedroom (so you could have fresh milk with your tea and coffee) - we had to turn the fridge off as we couldn't sleep with it in the room.

And the room temperature is higher than you think ...

Human milk can be stored

at room temperature (66-72°F, 19-22°C) for up to 10 hours

fair enough on the time thing though ... the hotel may let you put stuff in their fridge ... worth asking!

chipmonkey · 05/12/2007 18:48

Some people find that noise soothing though, ejt, a bit like womb music!

Original poster

MrsMar · 05/12/2007 20:45

I'd probably turn it off at night, cos it's only during the day that I'd need to keep the milk cool.

I'm quite tempted to just say sod it and swallow my pride and ask the hotel if I can keep my breast milk in their fridge!

OP posts:

Coolmama · 05/12/2007 20:49

the other thought is that it's not exactly going to be very hot - so just leave the bottle on the window ledge outside ( if you have one)

StarlightMcKenzie · 05/12/2007 20:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

MrsMar · 05/12/2007 21:31

coolmama, that's exactly what I did when I went to a wedding recently, but we were in the midlands and it was really cold all day so I wasn't too worried about it being out of a fridge all day.

Starlight, I think that sounds the way to go if I'm going to ask them to store it for me. I'll buy one of those bottle covers so it's not immediately obvious what it is. I dunno why but I just get an odd feeling putting my breast milk in a strange fridge all day... I must just have a sick mind cos I keep thinking some pervy bloke will get off on drinking my breast milk.... Ok, it's official, I am going mad!

OP posts:

RoRoMommy · 05/12/2007 21:35

You know what, I got one of those mini-fridges to use at work (just don't like the idea of my breastmilk on the same shelf with my boss's ham and cheese sanny), and it was only 12 quid at woolworths. Well worth it to keep the milk cool on your room, I'd say, and you can use it on future trips, too.

Original poster

MrsMar · 05/12/2007 23:15

Thanks for that roro, I will go and have a look in woolies tomorrow, but I'm only going for 10 days, and it's an awful lot to carry... esp as I'm not even leaving the uk !! I was never terribly good at travelling light!

OP posts:

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