Sterilizing bottles- why?????

[jocesar]

This may be a stupid question but I'd like to hear your replies. I am 20wks pg so have no experience, but can't see the sense in sterilising bottles. Is a good wash and dry sufficient? My baby will breathe in bacteria from the air everyday, will put her hands everywhere and then probably in her mouth, will be touched by other people etc etc. So there is a constant exposure to bacteria. so why sterilize the feeding bottles??

good question but i'm afraid i dont know either! i'm 1st time mum to a 2wk old so have no experience either!!
we wandered about this!! i understand the 70 degree c water to make up the water to kill any bacteria in the formula but ?with regards to the sterilisation of the bottles, although we are doing so as instructed!!

you're right. there is no point sterilising, and no need to either. a good hot wash is all it needs

I think it's because milk is a good breeding ground for bacteria.

but you use water at the correct temp to kill the bacteria then discard after 1 hour?

I would always sterilise bottles and pump etc when I was expressing as I know that the milk would be in the bottle for up to 2 days (or frozen and later defrosted), and as another poster said milk is a good breeding ground for bacteria. Not so sure what I would have done if formula feeding, but I have heard that formula fed babies are more likely to get tummy bugs - maybe this is from when bottles are not properly sterilised? Would always do it with a tiny baby, but I know that a lot of people are more relaxed about it with older babies.

Yes you never know what bacteria is still lurking inside teats, and dummies etc... I would always sterilise until they are at least 6mths then at least there bodies are more able to cope with bacteria and they have had most of there main vacinations. I think some bacteria is good for children as it builds up there immune system but certainly not at such a young age, i know the guidelines say till they are a year but i think 6mths is fine and i have always done till 6mths with all mine and they have been fine ds1 was never ill as baby!!!!

actually microbiologists have said there is no need for sterilising.
there was a good thread/link on here ages ago, will see if I can find it
There are quite a few countries where mums aren't led to believe that sterilising is necessary.
a good hot wash (especially in a dishwasher) will kill all bacteria

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1364&threadid=91585#1999985

sorry

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1364&threadid=91585#1999985

see thread here

d'oh, you beat me to it

The problem I have with sterilising is that it can lead some people ionto believing that they can get away with not washing bottles and teats properly becuase they are going to be sterilised.

Not so.

Yes milk is a breeding gound for bacteria so it's important that bottles and teats and washed properly in hot water.

Sterilising is un-necessary IMO.

End of rant

Would imagine a hot dishwasher would do the trick actually, I sterilise my Mooncup in mine!

Do you/should you sterilise the calpol spoon? gave some to DD for the first time today after her immunisations. I washed it in hot soapy water and then sat it in a cup and poured boiling water over it and left it a few minutes.

Er, no, please don't sterlise your calpol spoon, life is too short!
Sterilised stuff for ds1 for 6m even though by this time he had stuffed practically the whole germ ridden world into his mouth.

For ds2 at 3 weeks I came on mumsnet, asked the same question, was pointed at the same thread, stopped sterilising immediately.

We don't have a dishwasher but I washed in v hot water very thoroughly with a bottle brush.

But have friends still sterlising at 12m!!

I used to squeeze a Calpol sachet into my kids' milk to avoid faff.

If you're not going to sterilise you do need to wash your draining rack regularly (mine's pretty disgusting TBH).

In India, something like 2 babies every minute die from formula milk related illnesses, many because of unsterialised teats/bottles.

Now I know this is the UK but why bother risking it?

I'm not sure if you mean purely formula feeding with bottles or EBM but if you mean formula, then the number of babies in this country being admitted to hospital with gastro bugs is significantly higher than for BF babies. I wouldn't want to risk it with a newborn. This could also be because of the formula itself but also because of germs from bottles/teats.

Their little tummies are so immature that any bug which they can easily overcome at 6 months+ might have a completely differnet outcome as a newborn.

luciemule i agree, it's not worth the risk!! It doesn't take that long to sterilise, especially if you use a steam one!! And not everybaby going to react the same way to bugs, where one baby might be fine another could be very poorly so like i said, i would for at least 6mths...i don't see the need to do it for longer and most babies weening by then any way!!

you can't compare the 2. 2 babies a minute may die in India, but I would wager that the majority of them die because they don't have clean water full stop- not through lack of sterilisation.

we are talking about peoiple being able to wash things (and clean them thoroughly with a bottle brush) in hot water, with soap.

it's completely different

I agree with fingerwoman

Bottles can be cleaned in the dishwasher: the temp is sufficient to sterilise apparently!

My Dad's a bacteriologist and he booted out the HV when she started raving about sterilising bottles. I'm fine (so far!)

Yup, we're not talking about making up formula with puddlewater that's had animals swimming in it and been carried in buckets for miles. That is the main cause of formula-related death and why Nestle shouldn't be advertising formula to people with no access to clean water.

I second (third/fourth whatever!) the 'no need to sterilise' thing.
We have clean water so washing in that when it is hot and soapy and leaving to air dry is sufficient.
I do have a flynet food cover thing that I use to cover my bottles/pump when they are drying and then I just use them straight from under that as I know no flies have been on them!

Yes milk is an ideal breeding ground but if you clean all teh milk off the bottles then there won't be an issue, surely

I wasn't comparing death rates in India with the UK - obviously dirty water has much to do with it too - just saying that many babies die because of a culmination of unsterilised teats/bottles/dirty water and mixing up formula incorrectly.

However, there is a reason that the advice given is sterilise up to 6 months and what's the hassle with doing it, compared to sitting in casualty for hours with a newborn who has gastroenteritis?

The OP mentioned washing and drying instead of sterilising but drying sterilised bottles etc with a tea towel could be just as bad.