when do you stop sterilising bottles for a baby?

[bumbly]

at one year of age do you still sterilise bottles for milk?

no idea ...little one now 10 months old

When they are crawling on the floor eating stuff off it !

Spiders,bits of fluff,toy cars,biscuits....you name it

so that means now i just make milk up wiht tap water???

crikey, I stopped at about 4 or 5 months I think.

little one crawling around...forgot to add

???

No idea. DS is breastfed mainly so I use pre-made cartons.

3 months. I just used to put bottles into the dishwasher. And then just washed them - we introduced a cup at a year.

In France they stop sterilising bottles at three months also.

Dunno,Bumbly,I bf, but I'm sure that it would be fine.

I don't think sterilsers for baby stuff were invented before the 20th Century

I was wondering this myself. DS2 is breastfed but I would like to start expressing but really don't want to buy a steriliser (kicks self for selling it in first place).

I'm fairly certain that on the highest setting the dishwasher should leave bottles pretty sterile as long as I give them a good wash before they go in.

Yes tap water is perfect - it has to be - otherwise the council will close the mains off!

Much better than bottled water which has been on a shelf growing bugs for over a year in some cases.

If you want to get a filter it might take the taste of any treatment chemicals from the water before you use it. I did as I prefer filtered water. Try a sippy cup. it makes life a lot easier!

Bottled water also has salt content definately best avoided

hello, i sterilized all my dcs bottles till one year plus!!! even all eating utensils.
that said, i agree with the other ladies on here, that once they are crawling around, they are probably picking up loads of germs and stuff, that in reality is not a bad thing, as it strengthens the immune system.
i just used to feel better knowing that the bottles were very very clean!!
hope this helps x

Someone is gonna come along in a minute and post that link about how sterilising is a total waste of time full stop.

They don't sterilise anything in the USA for example and snigger at us Brits who still do...

connor -when I had to pump this time, the BFC said that even in hospital they wash the pumps in warm soapy water , rinse and then dry on paper towels . I followed it up with a blast in the dishwasher and all is fine. I was told though that with formula you need to use water at 70 degrees to make it and be really really thorough with the cleaning as formula isn't sterile like breastmilk.

Wasn't there a really long thread about how a SCBU consultant recommended NOT sterilising for preemies?

My DD is ten months and she is BF but drinks water from a cup thing. I dont sterilise it and she has tap water straight from the tap in it. I think this is fine. PLus she is hoovering up whatever I have missed from the carpet all the time anyway!

Bizarrely, I know that if for some reason she had to have a bottle of formula I would want it made with cooled boiled water as per instructions and put in a sterilized bottle!

I think it is something we approach emotionally rather than logically. So I would say, your DD should be fine with bottles washed normally and made with tap water! Or is there something weird about formula...?

Yep - Never sterilised for my DD. LONG thread about it started by someone a while back. Consultants at UCH in London said no need for her premmie Twins (10 years ago I think), and advice from them remains the same.

I gave up sterlising at about 2 months, I have a dishwasher so that cleans just as well

We gave up sterilising when DS crawling for same reasons as above and now wash bottles by hand or in machine, whatever easiest. However, I don't make up the milk in advance, just use tap water and powder as and when required with the logic being that way any bugs that are left wont have time to multiply into anything serious. I use pre-made if going out for the day/being lazy.

You still have to boil tap water for formula though, the powder is set to dissolve properly at a certain temperature and hot water in the tap has sat in the tank or pipes. If the bottles weren't freshly clean from the dw I'd rinse around with boiled water.

I think the water thing is more to do with making the formula safe as opposed to the bottles?

I would be happier with an unsterilised bottle and properly made-up formula rather than a sterilised bottle and cold tap water formula!

Gave up with DS once he started licking shoes. Haven't bothered with DD at all.

ok (liz) totally confused

for 10 months been pouring coooled (but still very hot boiled water) into sterilised bottles....then put in fridge for use as need..taken out cold filled bottles and made up formula and then warmed milk slightly in a warmer

powder not put in warm bottles and still dissolves ok

thread indicates can slowly phase out steirlising but i also thought that meant no need to boil water

can i not use tpa water to make formula and then heat milk

little one having tap water to dirnk now...

TOTALLY AND UTTERLY CONFUSED!