can you sterilise bottles/expressing parts in dishwasher?

[dinny]

dd is 3 months old - is it ok or need steam sterilisr?

thanks

the guidance is to sterilise for at least 6 months i believe

i stopped as soon as DDs started crawling as i figured they were putting everything in their mouths anyway - just used dishwasher (top rack) and these baskets to hold everything in

most americans just use dishwasher

sorry not a definitive answer, personally i think dishwasher is fine, followed by a rinse with boiling water just before use.

Think its a bit personal really - I have been doing it, but I am thinking of stopping now (dd 16 weeks) as so much else is going in her mouth now! Other countries don't necessarily sterilize everfything. I sometimes think the guidelines are set high so that people aim higher, rather than being definitive. But some people are just happier carrying on til six months as a sort of 'law' - depends on the kind of person you are.

In brief, I think dishwasher sufficient - sorry if not v articulate, am v tired!!

you don't need to sterilise, just make sure that everything is very very clean.

Most bottles etc can be 'done' on the top rack of a dishwasher

and if it helps my friend who had a prem baby in SCBU was told not to sterilise! doctor told her just use dishwasher and rinse, air dry. clean germs are good, don't be too sterile.

Dishwasher is fine.

If it's just bm, no need to sterilise at all - dishwasher or hot soapy water is fine.

In the strictest sense of the term, no you can't. However in a home with good general hygene, where the bottles are rinsed immediately after feeding, and then taken out of the washer and assembled as soon as the cycle has finished, and then used same day with formula made up as per the best practice guidelines - then yes, you could regard them as suitable for feeding. If you use your dishwasher rather than by hand, make sure it is on the highest temperature setting though. This is where the American experience differs - their dishwashers generally use much higher temperatures than our own. Milk can harbour some really nasty bugs, more so than general 'dirt', and so it pays to be scrupulous about cleanliness - though that's not the same as truly sterilising everything.