IMHO and the opinion of microbiologists there is no need to sterilize

[RTKangaMummy]

As many of you already know

My DTs were born at 27 weeks and spent 3 months in NNU

We were told not to sterilize when we got home

We were told to wash everything in hot soapy water and leave out to air dry on kitchen roll

The hospital microbiologists advised that this was the best way to clean everything

And considering how ill DS was, in NNU, we followed this advice and he never had an upset tummy as a baby and was completley fine

So my advice to everyone is to not worry too much about it, wash it in HOT SOAPY WATER AND AIR DRY {washing up liquid}

This was in LONDON btw.

When I was preggers I planned to sterilize bottles, teats, nipple shields, dummies etc.

But now, I think, thank goodness that we listened to the microbiologists at the hospital. And didn't waste all the money and time on it.

DT2 {DS} was very very very ill in NNU ITU etc.

IMHO if he can come out of hospital and not have everything sterilized and not have a tummy bug or vomiting/diarahea, then why an earth should healthy normal babies be at such a risk of being ill?

If you give a baby a toy teddy it is not sterilized, now I know that won't have any milk on. But they will still put them in their mouths.

If you wrap teats in cling film which is not sterile, then why bother?

IMHO it is all a con by the makers of sterilizing units to put fear into everyone

Saint George worked for a microbiologist and she says the same thing and that he said that as long as you were extremely clean, babies would be fine. And that all this sterilization has caused problems in maternity hospitals

So set yourself free BUT be very clean and use very hot soapy water and air dry.

Also you should make sure all the milk bits come from all the little areas IYSWIM

What about parents who put their little finger into the babies mouth to sooth the baby

What about the ones who breastfeed they are not sterile, are they?

What about older brothers and sisters touching, coughing sneezing etc over the baby? {Although I do realise that is not milk related}

I AM NOT AGAINST ANYONE STERILIZING TO THEIR HEART'S CONTENT, IT IS JUST TO SAY THAT WE DIDN'T AND DS WAS VERY PREM AND HE WAS FINE

So if you want to give it up and feel that you must carry on then I am giving you an example of where it wasn't used and the outcome was fine.

BTW when DS came home he was with his corrected age 4 days old {not 3 months}

That was during a very hot summer too.

.

"What about the ones who breastfeed they are not sterile, are they? "

BM has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It's why it's good at curing conjunctivitis. It's why it can be kept in the fridge for about 5 days (I think, correct me if i'm wrong)

ooh no, I'd be surprised of it was 5 days, mine used to go funny after about 24 hours - and DS pretty much refused to drink it anyway, which is why I only did it when absolutely necessary (him ill, or him fast asleep and me engorged) You can freeze it though - don't know how long you can keep it once frozen.

You have a point about the dormant bacteria but even the fastest replicating bacteria have a doubling time of 15-20 minutes so if it's going to be used within 20mins of removal from the (appropriately temperatured) fridge it should still be ok. HOWEVER - if it's going to be taken out and about, then I totally agree that the bottle should have been sterilised prior to use.

'scuse typos btw!

IMHO parenting is all about deciding what is best for your child or your family

whether it is about the choice of:

what to feed your baby (breast or bottle ~ if the choice is possible)
demand or scheduled feeding
sterilize or not sterilize
whether you go back to work or stay at home
nursery or childminder or nanny
organic or non organic food
vaccinate or not to vaccinate
private or state education

These are all choices that parents make when they have children

The choice one family make for their children won't be the same as another family cos we are all different

I don't care 2 hoots what other people chose to do with their baby

The point of this thread is just to let them know about a different choice that they can think about if they like

Then the choice is up to them ~ isn't it?

I am deffo not saying I am right ~ I am just repeating what the microbiologists told us

thanks thumbwitch - that's exactly my point.

The bottles of cows milk that we drink from are sterile - they have to be.

TOTALLY with the OP that if you use a drink immediatetly, then sterilisers aren't needed. I just don't want people who make up a days bottles in advance (like I did) that they shouldn't sterilise.

If you are keeping a bacteria-happy substance in your fridge, it should be in the most clinical sterile situations possible

(and I an firmly of the belief thatb dropping your dummy in the playground, and instantly shoving it back in your mouth ia not goung to do any harm!

YAWN

grr - SHOULD, not shouldn't

RTK, you sound like a lovely person, I'm not trying to fight or anythiung. I completely agree with you with the exception that milk kept in a fridge needs to be in a sterile container.

I am most defintely right on this matter, there is no room for opinion; containers of (cows) milk are sterile until they are opened. Sorry - OCDC science bod, and get a bot narky when told otherwise!!

Oooh.. RTKanga - I am so pleased to see you around still. I am hardly ever here and have changed my name, but you were always so lovely. This thread changed my life!

I have been here for years, Jareth, and have seen RTK around for loads of that and I have never seen her doing anything patronisingly. I feel it's a shame you feel that about her posts as I am sure she doesn't mean it like that -it's just her happy style. It would be a shame the day cynicism took RTK's smiles away. She has had loads of reasons to never smile, but took the route of doing so.

Thumbwitch:

Breastmilk can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days if refrigerated quickly. It does separate out, and you need to shake the bottle before giving it, but 3-5 days is fine (at the back of the fridge, not the door).

However, some people have lipase issues, which makes breastmilk taste 'soapy' if it's been fridged or frozen. In that case, you need to scald it before storing.

So perhaps that's what the issue was with yours. But as for 'going all funny', that might have just been separating out?

well, obviously it had separated out and I did shake it (and even tried warming it) but he still wouldn't touch it so maybe it was the lipase. Dunno, didn't taste it myself - for some bizarre reason that was a step too weird for me.

Fair enough. Didn't mean to come across condescending, if I did; I have several friends who have thrown away perfectly good EBM because it separated and they thought it'd gone off.

my BM lasts in the fridge for eight days. i must have uber anti bacterial bits

no you didn't come across as condescending. Maybe I just have an uber-fussy DS!

Just discovered this thread, having been trying to find a non-conventional viewpoint on sterilising. Must say I wasn't expecting advice to come via microbiologists, so thanks RTKanga for starting this thread all those moons ago.

bump

I am aware of this thread - I think it is useful and the key is scrupulous washing with hot soapy water, air drying and making sure the formula preparation areas has been cleaned with hot soapy water.

Personally, I was not sure I could guarantee to get the hygiene correct so relied on sterilisation as an additional step.

I could also not bring myself to go against the mainstream sterilising advice.

If you are making formula up in advance and therefore there is a delay before feeding then there is of course more chance/time for any bacteria left on the bottles to multiply. So I would suggest that for people preparing in advance they think carefully about that being a different situation and potentially one for which sterilising is more important.

One of the main risks with formula is of course that the formula powder itself is not sterile. As many of you know I like to increase awareness of that fact (and the fact that it is recommended that formula is made with water which is 70 degrees C).

Anyone with questions on that come and join one of the many threads or start a new one.

I think it is worth repeating the email which OP posted which was to/from UCH microbiology. (NB it dates from 2005)

OP's email:

We were told when he came home that we did NOT need to sterilize the bottles or dummies.

We were told that the microbiology dept advised that the correct way to clean everything was to wash EVERYTHING in very HOT soapy water and put on kitchen roll to AIR DRY.

Reply:

Thank you for your email. Yes you are right about the bottles. However I cannot emphasize enough the importance of cleaning the bottles so that there is no dried or caked milk at the bottom of the bottle as this will encourage bacterial growth. Clean and dry are the operative words. Bacteria thrive in warm moist environments. In addition the greatest attention needs to be paid to hand hygiene before preparing feeds. A bottle steriliser is not a substitute for proper hand hygiene and may even give a false sense of security. For those lucky enough to have a dishwasher, the hot cycle in the washer after removing milk debris mechanically is good and sufficient cleaning method for bottles, provided they are then stored clean and dry.

This advice obviously applies to this country only as we are confident that there is no faecal contamination of piped/ mains water supply. I cannot comment on the state of the water supply out of the UK.

has anyone got anything official to back this up?
I have a friend who is about to give birth and I mentioned the info from RTKM but i know she remains sceptical of ignoring the mainstream advice (just try googling "sterilising bottles" and you get the traditional advice).

Where can I get some links to official sites which back this up?

Even ignoring some glaring inaccuracies/omissions from the OPs post, I personally would continue to sterilise if I were going to bottlefeed. Given that most people I know can't seem to wash up to save their lives (I mean come on, my MIL doesn't even use hot water) I would think sterilisation is the safest option.

Hello everyone

The point of this thread is not to tell you that what you are doing is wrong or right

It is to give you different information, opinion and experiences

It is totally up to you and your friends which you method you choose to do

If you want to carry on sterilizing then carry on if you want to stop then stop

It is your baby and you should be happy with your choice ~ it's not up to me to tell you what to do with your baby

In answer to the question of evidence ~ you can either read all the thread or if you want documented evidence and it would make a real difference to you I could email them again or if you wait a month {one of my friends is having a baby there and she could ask}

Your choice ~ your baby

god this thread has me feeling all nostalgic

I know

I bumped it up cos of my best friend has just found out she is preggers for the first time

Although I haven't discussed sterilizing with her I realized that there are others who may be interested ~ if not then they don't need to read it but bumping it just incase they are

actually [whispers] it had me nostalgic for an mn of yesteryear

I have had a break from MN and was "sucked back" in to chat to Dawn French cos it appeared on my Twitter page