Do you need to sterilise for EBM only?

[bearcrumble]

I have to give my DS two small bottles a day, morning and evening because it's the only way I can get him to take his iron medicine.

Until today I've been keeping pump and bottle in a bucket of milton (washing after use) constantly but I was told that you don't need to sterilise everything - just wash in hot soapy water.

So I started doing that and my mum said you still have to sterilise the bottle and teat because milk traces can stay in them and make the baby ill.

Is she right?

your mum is right. I sterilised all bottles, teats and all parts of the pump.

I didn't sterilise at all. Just washed pump, bottles teats etc in very hot soapy water and rinsed them off with very hot water. Never a tummy ache for my DS.

how old is he?
The 'general' opinion is that you should sterilise. There is a thread on this topic called something liek "IMO and in the opinion of microbiologists there's no need to sterilise".
I personally would and did sterilise - have just given my steriliser away now DD is 9 mo on the basis that if I ever do give her the odd bottle (unlikely as she's refused them so far but drinks milk from a cup) I'll tip boiling water over them from the kettle. Up until 7/8 months I would have sterilised properly.

Just my opinion though.

Just to clarify - post 6mo I'd really only stress about sterilising the teat and the fiddly bits of the pump, the actual bottle, lid etc and the hard bits of the pump would be OK washed and kettled!

Thank you. He's 4 months - I've just got my bucket and milton out again. Better to err on the safe side.

I would only sterelise if I felt my washing wasn't up to scratch, as a kind of insurance policy. By that age they are sticking their fists in their mouths and starting to lick other non-sterile things.

I didn't sterilise, but I always put the milk into the bottle and used straight away rather thn it sitting round for ages. Also this was only using EBM.

I don't think you have to, but I do - I figure it isn't going to hurt and it makes me feel better knowing they are really clean clean clean. DS only has a bottle every now and again.

Oh yep, and I would always wash immediately after use to stop the milk from getting gloopy and sticking.

they don't sterilise on neonatal intensive care where my dd was - hot soapy water, rinse well and air dry. I figure if they don't sterilise for the most vulnerable babies then I wasn't going to bother once we left hospital. I have a bottle brush and really give everything a good scrub.

I do sterilise sometimes for formula as that hasn't got the same microbicidal properties as breastmilk.

TBH I was told that milton was worst possible steriliser to use as studies had found that people weren't cleaning the bottles thoroughly before soaking in milton so was still danger if that happened.

So long as you clean the teat properly with a bottle brush you will be fine!

forgot to add esp. as you are using EBM. if it was formula prob better to sterilise sometimes.