sterilising

[ionesmum]

Our dd is nearly 18 weeks and we have been told that it is no longer necessary to sterilise her dummies, teethers etc. and that we do not need to sterilise her feeding spoons or bowls. We have also been told that if we wash her bottles in a dishwaser they don't need sterilising either. What do you think? Our dd is at the stage where she is shoving everything that she comes across in her mouth.

Thanks!

A lot of the Americans dispense the same advice, you've been given. Not saying it's right, just common.

To be honest, I never sterilised any of my baby's toys (ie., rattles), just the milk containers. I never heard the thing about sterilising toys, before. Do you sterilise her clothes and blankets, too?

I think the dishwasher is sufficient if it's a hot wash. I sterilised milky things up to 1 (but then again, I breastfed until 15 months so there weren't many!) I never sterilised bowls, spoons or anything like that, believing the dishwasher cycle did a good job. I was concerned about milk in the little holes of any teats I used which is why I sterilised them and thought I may as well do the bottles since I had the steriliser on.

I decided there was no point when I found DS1 eating second hand crunchy cat food Once they're finding things to shove in their mouths by themselves, I think it's really a waste of time doing teethers, dummies, bowls & spoons. You can't sterilise everything they come across!

We don't sterilise dd's toys (or her blankets etc!) although I do give anything plastic a wash. That's why I find the advice on teether packets so puzzling re. sterilising in solution (which Ii never use as I don't want dd chomping on bleach - I'd rather she took her chances with the germs!) I do feel slightly different about her dummies as they ar ein her mouth for such a long time and often have sicked-up milk on them.

Yikes, don't sterilise anything anymore (ds in 9months) just shove bottles and teats in the dishwasher. Never even occurred to me to sterilise anything else. I think a good hot wash will do for everything.

SoupDragon - thanks for this. I am soooooooo paranoid re. dd's feeding equipment. Mind you, my house is so filthy that sterilising probably is a complete waste of time!

Hi aloha! All my replies seem to be crossing! Thanks for the further reassurance.

I only sterilized my firstborns bottles and nipples. I was pretty paranoid 13 years ago. With my second two I never sterilized anything. I just used very hot soapy water to clean everything. Never had any problem. I did use the dishwasher at times but always have and still do rinse the bottles afterwards only when I go to use them. As far as toys (small rattles) I did wash them every so often epecially when they were all over the floor. Just a habit I guess. No major sterilizing. Just a quick rinse.

The only thing I ever sterilized was my Hand Pump for expressing as I was a little worried about bacteria growing on the milk. But I breasfed so there was nothing else to sterilize except dummies and I just ran them under the hot tap occasionally. Usually I just used the dishwasher to do the sterilizing. I still occasionally put ds's soft toys in the washing machine on a hot cycle and his plastic toys in the dishwasher just because they get so grubby and I'm too lazy to clean them any other way. It certainly seems pointless to do any sterilizing once your child is crawling. Just keeping the floors vaguely clean is enougb work.

Ionesmum - how's the colic etc? Are you finding things have improved as she got past the magic 3month mark? I also wanted to say how much better it all gets. I remember feeling down some days in the first weeks and everyone on Mumsnet assured me that motherhood would get better and better and they were so right. You do become more confident and your baby becomes such a laughing, chatting, playful, communicating delight and you're not just a milk producing, panicking robot (I meant me, not you)! I think your instincts (wash but not be paranoid) are spot on. I do still sterilise teats if they aren't fresh out of the dishwasher and have been hanging about and I sterlised his dummies until about 6months. Now I just wash in hot water with soap or washing up liquid and sometimes I just pretend not to notice how grubby his dummy is as he's popping it in his mouth . But hope to ditch bottles in the next few months anyway.

Soupdragon, I've just seen your posting about your ds eating secondhand crunchy cat food - you mean moggie had a good chew before ds had a go??!! yeuch!

Re catfood - it was the scattered catfood that ends up round the bowls. I could never be sure if it had been licked, nosed, chewed, whatever!

Re sterilising - I did a lot less for DS2! Second Child Syndrome I guess

Ionesmum - my house was never pristinely clean either which is why I thought sterilising stuff was a waste of time.

I guess it's all a matter of common sense really - some things you just KNOW need sterilising or a more thorough wash.

I saw bits of a program about allergies which concluded that there are more about now since our immune systems don't have to deal with "dirt" and stuff on a regular basis and therefore overreact. We use antibacterial this and that, sterilise loads etc etc...

Of course, on my part there's a certain amount of laziness involved too!

aloha - dd's colic didn't improve, we tried her on the Dr. Brown's bottles which helped, but eventually put her onto lactose-free milk (I had to suggest it to the doctor rather than the other way around!) and that has worked like a dream, the only problem being that it has made her constipated - but only slightly and she is in nothing like the discomfort she had with the colic. I do really love being a mum, I've had bad days but dd is so funny and sweet that she always brightens things up. I even love out 1 a.m. cuddling sessions -it's the tiredness the next day that's the problem- and dh says he can't get near dd as I'm always elbowing him out of the way! Dd is trying to crawl at the moment and she isn't 5 mo yet! Thank you sooooooo much for all your help and concern, it really makes a difference to me.

Thanks to everyone else for your advice/experiences. I will obviously have to keep up my current standards of cleanliness in order to boost dd's immune system.