AIBU nursery not using bottles for breastmilk

[quesadillasaurus]

My breastfed 10-month old started nursery a couple of months ago. I have been sending her to nursery with expressed breastmilk (EBM) and bottles, which DH cleans at home and I bring back the next day. Last week the nursery staff told me that they do not want the bottles anymore because she does not drink well out the bottle, and that they have been transferring it to a lidded cup for her. When we asked more about this, they said that they run it through the dishwasher after, but it is just one of their normal cups, not specifically for my daughter, and not specifically for EBM.

My question is, is this normal practice for nursery EBM container handling in your experience? I do not consider myself a germophobe, but I did some reading before buying a breastpump and decided to buy a new breastpump based on the recommendation from the American CDC that breastpumps should not be shared between users because of the risk of infectious disease transfer. I assume that the rule would be the same with bottles used for EBM, but I can not find it listed specifically anywhere. Surely it is not best practice to use normal nursery cups for EBM which will then be used for other children? Especially if not sterilized after use.

I'm not sure if I'm being too germophobic and/or how to bring it up with them. I'm pretty new to the nursery and I don't want to make a bad impression, but I'm also a worrier and I always try to do things 'the right way'. Any advice is appreciated!

Would you rather your baby not drink the milk? Because they’ve tried the bottle and baby isn’t drinking it. So what have you suggested?

At 10 months old, there is no reason for your child to need sterile feeding equipment unless they have a problem with their immune system.
I'm assuming that by now your child is weaned and eating from non-sterilised (but perfectly clean) bowls / plates / dishes and cutlery?

Could you not just provide your own lidded cup for the milk and sterilise at home? That might be a sensible compromise.

I assume she has water and food from utensils that are put through the dishwasher. Really don't see how having milk from a cup is different?

By 10 months I was no longer sterilising stuff for my daughter. I think it’s fine - but really they handled it badly they should have spoken to you about properly I guess

But I think you are being a bit over the top

At nursery your child is gonna come in contact with heaps of germs

I wouldn’t worry about it OP. Honestly they will pick up far worse as a toddler in nursery then drinking from a cup that’s been through a dishwasher that at some point had someone’s breast milk in it.

I would also say that neither of my children would take expressed milk at nursery. We gave up after a while as all the pumping was a waste of time.

I think you are being a bit precious about it. I stopped sterilising by 6 months everything just went through the dishwasher. If you’re that concerned buy some lidded cups that are the same as the nursery use and ask them to use those only but if she’s weaning and using communal plates and cutlery I don’t see the poiht

OP You numpty

Breast milk IS sterile and CANNOT transmit infectious diseases.

Washing any cup used for EBM with soap and water is completely and utterly fine, chill

Ermm.

Why are you sterilising for a 10 month old??

Also, if she can drink milk from a cup...then have her drink from a cup.

Do you expect them to sterilise everything your daughter eats off?

Can you not send in your own cup that you can sterilise each night for your PFB if it bothers you that much?

I don't see the problem really. What does she drink from during her meals at home?
I don't see the difference between a cup of water or a cup of breast milk in the nursery. Presumably the other babies are having a drink of water or milk with their meals. If anything the breastmilk container is more hygienic, you don't need to sterilise things used for breast milk unless your baby has health issues or was premature. Your baby needs to be weaned off the bottle at a year anyway

I ask about the sterilising of bottles, because surely she's eating normal food from non sterilised plates and bowls and using non sterilised cutlery and her non-sterilised hands...?

I think you’re being OTT here. Give it a couple of months and you’re daughter will be trying to lick shoes.

Technically you don’t need to sterilise any feeding equipment that is solely used for breast milk. Running a sippy cup through the dishwasher is perfectly acceptable method of cleaning and will kill the vast majority of germs if they are using them for other children and their mothers’ breast milk. I assume you use non-sterile feeding equipment for weaning?

normmal practice and toddler cup/zippy cup washed in dishwasher is fine at this age.

I think the OP is concerned that the OTHER children are drinking from cups that have had parents breast milk in without being sterilised.

I think you may have misunderstood the 'not sharing' a breast pump. It doesn't mean you shouldn't buy second hand. It just means you should use it exclusively once it's yours,

I don't like kids sharing sippy cups, for anything, but it's probably one of those things you need to accept if you use a nursery. If you accept it for juice, there's no reason not to accept it for breast milk.

Personally though, at 10 months, I'd just bf before & after nursery & while there she can eat & drink whatever's on offer.

At 10 months she’s chewing shoes and licking the cat 😂
I think the advice is that dish washer clean is enough for breast milk anyway with it being antibacterial etc by it’s clever nature. Formula is a culture medium for bugs as well as the powder not being sterile. Much more risky.

Sorry total derail but interested in the "not sterilising for BM" thing that a couple of posters have said. My son didn't often take bottles while I was BF him but when he did, I sterilised everything. About to welcome twins and hoping I have the same success with BF... So if I manage to give them bottles, do I not need to bother sterilising? Dishwasher fine? What about the breastpump parts?

Yeah...I stopped sterilising about the time DS started picking up stuff off the floor and chewing the cats toys etc etc. Nurseries are full of germs! And as PPs have said, you don't have to sterilise bottles etc for breast milk anyway. I was told it was perfectly fine to wash my breast pump with just soapy water.

What are you worried about? Do you sterilise absolutely everything that your DD touches or puts to her mouth? Cause that's bound to get tiring

@ReeseWitherfork

Sorry total derail but interested in the "not sterilising for BM" thing that a couple of posters have said. My son didn't often take bottles while I was BF him but when he did, I sterilised everything. About to welcome twins and hoping I have the same success with BF... So if I manage to give them bottles, do I not need to bother sterilising? Dishwasher fine? What about the breastpump parts?

NHS recommend sterilising but the research shows that there is no need to sterilise equipment used solely for breast milk. It doesn’t grow bacteria like formula does.

Some posters are misunderstanding I think. OP is worried about breast milk being more 'germy' than other foods and drinks, and that traces of her breastmilk could be consumed by other children using the same cup.

There is no harm in that OP, nothing to worry about.
Personally I imagine breast milk is much cleaner and safer than cows milk anyway!

That's wonderful news @WorkEvent could save me A LOT of faffing (if these babies actually take bottles)!

Sorry meant to add a "thank you"