When to stop sterilising?

[SeaChelles]

Sorry not sure where to post this - but what age is recommended to sterilise bottles until? My DS is not 9.5 months, crawling, cruising, some walking etc, everything in mouth and I'd like to stop sterilising soon - but not sure when is best/recommended. I've never been one to sterilise dummy and water cups etc - but have always done bottles thoroughly.

Thanks

If you're making up bottles in advance to keep in the fridge, I would say to keep sterilising bottles.

Otherwise just wash them up/stick them in the dishwasher :)

so i presumed your ds IS 9.5 mths old. i stopped sterilising as soon they start crawling and putting everything in their mouths.

I stopped sterilising at 7 months when DS was fully weaned - i never sterilised his spoon and bowl so didn't see the point in doing it for the bottles.

Sorry - yes - is NOW 9.5 months. Duh....spell check seachelles!! [GRIN]

It is totally pointless sterilising bowls/spoons etc, isn't it :)

jareth - it never even crossed my mind to sterilise the bowl/spoon/sippy cup/dummy etc.....and he's had most of those things since 4 months old....never mind! I suppose it would make more work for me and that why i didnt!! hehe!

My son will be 6 months next week and I've just stopped sterilising, he's been putting everything in his gob for ages now and he's almost fully weaned, I just make his bottles up as required, just do what you are comfortable with.

I do make bottles in advance, and he's been weaned since about 5-6 months as well. Think I will stop doing it in the next couple of weeks - one less thing to do now am back at work 3.5 days!

You can stop at 6m. We did. He has NEVER been ill, not once.

He has also had tap water since 6m too.

tablevamp - same here - i've never given mine cooled boiled water - i've always done it straight from tap....

Hmm.. yes, if bottles are in the fridge with formula i think it's probably best that they're as clean as possible.

You could start making the bottles up differently though? If you just use half the amount of water from the kettle, add teh right number of scoops, and then top up with cooled boiled water from the fridge you can make it up really quickly and not have to bother with sterilising. Don't add formula powder to cool water though.

Think it is advised to sterilise bottles as long as you use them for milk. Not so much for dirt, more to avoid food poisoning from some remnants of milk lingering in nooks and crannies.

And anyone who tries to tell me otherwise (ie. that 6 months of my life was consumed by unnecessary sterilising), will not be listened to.

Though shoving them through the dishwasher is fine to sterilise at that age.

if i had a dishwasher i would have stopped earlier but didn't trust OH washing up so carried up till 1 year just for bottles

You could stop bottles altogether! Best practice is to stop them before a year in any case and if he's coming up for 10 months then presumably he's drinking from a cup anyway.

How do you stop the teats/lids from travelling around the dishwasher and ending up full of water?

Yes Octavia he is drinking from a cup for water. However he refuses point blank to take milk from his cup. Never mind. He can have the bottles as long as he wants, I'm not worried about that. Just don't want to have to keep sterilising needlessly.

Thanks all for the help.