Just curious as to how everyone sterilises their bottles

[Chocoholism]

As per guidelines we make up a bottle when needed, we have a prep machine so it's easy peasy but I'm wondering if people sterilise every time they open the steriliser?
My one keeps bottles etc sterile for 12 hours as long as not opened so I presume that once opened to take bottle out then I need to re sterilise so that means sterilising 6 times a day?
That's what I have been doing so I just wonder what others do

Another one for Milton fluid here. 15mins to sterilise,only need to change the water every 24hours. I do 3 or 4 at a time,rinse with soapy water and throw them in the steriliser for a few hours (no particular reason thats hust what i do), assemble bottles and store in cupboard and start again. Easy peasy :)

I've actually wondered something for a while so hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread op.

If you're mixing the formula appropriately, what's the need for sterilising? The concern comes from bacteria in the formula right? But if you're mixing it with cooled boiled water then where's the risk? Why sterilise the bottle?

I did do it as per the guidelines when using powder but when I was using premixed formula I did wonder if it was necessary?

For the first six months (pfb very prem twins!) I used to resterilise every time I opened the lid (and give my husband a lot of grief for not washing them properly).

As they got older and bigger I just used to bung them in the dishwasher.

If I was to do it again I wouldn't bother with the resterilising every time I opened the lid but would sterilize for at least the first four or so months.

The reason for steralising bottles is to get rid of any residual milk that had not been removed during the cleaning process.

By washing in very hot water or using a dishwasher you negate the need to steralise but I think it's too ingrained in our culture to stop!

As far as I'm aware they don't steralise in the USA and I know for sure they don't steralise in Spain.

The reason for using HOT boiled water when making up bottles with milk powder is that the powder itself is not sterile and you need the water to be above 70 degrees to kill off any bacteria in the powder.

choco there is always Google... And any environment can be a 'breeding ground for bacteria'. Most of the surface area of a human's skin, for example. Do try to use this common sense you claim to have.

Oh dear, some posters have such low self esteem that they have to poke fun at a sensible question. We were confused about this too. Then a microbiologist pal explained the difference between sterilised and sterile. Bottles don't need to be kept in sterile conditions just sterilised to kill any bacteria living in the milk. It's hard to manually clean a bottle with hot water and soap as microscopic milk residue is very sticky apparently. We sterilised, assembled and kept in the fridge. I will never forget the confusing hour I spent trying to figure out how to assemble a complicated empty bottle without touching the teat. Most of us have been there or can empathise with a new mum. Enjoy your baby.

Well Humpty if there's always Google then people best not ever ask a question on Mumsnet ever again should they? After all it's all on Google...

Mine stay in the Milton steriliser until needed. Just checked and Google agrees that this is OK.

I had a avent microwave steriliser I use to sterilise then fill them with boiling water, put the lids on and leave it on the side and just added the powder when and where. When if expresses I'd put it in the fridge but the bottles would be made up on the side to I needed it

In the states they don't even use boiling water just bottled or tap. My DS is two and is fine.

I prefer mumsnet to google on baby stuff as mostly it's good people with the experience to help me whereas google is just a minefield of contradictory information. I didn't post this in AIBU did I?

Thanks everyone by the way, I've decided to relax a bit now and sterilise still but make up empty bottles for day and leave in cupboard

Um, thanks for the passive aggressive 'concern', but my self esteem is fine. And asking whether bottles have to be re sterilised every time the container/steriliser is opened to the filthy, bacteria-laden air doesn't count as 'perfectly sensible'. I suggested Google because it's not a question that requires advice. MN is not a substitute for Google, it's meant to be a discussion forum.

Microwave sterilser, put bottles together then leave empty until needed.

I've just googled Perfect Prep-how is out different from a kettle?

13 years ago, we used to steam sterilise bottles, make 6 bottles up and cool then down under running water then keep them in the fridge!

dame it isn't really but it just makes a bottle dead easy In 2 minutes, don't have to wait for cooling down and all that so for me it's been great and kind of like a coffee am gone really but for formula.
humpty i asked advice on an advice forum, don't see what your problem with that is. Maybe to you I'm not asking a sensible question but I genuinely wanted to know. If that annoyed you then you really don't wanna know what other crazy 'not sensible' other things I do I protect my pfb from the nasty world out there

*coffee machine
Silly phone

Wash em, sterlise em, assemble and leave on the counter, or leave em in the steriliser - it will be fine.

Or you could do what they do in the US, stick them in the dishwasher. No sterilisers there.

Please please please promise me you will stop with the sterilising all together when your baby starts crawling and eating proper food as it is totally pointless then!

A HV told me that the whole over the top 12 months sterilising thing is pushed as policy so as to at least encourage the filthy parents to at least WASH them!

How does the machine cool down the bottle in 2 mins?

Sorry to keep on but out seems bizarre to an old timer

it adds a shot of hot water for you to mix the powder with and then it adds a cool shot of water to cool it down (I think thats how it works anyway)

So it's a seventy quid kettle?

basically, yes. You have to add the powder yourself and everything!

Blimey, they marketed that well

Never underestimate how easy it is to sell to first time parents.

Sorry chocoholism I'm not having a go. I've been there myself.

Oh I was the same - bought every ridiculous thing that was going

Yep the uv sunlight shade for the bugaboo was a low point. Utterly useless and I had a sunshade already.