Sterilising bottles!

[Tealady1983]

At what age do you stop sterilising. My dd is 7 months pretty much fully weaned, doing baby lead weaning and she is very active and mobile. Toys in mouth etc when would be acceptable to stop sterilising and just wash bottles on hot soapy water maybe using Milton?

I think we kept sterilising while we were making up bottles in advance, as I wanted really clean bottles for anything that was being stored in the fridge. As soon as we moved to cow's milk at about 1 I stopped sterilising. Are you making up in advance?

Also, Milton is sterilising, though it takes longer than a microwave or steam steriliser

I sterilised until I moved on to cows' milk.

Milton is sterilising. I sterilised until 12 months.

You need to sterilise as long as you are using formula I was told! Breast milk and you can not sterilise from 6 months I think

I sterilised bottles until I moved on to cows milk at 12 months.

Formula can contain nasty bacteria so keep sterilising as long as that's what is going into the bottles. Breastmilk only bottles, and plates / cutlery etc can stop at 6 months.

If you're making your bottles up with boiling water as recommended, that is sterilising the formula!

Op I just had this convo with DH as I don't see the point anymore - same situation as you - 8.5mo dd is fully weaned and everything she touches goes in the mouth! But he's adamant we must continue until age 1 as that's what the miltons says! (They're selling it, they would say that!)

Don't know if that was any help whatsoever.

Yeah the minute my baby starts sucking the carpet or the dogs tail, think I'm gonna lax a bit on the whole steralised bottles fiasco.

Thanks for all your replies think i might ditch the steam steriliser and maybe use Milton for a bit I really don't see the point and dh says it's up to you love, so very helpful!

Newmum that is sterilising the formula but the bacteria starts to breed again. Bottles (particularly the teats) can harbour small bits of this bacteria even after a good wash, and as they continue to multiply you're just adding fresh formula onto the existing bacteria. That's why the recommendation is until you stop using formula, but is only until 6 months for everything else!

It is because the nasties in milk are a lot nastier than what they can pick up off the carpet, so teats are a breeding ground for horrible bacteria.