Sterilising confusion

[kakes12]

This is my first baby and, due to various issues, I’m combination feeding. I just got an Avent microwave steriliser but I’m a bit confused - looking for advice from experienced mums!

1. After sterilising the bottles etc are covered in condensation - not just for a wee while but for hours. Do I dry them? I don’t like the idea of them sitting wet.

1. I’ve been sterilising a bunch of thIngs at the same time, then laying them out on a clean tray to use over the course of the day... then I read to keep the steriliser sealed... what do you do after sterilising? Where do you store items and when do you use them?

Thanks!

It's a minefield isn't it? Here's what I do - i Don't think it's technically perfect but it has worked for us.

Sterilize bottles and don't dry them. Studies have shown that dishcloths/tea towels end up being riddled with bacteria if they get damp and allowed to sit so I wouldn't be wiping one round my baby's bottle. Natural drying is fine.

Once the steriliser is done I take the bottles out, screw on the tops and put them in an airtight container. This means they aren't sterile anymore, but by everyday standards they are far cleaner than anything else in my kitchen!

If you are really worried about sterilizing though you can get Milton tablets - 1 tablet to 5l of water, chuck all bottles in there for a minimum of 15 minutes then leave them for up to 12 hours or take out as you need them. Makes for a wet, sloshy experience but does keep the bottles sterile until you want them.

By airtight container I mean wilkos Tupperware box big enough to hold 5 or 6 at a time!

I used a microwave steriliser, it fit 3 or 4 bottles, I used to leave them in there until I needed one and then stick another batch in when I used the last one. I wiped the outside of the bottle as I used it but not the teat or lid or inside as they are the bits that most need to be sterile.

There is no need to dry the bottles inside, as the water is sterile and your just going to add more water anyway.

What if I’m not making up the bottles right away? I’m using the ready milk rather than powder as it’s only top ups, so if I’m going out I need to bring an empty, clean bottle. So if they’re wet, how long can they sit for before being used?!?

If it’s just for top ups, can you microwave one bottle at a time?

They will stay sterile for 24 hours I think, the water is leftover steam from the sterilising process, it doesn't matter how wet everything is inside the steriliser, once it's out of the microwave it's sterile.

I used to sterilise 6 at a time, assemble them without drying, and place in the fridge until needed. The condensation is sterilised water so it's fine. I remember how confusing I found it all!

Once a bottle is sterile it’s fine for 24 hours. Remove it from the sterilised, assembly it (take it out of you need to go somewhere) and then you can use the steriliser for more things.
I used to have enough bottles for 24 hours, that way I could sterilise once a day (even if it was in two batches) and I knew at the end of the day if I hadn’t used a bottle for some reason I had to re sterilise.
K

I used to sterilise in microwave (MAM bottles) then dry with kitchen towel and put together with teat and lid on and leave on side. Figured they were sterile enough.

Now she's 6 months i don't sterilise anything, just wash bottles in dishwasher with everything else

Sorry to hijack but how do you assemble bottles without touching the teat?

I have been breastfeeding for nearly 5 months and now trying to introduce a bottle as we've a night away in November. I find sterilising an absolute faff. So so glad I have managed to stick with BF cause I couldn't be bothered with the hassle haha.

@Astrid2 why can't you touch the teat?

Astrid2 use the teat tongs that come with the steriliser to hold the teat and then you just touch the neck of the bottle.

Ditch microwave or steam sterilisers faff and invest in Milton method. Just need a bucket w a lid and a bottle of Milton fluid. Or supermarket own brand. All your stuff (bottles, dummies, breast pump etc) float in your bucket and you pull them out and shake off the Milton solution to use whenever!

Changed our lives when shown this!

I should add... my friend who had been in hospital for a long time w prem baby showed me Milton method. She said at hospital she was taught this method and each mother and baby had their own Milton bucket beside the bed.

@Lazypuppy because if you touch it, it's no longer sterile so the whole process is pointless!

@BigRedBoat ah I never got teat tongs with my microwave steriliser. It was just the one that came with my breast pump. It's impossible to assemble the breast pump without touching the rubber bits too. Makes me not see the point in sterilisation to be honest!

@Astrid2 yeah but baby will be stuffing everything in their mouth anyway soon.

I've never religiously sterilised everything, i used to do the bottles but them assemble and leave till needed. There were times i didn't have time so just washed and re-used bottles.

I don't remember the last time i sterilised anything and baby is 7 months old now

@Lazypuppy I definitely agree! Sterilising is fine to clean milk residue and bacteria but there are so many other things that we don't sterilise. Eg toys, clothes, our fingers. My breast only ever gets rinsed with warm water too. Doesn't make sense!!