Sterilising Bottles

[WatersBroken]

Hi everyone,

Hoping the people of mumsnet can help!

Our electric steriliser gave up after 2 uses (just what you need with a new born) so we went out and got a microwave steriliser but this only keeps them sterile for 3 hours!

We want to go out this week for longer than 3 hours.. how can we keep the bottle sterile for longer without an electric steriliser?! Surely not everyone has an electric steriliser?

Thank you

Electric sterilisers are no longer sterile once you open it either. Sterilise the bottles, assemble them empty once done and then use within 24 hours

You don’t need to keep the bottles sterile. Just kill any remaining bugs once they are washed.

Nothing your baby is surrounded by is sterile. It’s fine.

You can keep bottles in a bucket of milton until you want to use them. That's what my mum and dad did in the 1980's no microwave or electric sterilising then

A bucket of Milton won't help the OP if they are out and about though

I'm using a milton cold water steriliser, really easy to use, just empty once day and refil with tap water and a milton tablet. If you take bottles out of the steriliser and keep the bottle sealed in a bag to take out, it should still be sterile inside.

At home I've been doing cold water sterilising with tablets as it's more convenient than the microwave steriliser although I currently have mixing bowls of bottles all over my house 

Maybe I'll just put the bottle in a zip lock bag then

This all seems very over the top I have to be honest! As like you said nothing around us is sterile @LittleBearPad

One of my HV's once told me that if you are using the ready-made formula or expressed breast milk then it's not as important as it is to sterilise with powdered formula as there is an elevated risk with bacteria possibly being present in the powder. How true this is I don't know as my experience with HV's is that their advice seems to vary widely!

Having said that, our steriliser states that bottles will only be sterile for 24 hours - we sterilise them and then they stay in the cupboard until they get used - be it within 24 hours or not! I personally think it would be fine but ultimately it's whatever you feel comfortable with!

@MarceyMc well hopefully that is true as we are using ready made formula.

I think I'll just put it in a zip lock bag.. surely no germs can get to it then!

As a PP said, you sterilize the bottles to kill bacteria from any milk residue from previous feeds, once that's been killed, it's not going to regrow until you put more milk in the bottle.

[quote WatersBroken]@MarceyMc well hopefully that is true as we are using ready made formula.

I think I'll just put it in a zip lock bag.. surely no germs can get to it then! [/quote]
You sterilise them to kill germs that may be left from formula in the bottle/teat, not to protect them from the air. Assemble the bottles and use them as required.

@dementedpixie I don't understand why everything says, stays sterile for 3 hours (microwave steriliser), stays sterile for 24 hours (electric steriliser)??

Do they not say it stays sterile for that amount of time if unopened? Once you open it they are no longer completely sterile but sterile enough

I thought the time stated was how long the internal environment of the unit was sterile rather than the bottle?

As soon as you open it they are "exposed" to the unsterile air.

Wash - sterilise - store with teats covered until required.

Hmm maybe I have completely misinterpreted!

So if I keep the lid on, the bottle is sterile until I take the lid off and then use it?

@WatersBroken

Hmm maybe I have completely misinterpreted!

So if I keep the lid on, the bottle is sterile until I take the lid off and then use it?

Yes. But frankly it doesn’t matter because you don’t need the bottles to be sterile. You just need any final germs from milk residue killed before you use them again.

If it makes you feel better I had a similar moment almost 9 years ago. when I realised the Dr Brown bottle lids had a hole in them and therefore how could they be sterile. Cue much googling until my husband explained various things.

Sterilise the bottles then assemble them and put them in the fridge until you need them. Easy! They'll be fine if you want to grab one when you're going out.

Thank you everyone, I think I must have a serious case of baby brain

I use miltons at home and just pop the bottle straight out of the miltons into a zip lock bag to go out.

If you're out at a friend or family members house you might want a small miltons cup. Not expensive from amazon. It takes a quarter of a tablet and you can then wash and re-sterilise a bottle at someone else's place if you're there for two feeds. I've found that handy

I would sterilise bottles then clip together and use within 24 hours. As long as they are sealed they are fine!