Help - accidentally used unsterilised bottle - feel sick with worry!

[SB1712]

Help!!

I accidentally used an unsterilised bottle to feed my newborn (6 days old) on her earlier feed. It had been cleaned in hot water waiting to go into the steriliser however I thought my partner had left this out on the side as a new bottle to be used.

Should I do anything or ring anyone? I am petrified it will harm her and probably won’t get any sleep tonight with worrying and checking she is okay.
Her bottle was made with the bottle prep machine with powdered hipp organic milk.

Any advice appreciated as feel sick with worry. First time mum so all new to me and don’t know how worried I should be but currently feeling very teary and guilty.

Thank you.

Weeeeellllll my husband and I truly believed for my son’s first 10 months that we were sterilising his bottles before his aunt pointed out we were just sticking them in boiling hot water (soaking) after a clean. I was quivering in my boots until she said ‘clearly what you’re doing is absolutely fine!’ One day you will look back on this and giggle 🤭

Don't worry, I was devastated when my mil's dog locked ds dummy & mil stuck it back in his mouth. He survived & didn't catch any doggy diseases.

Thank you everyone

Oh mate, it's so hard in the early days, especially with your first! You worry about everything and believe me it continues on! Baby will be absolutely fine with the bottle. It was washed, as long as you made the bottle up correctly with the right temp water to kill off the bacteria then it's fine! Wait till you get to your second, you'll be much more relaxed about stuff like this!

It will be fine, don't worry :)

Sterilising is a fallback in case the washing process wasn't 100%. If it was clean and washed it is likely absolutely fine and there was nothing on it to need sterilising away anyway.

There used to be this old thread running on the infant feeding board here (years ago :o) about how microbiologists don't recommend sterilising or something. I can't remember exactly what it was but it was a big MN thing.

Obviously it's not doing any harm to sterilise, and it's probably a better idea to sterilise than not, just in case. But I don't think your baby will be harmed by being fed freshly made up milk from a clean bottle :)

Sterilising seems to be an Anglo thing (UK & US) - lots of European countries don’t bother with it. Your baby will be fine.

She'll be fine. Honestly. When my DS was tiny I accidentally fed him old milk that had been sitting out for hours instead of the nice fresh bottle I'd just made up. I was devastated but he was fine. I blame sleep deprivation!

Your baby will be fine. The bottle was clean.

Honestly having been to houses where the parents who have addiction problems were using hot water from
The tap with formula and when they sold the formula using noodle juice (the gravy from super noodles) to feed their babies, I am sure as a one off you will be fine.

It's normal to worry, it shows you are a good parent, be kind to yourself and congratulations

Plus I never sterilised my boobs once 😂

Lots of countries don’t sterilise at all.

And i knew someone who was told by SCBU when their child was sent home to not sterilise the bottles because they had already been in too sterile an environment for too long and that in itself can have an impact on the development of their immune system.

As long as the bottle had been washed there really is no issue.

They sold the formula……😞

Be kinder to yourself and dont woory