Sterilising and ready to use formula

[bunnypenny]

Hello - I plan to start introducing formula my currently EBF baby when she’s 6months old. I’ll be using ready-to-use formula, not powder. Do I need to sterilise the bottles/tests etc? I know the bacteria concern lies with the powder, but wondered if it is the same with the ready to use stuff.

also, if using expressed breast milk, do I need to sterilise the bottles?

thanks!

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/sterilising-baby-bottles/

Up to a year

Pretty sure you always have to sterilise the bottles up to age 12 months irrespective of what's in the bottle, ie be it powder formula, ready made uht or breast milk. I don't exactly understand the reasoning behind it as I thought the main problem is with the bacteria in the formula which gets killed with water above 70C but that's the advice anyway.

Maybe it's to kill bacteria in any residual formula in the bottles (as formula starts growing bacteria again at ah unacceptable level after two hours) but then why can't you e.g. put sterilised cupboards away in the kitchen cupboard as surely once they are sterilised they won't come into contact with formula again until you actually use them.

I don't think it's because of any generic bacteria being dangerous as babies of course out everything in their mouth and we aren't asked to sterilise other dishes (like the ones we use for solids) and apparently they can even have tap water to drink.

Or maybe I'm wrong and you are meant to sterilise absolutely everything.

Anyway sorry I'm rambling but it's a genuine mystery to me.

To answer your question yes the advice is to sterilise bottles till the age of 12 months.

Yip as others have said you need to sterilise until 12 months. It's the bacteria in the milk that's the issue. Not "germs" as they put everything in their mouths😂

Yes, sterilise the bottles. Because they have had milk in them previously, they can grow biofilm which is nasty and not always removed by washing depending how thorough you are. It's a fallback but it doesn't take long so why not.

Sterilising bottles is separate from using hot water to sterilise milk powder.

You don't need to sterilise for breast milk. You do for formula.

www.laleche.org.uk/storing-your-milk/

Have you ever discovered a water bottle (or toddler's water cup) that has been forgotten for a few days and witnessed the smell it develops or the slimy inside of the bottle? That's biofilm. It's removed by high temperatures or by physical scrubbing but not by rinsing out.

This is actually much more concise about expressing (Scottish Government website). The not sterilising for breast milk is new advice - it had just been brought in when I had DD in 2019.

www.parentclub.scot/articles/breast-milk-storage-and-bottle-hygiene

The other reason why they say it for milk feeding equipment, but not baby's cups, bowls, spoons is because milk is sometimes kept in bottles for several hours and/or is kept warm. Warm milk is a very friendly environment for bacteria, much more so than water or typical baby foods. So if there is a tiny amount of bacteria in the bottle it could potentially have a great food source in that warm milk you are putting in it and start to multiply quickly.