Condensation in bottles after sterilising

[Justamumof2x]

Hi all,

middle of the night post. Sleep deprivation has got to me and I’m now questioning everything 😂

2nd baby just turned 6 months. And the uv steriliser we had broke so instead of buying a new one we just bought a tommee tippee microwave steriliser to last us the next 6 months.

I read the instructions and reviews and I was like ok this is a good, quick and convenient way of sterilising bottles.

and at 12:30am mid feed it dawned on me…

i sterilised 3 bottles at around 5pm that day and kept in the container in microwave

I opened the container to take one bottle out at 6:30pm ) and I just took another one out just now at 12:30am.

the bottles are full of condensation… is that ok? As the bottles were sterilised a good few hours ago was I meant to re sterilise them since?

the questions running through my head are wild. Sleep deprivation, I have not missed you 😂

I mean in my head I was thinking the bottles were sterilised. The condensation is sterile so no need to worry but for how long for?

for a week now I would sterilise 3 bottles at a time, take one out when needed and so on until I’ve used all 3 but I’d keep them inside the sterilising container obviously wet. Is that wrong? Am I meant to re sterilise more often even if I have not used all of them up?

with the uv steriliser we had, it would sterilise them and dry then plus the machine would automatically re sterilise all contents every 2 hours.

am I doing this wrong? Are the bottles ok to sit in the wet steriliser until I need them? They all get used within if say 6hrs so it’s not like they’re inside for more than 24hrs.

someone who has used this type of steriliser. Please help 😂

No idea what you're meant to do... but I have a similar one and just do what you do. My now 4yo and my 7mo have been fine.

At 6m my babies were putting anything and everything in their mouths. The one who crawled at 5m was grazing on composted bark chippings in the garden, and chewing the buggy wheels. I didn’t bother sterilising after 6m.

I remember thinking this exact thing ten years ago!! And they’re still alive and I didn’t re sterilise anything iirc.

I used to bang the bottles upside down onto a clean tea towel to get most of the condensation out.

Is the water you use to wash them clean and safe for human consumption? If it is then you don’t need to sterilise the bottles. A good hot soapy wash, hot rinse and left to air dry is enough.

I tried to do the whole sterilising thing with my DD for maybe a week but it was such a PITA. From two weeks old I quit trying to sterilise because I read about how the water used to wash them is what determines the need to sterilise them. My tap water is clean and safe for human consumption. She was fine.

From 6 months old you don’t need to be sterilising things. Your baby will have started solids and they’re not sterilised. Do you sterilise the bowls and spoons used by baby? Is baby busy stuffing toys, toes and random stuff objects into his/her mouth? They’re not sterile.

I had this type of steriliser for DS. They condensation is fine, I just shook the water out and made the bottles. Theyre sterile for 24 hours when in the steriliser so if youre using them with 6hrs you will be fine

I have the MAM microwave steriliser and have used for both my children (3y and 9m) and have always done the same as what you describe and had no issues with it.

That being said I think what you are meant to do is let the steriliser cool and then remove the bottles and assemble as you would normally and make sure they have lids tightly on.

@FeralWoman do you have a link to that? NHS advice is still to sterilise until 12m.

@Justamumof2x, I got so tangled up in this with DD1. I reckoned if it was within 24 hours it would be fine, otherwise they felt a bit “musty”.

As long as they aren’t sat for days before being used it’s totally fine, that was always my take on it anyway! I used to panic about it and then distinctly remember the day I watched my 6 month old lick a trolley in Asda and try to put the dogs ball in her mouth and thought why on earth am I so stressed about clean water in a bottle😂

If its causing you stress, just stop sterilising.

By 6 months my kids were crawling around, putting everything they could get their hands on in their mouths. Clearly I couldn't sterilise everything so gave up. Figured I was using boiled water to make the milk so it was still fine.

3 kids are teens now, so no harm done. Unless you have an immunocompromised kid I think you're good to stop.

Please don't listen to the people about not sterilising from 6 months. You do it because bacteria grows in the formula, and you may not get all of it from washing the bottles. Even if baby was 13 months and having formula, you sterilise.

@QueenOfWeeds No link. I see that the NHS recommends it. From a practical point of view it’s not sterilising unless you’re using a medical grade autoclave. You’re just reducing the bacterial load. Clean hot soapy water and a thorough wash is very effective at reducing bacteria. Unless the baby is immunocompromised they’ll likely be fine.

This is for bottles that are not made up. And when they are, the milk is going to be drink straight away.

Why formula? If the baby was 13m and having a drink of regular cows’ milk, would you expect the same level of sterilisation as at 1m?

Here’s some non-NHS links.

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/should-you-sterilize-your-babys-bottles

https://www.cnet.com/health/parenting/sterilizing-baby-bottles-is-a-waste-of-time/

France doesn’t recommend it.

https://www.lebiberonfrancais.fr/en/blog/guides/how-can-i-clean-my-baby-s-bottles-effectively#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20INPES%20(National,no%20longer%20considered%20a%20recommendation.

I remember when I had my DD that some people didn’t actually wash their baby bottles and thought that putting them through a steriliser was all that was needed. Never mind the milk residue on everything breeding up bacteria. Yuck.

Put the whole child into a sterile bubble! It’s the only way.

Honestly, wash your hands with soap, use clean water, wash the bottles and quit stressing out about sterilising if you have a healthy full term child.

I would assemble the bottles after they've been sterilised and then use them withing 24 hours.

Your baby will be fine. They’re 6 months old not 6 weeks.

I have a microwave steam steriliser and it says to dry the water off with a clean towel or air dry.

But Mam bottles microwave steam sterilise themselves and they say not to dry as the water is sterile and either use within 48hrs or re sterilise.

I think milk needs sterilising as can grow harmful bacteria. Tap water is relatively safe and can even be given to babies after 6 months straight from tge tap I thought.

What do you mean by milk needs sterilising? Do you mean cow’s milk from a shop? It will have been pasteurised to kill off a lot of bacteria. Do you mean formula and making it with hot water? If you sterilise it you’ll destroy the nutrients in it.

No i mean things milk has touched, like bottles after being used for breast or formula milk. As part of cleaning them they should be sterilised.

Like nipples?

This isn’t accurate at all. If you choose not to sterilise then fine but you really should understand why it’s recommended in first place in order to make an informed decision. It’s in case you miss any old milk residue when washing the bottles because it can grow some seriously nasty bacteria and bottles do have crevices around the teats, there’s more bits to contend with if you have complicated bottles like the anti colic bottles and it can happen that you miss bits if you’re rushing and/or sleep deprived. Whatever you do with your weaning equipment isn’t relevant nor is your kid licking the trolley in the supermarket or the safety of tap water. If you’re really, really meticulous with the washing up then baby will be fine if you don’t but you should be understanding where the risk is so you know you have be super thorough washing the bottles.

But as for OP’s actual question no I would worry about the condensation. You’ve taken the extra step to kill off that bacteria. The droplets of water are a non issue so long as it’s not going to sit in there for days.