When did you stop sterilising bottles?

[OrangeSequin]

Sorry if you’ve seen this twice, I realised this may be the better category.

I’m just curious when people decided to stop sterilising? I know guidelines are to stop once they turn one but I’ve spoken to loads of people who stopped as soon as LO crawled.

I’m still sterilising, DS is 10 months today. He crawls around, puts whatever he can in his mouth (his new favourite is pulling every shoe off the rack and having a taste) obviously I stop this but it happens!

As I write this he is trying to pull my slipper off and if I give in, it goes straight in the mouth 😂

I know you can still sterilise the formula with the hot shot so wondering if people did this?

I’m curious as if he’s licking shoes, floors, windows and baubles, would stopping sterilising bottles make a difference?

Again, I’m not saying this is right or wrong I’m just wondering what other parents did.

Probably around 6/7 months, after that we just washed with hot soapy water and rinsed before using.

Was your LO fine? I hear horror stories about stomachaches etc but like I said I’d still sterilise the formula it just seems pointless to do the bottles now and of course I’d wash them etc

About 10 months, as you say. If I was confident the dishwasher had done a good job then I cracked on and it was so freeing!

The sterilising is only belt and braces for young babies from old days when milk would turn in the a poorly washed teat and nooks and crannies.

I think a robust 10-month-old licking the floor will be fine with a well-washed bottle!

Second baby was much earlier!

Until I stopped using formula. It's specifically the formula powder that needs equipment to be sterilised for, because it can contain bacteria.

Anything else I stopped at about 3 months or never did at all- dummies, toys, bottles for expressed breast milk.

Once they're crawling and if you have a dishwasher.

Thank you!

It sounds so silly because it’s such an easy task but so boring. The amount of times we’ve had dinner, tidied the kitchen and ready to get into bed then you remember the dreaded sterilising 😂

I have a dishwasher but I assumed hand washing would work better but I could be completely wrong?

I mean happy days if they can go in the dishwasher, that’s just made it even easier 😂

Exactly this, formula specifically is a breeding ground for bacteria so until I stopped using formula.

Does anyone know if the same applies to ready made formula bottles? I exclusively breastfed until I went back to work at 10 months and am now supplementing with the little pre-mix formula bottles. My DD just turned 1 and I plan to transition to cows milk and cup not bottle, but I’m not sure if while I’m transitioning it’s still important to sterilise.

The other day we left her good bottle at nursery and I wasn’t sure whether to try her evening bottle in her 360 cup but I didn’t know how I’d sterilise it.

Once they started licking the floor 😅

I've breastfed most of my children but introduced formula for my twins when they were 5 months old. By that point, sterilising was completely redundant.

With the second child. All four survived and are robustly healthy.

Same as a lot of PP. Around 9 months I think when the floor licking started. I loathed sterilising. I just made sure the bottles had a very good clean in hot soapy water and tried wash them up as soon as possible after use so the milk wasn’t sat in them.

Mine turns 1 soon but as she has formula in her bottle I still sterilise. I occasionally sterilise her dummy especially if there's a round of illnesses at nursery.

it's the formula milk itself which can easily breed bacteria, it's different to licking the floor etc. We did it til 12 months, but was only formula in a cup a few times a week so used microwave bags.

About 7 months. Then used to rinse in sink and just put in dishwasher on a hot cycle as the steam I considered to be similar to my electric steam steriliser anyway. By 7mo mine were licking the floor, licking other kids at baby groups, eating solids etc.

Hot soapy water to wash and boiling water when making a bottle to kill the bacteria. Sterilising won't do anything to prevent bacteria in formula if you don't use boiling water. It's a safety precaution to prevent growths of bacteria left in the bottle. But if thoroughly washed, the risk is hugely reduced!

Until we stopped using formula. As others have said, it's the use of that that needs the sterilisation.

We throw dummies in every now and then but still sterilise bottles - although on the odd occasion we forget we'll just use a washed one.

As long as we use bottles, i'll sterilise. No particular scientific reason but makes me feel better, I think because it's had milk in it! We don't sterilise water bottles or sippy cups.

DD is 13 months.

We were in a NICU unit with DS1 and the hospital gave us a microwave steriliser bag. It's so easy and nobody seems to know about them. You just chuck your washed bottles in with a good splash of water and then whack it in the microwave for a minute. Job done. Would definitely recommend.

In any case, we stopped at around nine months old.

I haven’t ever heard of them!

When I sterilise I have MAM bottles and we put the teat at the bottom, pour hot water in it and then loosely put the lid on it and microwave for 5 minutes so maybe similar?

About 7 months

@OrangeSequin yeah basically the same idea, but easier in some ways. I had Mam bottles too so I'd wash the components up in the sink, chuck them all in the bag with a big splash of water and then pop them in them microwave. Sorted.

It's so quick and simple but even my health visitor hadn't heard of them.

I would do it as long as you’re using formula even if it’s ready made. Whether or not they’re licking the floor is irrelevant as is whatever you do with the dummies. Old formula left behind by improper washing can breed some seriously nasty bacteria and it’s easy to do when you’re tired, rushing or if you have fiddly bottles like the mam or dr browns ones…. If you do choose to skip it you should at least fully understand why it’s advised so you know to take extra care with the washing up.

Ready made makes no difference, residual formula milk is the nutrients for bacteria to grow.