Steriliser & bottles

[pinsent]

Hiya guys,

So I pretty much have everything ready for dc1 apart from the steriliser & bottles. Does anyone out there have any recommendations? Am I right in thinking that you need to have the same brand steriliser as bottles as they are made to fit? Is their a steriliser that fits all bottles? Should I get a plug in one or a microwavable? And finally how many bottles should I get to start? I am planning on trying to breastfeed but would like to get some just in case, plus will need them eventually when I start to express. So much to think of for one piece of equipment!
Apologies for the many questions. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me. Xx

You don't necessarily need bottles and steriliser to match I have Avent bottles and a tt steriliser. I guess they aren't always compatible though particularly in a microwave one. But often the steriliser comes with bottles. My DS is bf so I only have 2 bottles. My steriliser is electric, I didn't want to be taking the thing in and out of microwave all the time, plus if you go on hols or overnight to hotel or whatever everywhere has plugs so you can take it along!

HTH

Hi. My bottles and steriliser are the same brand but only because they were really cheap at the Asda baby event.

For me, the only thing i knew i wanted was a steam microwave steriliser. I knew that way that only hot water/steam was in the there. I know that obviously milton etc is fine but i preferred not to use any kind of chemicals to clean his bottles n steriliser. Xx

I got the Tommee Tippee set, they sell a box that has all the bottles, a steam steriliser, powder dispensers, bottle holders and probably something else as well. Its still going well 9 months on. Looks like it is still on special at Babies R Us - www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Feeding/Steriliser-and-Warmers/Tommee-Tippee-Closer-to-Nature-Essentials-Set%280070825%29

it really varies. I had a tommee tippee electric steam steriliser, DD settled on avent bottles, but we tried quite a few types as the teats are all different.

I mainly breastfed but expressed for some of the night feeds to give me time off.

I also had a one off microwaveable one think it was tommee tippee too, would accept one bottle.

I wouldn't rush out an buy a huge amount of bottles as you don't know what your LO might settle on. Do you have a local supermarket/pharmacy that stock bottles?

My steriliser came from another friend who didn't use her's that much.

If you're planning to breastfeed, don't get the bottles now as it can contribute to undermining your confidence/efforts to bf, especially if, for whatever reason, your early midwife support is sub-standard. It would make more sense to work out now where your nearest bf café is/get the La Leche league helpline number so it's handy in case you need it.

Best of luck.

I have the Avent electronic steriliser and electronic breast pump - just ran them after 6.5 years and they are still working well!
I have just invested in a new set of Avent natural bottles. I used to use MAM teats with the older Avent bottles but the natural ones look better.
I also bought an emergency pack of Aptamil all made up.
Good luck with bf, I preferred knowing I had backup in the cupboard myself and it didn't stop me persevering first time round (second was easier).

Just wanted to say that a 24-hour steriliser is the way to go if you're planning to bottle-feed. I got Mothercare's Pod brand & it was good - automatically sterilised every 4 hours - all you need to do is top up the water.

There's nothing worse than getting up for a crying baby at 3am then having to sterilise as it wails for a feed!!

I used the TT closer to nature steriliser with my big two, using there bottles and then mam ones for ds. This time I have an avent steriliser and I'm looking at nuby bottles. For me having the kit ready and some formular in took the pressure away from me learning to bf, and didn't give me a scape goat dd was bf for a year!

I had an avent steam sterilizer for the mircowave. great value at £15 or thereabouts. However, when you're sleep deprived and forget to put water in it, it ruins your bottles. Big bucket and milton works just as well.

I bought the TT closer to nature bottles x 3, a big tupperware box with a lid and Tesco sterilising tablets. Worked fine :-)

I wouldn't buy anymore than 1 type of bottle initially just incase they don't end up suiting your baby. For this reason I only bought in one pack of nappies too.

I never bothered with an actual steriliser. I just used a large Tupperware container and Milton solution, same as in the hospital. Much cheaper and very easy.

If you want to miminise cleaning time and are planning to bottle feed from the start then I reckon you need 6-8 bottles. Less if you are mixed feeding or coming to ff later or just using it occasionally.

There is a brand (Medela?) that does steriliser bags, you just put the bottles/teats in with some water, and microwave for a couple of minutes. They can be used twenty times and it saves a lot of space in the kitchen! My sister used them as she was bf and just using bottles when she expressed. Obviously you can also travel with them really easily. Might be an option if you're planning to mainly bf?

Like mrsjohndeere I can't sing the praises of cold water sterilising. It's so much easier and bottles definitely stay sterile whilst in the solution. Just add and removes bottles as you need them (15 mins till sterile) and change the solution once very 24 hrs. Far easier than dealing with an electric or microwave one.

*cant sing the praises enough. Der...

Alternately don't sterilise at all. My first daughter was in nicu initially they don't sterilise there so I decided if that what good enough for tiny vulnerable babies was good enough for me.

Key is really good scrub in hot soapy water, rinse well, air dry.

Sterilising in Milton not recommended as milk residue often not cleaned off properly as some parents see the soaking as part of cleaning process.

If you are using breast milk sterilising less of a worry as its anti-microbial so you can do things like keep your breast pump parts in the fridge after each pumping for up to 24hours before washing it, much less hassle.

Admittedly parents may not be comfy with this unless they see NICU practices themselves. My two have been totally fine on no sterilising. :)

I guess that must depend on area as I have worked in paeds ICU and bottles were sterilised on my unit - but chemical sterilising, not heat. That was a cost thing - chemical sterilising does leave a bit of a nasty smell and I wouldn't recommend that at home, if indeed it's possible.

I used a Tommee Tippee electric steriliser for ds and it did the job fine until it packed up recently - lasted 3 and a half years (my ds has feeding difficulties so still use it daily). That means it probably lasted for a couple of thousand sterilises... It was a bit bulky on the kitchen surface though and I used to have to clean out the residue left by the metal heat conductor bit. I prefer the microwave sterilisers and have since bought an Avent one which I am really happy with. Check the time the bottles stay sterilised for - some are only 3 hours whereas the Avent one keeps them sterilised for 12 hours.

I prefer Avent bottles to any other make and have tried every sort with ds's feeding difficulties. The Dr Brown ones which are meant to help reduce colic weren't any better for ds than any others, and the Avent bottle teats are frm enough that they don't slide out of the side of baby's mouth as some of the other brands do. Avent all the way for me! x

If you are bf and just want bottles for the occasional expressed feed then MAM do what they call "self sterilising" bottles. Just pop water in the base and stick it in the microwave.

I really wouldn't bother getting a load of stuff in just in case you have trouble bf. Unless you live very rurally indeed it is highly unlikely that you are going to have such a crisis that you desperately need formula and bottles at a time that you cna't get hold of any.

I've bottle fed one and breast fed another and honestly, you don't need a steam steriliser. I have a tub with Miltons solution in, whatever is left in the solution is sterile when you take it out, just change the solution every 24 hours. No need to rinse bottles when you take them out, just shake off excess. The tub is a lot smaller than a steam steriliser and a lot less hassle as you don't have to wait for it to sterilise when baby needs feeding. Also, Miltons solution kills thrush and steam sterilising doesn't apparently, and trust me, you don't want you or baby to get thrush if you are bf, it is not a pleasant experience for either of you and correct treatment is hit and miss due to ignorance from gps.

Thanks so much for all the great advice. Still mega confused and don't want to waste money buying the wrong thing. I had thought of not buying anything and waiting until i see how i get on with B'feeding but DH is keen for me to get something in advance. He says he would only get it wrong if i sent him out on an emergency bottle purchase dash! Plus i will need them eventually anyway, so i might as well buy them now.
I like the look of the Tommy Tippee package that Nelly has put a link to. It seems to have everything there, it had good reviews, plus whilst it's half price it seems like a good idea. Although went to visit a friend yesterday and she said her baby didn't like the tommy bottles and preferred the Avent ones, she too recommended just getting a Milton bucket. My brother has recommended getting a microwaveable steriliser as they are really quick and easy to use, but then my SIL recommended getting an electric one. I have had different advice from every person i have asked... i'm so confused! I know it's down to personal preference but how do you know what works for you until you try them? Don't mind spending £60/70 on a package but don't want to get it wrong and end up spending more than that. Plus my baby brain has rendered me incapable of being decisive! Help! I need someone to make this decision for me.

Right. So your dh is worried about getting it wrong. Seriously, get a pack of the MAM self sterilising ones. www.amazon.co.uk/MAM-Sterilising-Colic-Bottles-3-Pack/dp/B004KJFFRK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349689502&sr=8-2-fkmr0 £11 so not a fortune if hardly ever used. They are ready in 3 mins if you have a desperate need for them, no bulky expensive steriliser sitting unused in the house. Don't get milk in advance, if it comes to it then it really doesn't matter which one your dh grabs off the shelf in the supermarket so long as it is a from birth milk. If you decide to ff and want more bottles later then cold water sterilising probably easier but all you need is a big tub and a pack of tablets. No harm having the tablets in the house anyway as can be useful for dunking teethers etc when they get dropped onto a poo covered change mat.

If you get a pack of milk storage bags then you can easily hand express straight into the bag and freeze to have milk if you need a break. If expressing etc works for you then you can always buy a pump later.

I am planning to breastfeed (fingers crossed), but also to express, so I bought the MAM starter kit (self sterilising bottles as recommended above), and a cold water steriliser that I'll use with Milton for the breast pump.

My reasons for prefering electric were my microwave is used a lot, dp has hot breakfast of some kind as did ds so I needed that free. For some reason I just don't like cold water sterilising, I know its fine and safe but its not for me. I wanted an independant unit that was left alone until I needed the bottles. Also its idiot proof, the one time we used a microwave one dp melted all our bottles/dummys. The electric one won't start without water.

That's just our opinion though, as you say everything suits different people.

I found with my last tommee tippee was the best so have gone same this time, I use the electric steam steriliser, I got a pack of 6 bottles but I won't be breast feeding