Desperately hoping to BF, but do I still need to buy a steriliser?

[TheScenicRoute]

Babies are due in 5 weeks, hoping to Breast feed so haven't even thought about buying a steriliser, but work colleagues are horrified that I haven't got one. When I asked why I would need one they told me for dummies (I'm hoping not to use those as well.... At least at first). If I do have to bottle feed of course I understand I'll need yo buy the whole kit and caboodle, do I really need a steriliser from day one???

Are you planning on expressing? If so you'll need something for the pump and bottles of expressed milk yes.

Waste of money, you don't need one. People love to tell you stuff when you're pregnant, really authoritatively, the problem is a lot of it is total bollocks. Don't listen to their advice, just nod and smile.

Amazon have sterilisers for £7.99 OP so pretty cheap but only needed if you're going to express.

Bf didn't work out with DD and DH ended up buying a microwave steriliser on day 4. It has with DS and I think we've used it twice fir the breast pump (could have used Milton but had steriliser already.

I wouldn't bother. Boots, mothercare will all sell everything you may need if bf doesn't work out and Milton works perfectly well otherwise.

Supermarkets aren't open in the middle of the night!

Well they are, aren't they.

I bf'd all three of mine and didn't need a steriliser until started to ff the second one at 10 months.
You don't need to sterilise breast pumps and sterilisers are really easy to get hold of anyway if you do need one.
Also just want to point out that before your milk comes in, the baby doesn't need anything more than colostrum - colostrum is very calorie-dense and is designed to be produced in tiny quantities.

I tried the dishwasher for sterilising and it discoloured the bottle teats so I use a tommee tippee steriliser and don't find it a hassle.
Bf didn't work out for us but we got the steriliser once we decided to express.

No you don't.

I didn't buy anything until I decided to try expressing when DS was 8ish weeks old. I figured that if breastfeeding didn't work I'd pop to the 24 hour tesco and get something then. I still don't have a steriliser I use Milton tablets for when I express (DS is 6 months now)

They are always on offer so I wouldn't bother to buy one now- what I would get though is a deep lockable container and some Milton. If you do end up bottle feeding for whatever reason at least you have this as back up, and if you find you don't need it then it's not a massive waste of money, I'm sure you will find something else to put in container!! X

Don't buy any bottle feeding equipment

Because if you go it's almost certain to set you up to use it

If you really need it you can get most things quickly these days

If you want to breastfeed don't buy anything

Just put everything in dishwasher

I b/ fed but had the Aptamil starter pack in the cupboard just in case. They are little bottles of 30ml ready made formula with teats. Expensive for what they are but good to have if you get desperate. You can send someone to the shop if you need bottles etc then. Take up all offers of help from breast feeding support groups. I struggled at first and found them very helpful.

If you do want to use Milton, you can buy Milton branded tubs which can be either used for the fluid or as a microwave steriliser. This is fab if you are a bit forgetfull like me and can't remember how much water you have put into the container as it has a fill line. You can pick them up generally very cheaply. The microwaveable bags are great for short trips away.

If you do use bottles I wouldn't put them in dishwasher, it can turn them yellow.

I am bfing and didn't buy anything on the principle that if it was in the house I'd want to use it if things got tough.

As it was, we were in hospital for a week and due to believing you had to bring your own formula there was no option! Good luck op.

Just get one if and when you need it. Breastfeeding doesn't require equipment. I introduced bottles after 6 months and never sterilised. Did use milton tablets for second hand toys and after handwashing clothes on holiday abroad.

You don't need to sterilize if you are expressing as long as you wash everything really thoroughly in hot soapy water and wash your hands carefully before touching it. This is what the midwives tell us in my area. The official advice our hospital gives is that hand hygiene is far more important than sterilization in preventing bacteria in the milk.

Formula is another matter but no point wasting money on a sterilizer you don't plan to use. After all, home sterilisers didn't used to exist and people sterilized by boiling bottles in a pan. Milton tablets are also convenient but if I had my time again I wouldn't waste money on the branded tub - just use an empty Tupperware.

Don't worry - I exclusively pumped for nearly 5 months and one huge bottle of Milton fluid and a Tupperware container I already had lasted for bottles and pump. But a small bottle and see how you go! Unwanted comments from friends, family colleagues about parenting are just only just beginning.

Are you having twins? If you are I'd seek support for feeding twins. My friend did it. It's hard but rewarding. Come back and tell us everything. X

No need for a steriliser, as pp have said. I wouldn't buy formula either, tesco is open 24/7 if needed. I never used any formula, so if I'd bought the kit it would have been wasted.