Sterilising/storage of bottles

[Strawberrimoon]

Hello! I'm a FTM currently 36+5/40.
Starting to panic about becoming a parent 😂
My question today is about storage following sterilised bottles.
I am hoping that I will be able to combi feed - breast/bottle fed expressed milk during the day with potentially topping baby up with formula at night. I want for my partner to be involved with feeding baby as I feel this is really important for them to bond.
We have a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature electric steam steriliser kit and bottle warmer.
Following sterilising the bottles - where should i store them? I ask because once the lid has been removed from the steriliser they are technically no longer sterile.
Do I put the teets/bottle lids on the bottles and store elsewhere or remain in the steriliser?
Or do I have to make up the bottles there and then - ie should I chose to use formula or if I have any expressed milk ready to go into bottles??
I don't know what to do!? Help.
Thanks in advance. Xx

Hi there. I'm a first time mum to an 8 month old girl. I was advised by health advisor that they stayed sterile for 24 hours after sterilised. You are just supposed to be careful to not touch the inside of teat bottle lid etc. When you sterilise you put teat in steriliser and rest life in top - then when you pick up you are touching only the outside if you see what I mean.

I did combination feeding - you will be very pleased with yourself in the middle of night when your partner can help by doing the odd feed - also if made my heart melt seeing him in rocking chair feeding our daughter.

Exciting times ahead for you

That should have read rest the lid on top.

Also you will get through the bottles so quick they won't be on your shelf for more than 24 hours so will always be sterile for long enough. I'd recommend getting 12 bottles. Have you got a tommee tippee prep machine? Couldn't live without mine

I'm so glad you asked this Strawb as I have no idea!!

I would like to combifeed too...Baba did you breastfeed exclusively at the beginning??

I used to assemble after sterilising and put in the cupboard as they were ok for 24 hours. You can use teat tongs to assemble the teat/ring or use freshly washed hands. It is more important that you use hot water with formula as that is more dangerous than a few germs on the teat

I have the same steriliser & remember worrying about the exact same thing (& everything else!). My son is 14 weeks now. The steriliser keeps things sterile for 24 hours. I just keep mine in the steriliser & haven't had any problems. They can be taken out & assembled with the lids securely on & stored in a cupboard too.

Good luck with motherhood I assure you, you'll be fine & everything will fall into place. You'll question why you worried about so much when it all just becomes routine

I always sterilised all bottles in the morning for the day, leave them to cool a bit then put them together and put them in the fridge empty. Agree with pp about buying lots of bottles - you don't want to be faffing around washing them every 2 seconds. We bought 2 steam sterilisers in the end so we had one lot if bottles 'in reserve' - anything fit an easier life in the early days!

Also good luck with the combined feeding- I did that with both of mine. Not sure if you know already, but once you've cleaned and sterilised it you can store expressing stuff in the fridge for 24 hours in a clean Tupperware box. You don't need to sterilise it every time. If I had known this with my first I would have been a lot happier!!!

You can leave them in the steriliser for 24hrs. I normally wait for them to cool down then assemble and put in the cupboard/on the bunker till they're needed. Definitely buy quite a few bottles as in the early stages you'll find you'll go through a lot. Oh I'm so looking forward to the constant washing and sterilising stage again

Thank you for everyone's replies!! So helpful and has definitely cleared things up for me!
Thank goodness for this forum - I think I'll be using it more and more now haha!

After they have sterilised I'd let them stand to dry out thoroughly and then I'd put them together and stick the empty bottle in the fridge until I needed it to make a fresh one up from the machine. I would always wait until they dry off well in the steriliser as if they don't that's what causes the teats to have the awful rubber smell after a couple months.

I intend to do the same with my new baby