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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Sterilising - Everything? nothing? pointless or necessary?

49 replies

jenny260906 · 03/05/2007 21:25

DS is 7 months and im still religiously steam sterilising all bowls, spoons, cups etc that go anywhere near him, at every feed. Is this still necessary at this age? I know 'they' recommend to sterilise things until babies are 12 months but DS is almost crawling so his hands are all over the floor, everything is going in his mouth so he is getting his fair share of germs (not that our house is filthy or anything!!... oh, you know what i mean!!)

So... is sterilising to this extent really needed?

OP posts:

Nikki76 · 03/05/2007 23:01

Why does it have to be fresh boiled water as well? We can't just reboil what's already there? Always wondered.......

magnolia1 · 03/05/2007 23:06

I am B/F ds1 but he has an occasional bottle and has started on solids. I wash everything and sterilize every couple of day....Why??? I don't have a bloody clue especially as he really likes to try and eat the cats tail

NoBiggy · 03/05/2007 23:14

Nikki76! I know this!

It's because you get a build up of minerals in repeatedly boiled water.

And I infer that this is not a good thing.

Nikki76 · 03/05/2007 23:19

Ahhh! Here's me using fresh water all the time and not even knowing why I did it!!

Did anyone else get HV panicking them stiff about germs in formula milk?? I was having real trouble b/f DS so mentioned formula and got long lecture about not making milk up in advance, not being kept in the door of the fridge etc etc...to a new mum already feeling that there is no life to be had whatsoever and relishing the idea of shortcuts to make the early days easier, this is not what you want/need to hear!!

Incidently, they don't seem to care about cockroaches in the hospital when you report it to them...... go figure!

NoBiggy · 03/05/2007 23:32

You're expecting logic and consistency from people, and you'll only be disappointed!

Piffle · 03/05/2007 23:37

I've never sterilised anything
I bf but even so not summies not bottles nothing

Malaleche · 03/05/2007 23:54

i didnt ff either and only used cups and bottles for water so not sure why i sterilised, just thought you had to - but then once looked properly inside the flip up spout of a sucky cup and it was black with slime! Horror!!!!!

katwith3kittens · 04/05/2007 11:53

Never sterilized anything !

Perhaps I'm a bit slack but it gives me more time`on MN !

pelvicflawed · 04/05/2007 12:18

Ds is almost one - still sterilize the bottles (we don't have a diswasher - my washing up is awful which dosen't help so I think is probably a good idea in our house - the bottle teats always look a bit manky even with a good scrub!!!) gave up with bowls/cups about a month into weaning - it all got silly - especially if you dropped a spoon and had to re-sterilize - we have a microwave sterilizer - am sure it pushed our electric bill up!!!

Seona1973 · 04/05/2007 13:53

The 'official' advice is bottles and teats until 12 months and everything else can just be washed in hot soapy water and rised from 6 months. I do sterilise bottles as I dont always trust that I have got them clean enough by handwashing so the steriliser is a back-up. I havent sterilised bowls, etc this time (did it all with dd 3 years ago though)

harpsichordcarrier · 04/05/2007 13:59

with dd1 I sterilised my pump and that was about it. she never really took a bottle anyway, I only used the expressed milk for cooking.
with dd2 I sterilised NOTHING after reading rtkm's thread. just followed the advice on there. it was bloody marvellous

redbeki · 05/05/2007 12:28

Once my dd started to get around,and put things in her mouth,about 6 months,there's no point really.If the bottles need it.I give them a steam now and again.

Gemmitygem · 06/05/2007 18:48

I've never sterilised, just wash in hot soapy water. sterilising in my opinion is used as part of big business, e.g. selling you loads more stuff....

Alibobster · 08/05/2007 20:53

As far as I know you're supposed to sterlise bottles until child 1 year old. Reason being, milk deposits can be left behind in unsterilised bottles, teats etc. and this can make baby sick, No need to sterilise other stuff though

ScoobyC · 09/05/2007 11:24

Hi, sorry this is a couple of days old, but can I ask a question about the not sterilising milk bottles thing on RTKangaMummy's linked thread?

Are we saying it is a bad thing to do or just that it is not necessary? If it really is not necessary then why are we told to do it? I'm no scientist but I thought you needed boiling water to kill bacteria, not just hot water?

I know this is out of date, but this has come as a big surprise to me and we spend hours sterilising bottles but I would not want to stop unless I was sure it was not necessary.

Thanks in advance if anyone has any input.

MrsBadger · 09/05/2007 11:40

Sterlilising isn't dangerous, just unneccesary.

If you get all the crusty milk deposits off by scrubbing (which you should do before they go in the steriliser anyway) then hot water and detergent and air drying kills bacteria that are left on the bottles.

Not entirely sure why we're told to do it - no-one in the US has ever bothered . Can't help feeling it's a bit of a con by Avent etc.

Alibobster, I suggest you read the thread from RTKangamummy .

ScoobyC · 09/05/2007 11:58

ok, thanks, I might give it a try.
tbh feel a bit weird since it is now an ingrained habit but it would save some faffing and time.

Any advice on what people use to clean bottles with? If I wasn't sterilising I'd want to be damn sure I was getting the bottles clean (we don't have a dishwasher) We use the tommeetippee doubleended brushes which are brilliant at getting them really clean but break really quickly.

RTKangaMummy · 09/05/2007 12:11

We used washing up liquid and hot soapy water to clean the bottles

RTKangaMummy · 09/05/2007 12:14

Thanks for all the kind words guys

I am soooooo pleased that you are happy

Gemmitygem · 09/05/2007 14:31

tbh I think there's a big difference between formula and EBM (see website workandpump.com), basically you have to be more careful with formula, breast milk grows bacteria much, much more slowly and you can be a bit more lax, e.g. reheat it..

I personally reckon that as long as you are careful with 'real' dangers of food poisoning, and as long as the baby is not tiny, they need to be exposed to normal germs. I understood that the sterilising thing started in the 50s, the same time when everyone started using bleach and disinfectant in their houses, it was a genuine quest to end disease etc (and used a lot by manufacturers), and now things have gone the other way with asthma etc being linked to too much hygiene. Also I''d read that it was part of the postwar formula feeding culture, because germs do grow very quickly in cows milk based infant formula, so mothers were told to sterilise stuff.

I see zero point in sterilising my breastpump, because when you assemble it you have to stick your finger inside it, and however clean, your finger is not sterile. The pump is then put to your breast, which is of course also not sterile. etc. etc. etc.

enough waffling I think, off to make the tea!

RTKangaMummy · 09/05/2007 14:42

The microbiologists in the Neo Natal Unit knew it was formula

wash your hands well and often

Gemmitygem · 09/05/2007 14:44

rtkanga m, no I wouldn't sterilise for formula either, you are quite right...

percypig · 09/05/2007 14:49

I never sterilised anything except bottles, and even then thought it was a huge faff (was only ever doing about 4 bottles a week for when I was at work).

As far as I know you absolutely do not need to sterilise bowls, plates etc - just wash as normal.

A friend always sterilised or boiled everything and didn't even give her 10 month old baby tap water - why give yourself the extra work?

Alibobster · 09/05/2007 20:29

MrsBadger, I'm just stating what I heard, i'm not saying it's correct

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