Sterilising

[Zoefw]

When can I stop sterilising baby bottles?

[elizH]

As soon as they are picking things up off the floor and putting them in their mouths. I still give my daughter's bottles a spin in the microwave after washing, by its more force of habit

[CVITA]

When they stop using them. Milk is a very dangerous thing so, specially with the teat, sterilise until they stop using it

[Oliversmum]

I'm pretty sure the recommendation is 1 yr old. By that point their immune system is more developed.

[Kate91]

Six months my aunt is a health visitor so she told me. Not much point when they are picking things up and putting them in their mouths plus once you start weaning food won't ever be sterile

[claire16c]

It depends what is in the bottle.

Bottles that are used for formula must always be sterilised! Any hv who says 6 months is wrong. Formula can contain harmful bacteria!

If you're putting breast milk in them though, they only need sterilising on first use. Then you only need to wash them x

[Saraheliza1]

Hi. Weather to sterilise or not has nothing to do with what is in the bottle. Bacteria is possibly present in formula and therefore the reason you add boiled slightly cooled water to the formula when making a bottle is to kill off any bacteria present.

The enzymes in breast milk that kill bacteria will die after the milk has been frozen or left out to long also.

NHS recommendations are to sterilise up until 6 months of age, but I guess it's personal preference too. Weve always had a separate bottle brush that we regularly changed when we stopped sterilising bottles.

Hope that's helpful x

[Caroline75x]

When our little one was crawling and putting anything and everything he could get hold of in his mouth to chew, couldn't really see the point after that. Maybe 7-8 months for us. I always rinse first and then wash his bottles and dummy in a really hot soapy water, rinse again in hot water and put them on the drainer until dry. I never use anything to dry them.

[Mummydtobeagain]

Hi I'm trying to remember with my little boy (he's 3 now and expecting 2nd baby any day) and I'm sure we used steriliser until he was 12 months only coz we were using formula. Once he was on whole milk we stopped using the steriliser x hope this helps