sterilising!1 when did you/ intend to stop??

[lisa&alex]

i just went to clinic and was talking to the hv. and she said that you dont have to sterilise after 6 months!! is that the same info everyone else has got??

with charlotte it was 12 months

 

[SarahH]

I was told 6mths too.... but I waited a bit longer, cant remember when tho

 

[purple13]

sterilising isn't actually as crucial as we're meant to believe. it used to be done because the water we washed things in wasn't actually clean. but tap water in the uk today is clean, and if items are washed well enough, the need for sterilising is negligable. sterilising - and our general obsession with keeping all things sparkly clean - has even been linked to the increase in childhood leukaemia.

i won't be sterilising after 6 months

 

[newmum]

Lisa
My LO is 7.5 months now. I am trying to get her to drink from a cup and then I won't sterilise that, but she still uses a bottle and I sterilise the teats. I also do the bottles at the end of the day if they haven't gone through the dishwasher. Habit I guess.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

I stopped sterilizing at 4 months it was lazyness though! but touch wod she hasnt been ill at all since i stopped, and im not one to sterilize everythng in site. I hoover put her on the floor and she stuffs all toys in her mouth!

 

[evemarie8]

I intend to steralise his bottles and dummies until 12 months just by personal choice rather than advice from the HV but I stopped steralising food bowls, spoons, teethers and toys at 6 months.

 

[Squiglet]

pssssf... I'll sterilise bottles and boob pumps till 6 months then I'm done...I won't bother with anything else... just wash it in hot water lil miss already puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and a lot of things (polly dolly, ducky and pink ted) are unsterilisable ie they are plush toys...

 

[smile]

milk stuff until 12m as we don't use a dishwasher and bugs LOVE milk! I'm not planning on weaning until 6m and won't sterilise his meal stuff...

 

[Babylicious]

was 6 months with paris and will be the same with harry

 

[Krystal]

don't sterilise meal stuff/toys - do still sterilise his bottles as it's easier to store them in cold water steriliser. Space more than anything else - will do till 12 months maybe more if its easier

 

[OopsyDaisy]

On my tin of follow-on milk (for 6m+) it also says that there is no need to sterilise the feeding equipment anymore. However, seeing as I still have the steriliser, and I leave milk bottles to soak all day long to wash in one go, I will still sterilise until LO turns 1.

 

[trixipaws]

my HV said u dont have to after 6 months, but she "still would"! i dont bother with food equipment (never did, but then didnt really get into solids til after 6 months anyway) or cups but the bottles i still do, and will do for as long as she has them i think.

 

[NIE]

Good question.

I still sterilize absolutely everything. I thought I had to for 12 months.

I would like to stop when Adam reaches 6 months, but I am too scared to. I think I will have to do it gradually. Maybe stop sterilizing his feeding bowls and spoons first and then move onto the bottles later. xxx

 

[pilkers]

I still sterilize everything..dummies, bottles, spoons etc but she puts everything in her mouth these days so I sometimes wonder why I bother sterilizing! I'll keep going till 6 months then I'm stopping...it seems pointless when she is eating germs on a regular basis anyway!

You can't leave anything within her reach atm...hand straight to item...item straight in mouth...she had a good old chew on my mobile the other day before I managed to get it off her

 

[kellie80]

With Jess I sterilised everything till she was 12 months old. Bottles, dummies, spoons, bowls even the little scoops that come in the milk. I think it's done her more harm than good though cos she picks up everything going and is always ill.
With Aimee I only sterilised her bottles and dummies and stopped when she was about 10 months.
With Nathan I stopped altogether at 6 months and never sterilised any off his weaning stuff.

 

[Hellokitty]

I stopped sterilising at 17 weeks, but I always fill Maia's bottles with boiling water and allow them to cool.

My friend was just told by her hv to carry on sterilising until her baby is 18 months! Crazy!

 

[Kylie1007]

I thought it was 12 mths too. The HV said that the biggest reason that babies are admitted into hospital is for gastroenteritis where their bottles aren't sterilised properly.

 

[purple13]

The HV said that the biggest reason that babies are admitted into hospital is for gastroenteritis where their bottles aren't sterilised properly.

how would the HV (or even docs at the hospital) ever know if it was caused specifically by bottles not being sterilised properly?! there are very many causes of gastroenteritis - the most common of which is viral... sorry hon, but i do think HVs talk a load of piffle sometimes!

 

[suzy100]

Maisy is 11mths now and have only just stopped steralising........mainly because have just got a dishwasher. i never stopped at 6mths, i thought i have a steraliser, might as well use it

 

[littlepip]

Ohhh i thought it was a year!! Thats great as we are going on holiday the day he is 6 months and as its in a chalet and half board we wont have a kitchen to sterilize! fantastic!