Sterilising

[Mildly]

I've been using the search function to see if this question has been previously asked but I can't see that it has yet. I was pleased to find out, on my search that sterilising is not needed after your LO is 6 to 12 months old, this was news to me and not something that I had thought about previously.

Anyway my actual question is although I intend to breastfeed I will at some point want my OH to bottle feed my expressed milk for bonding purposes or so I can have a rest. When sterilising the bottle before expressing into it, is filling the bottle with boiling water/popping the bottle into a pan of boiling water an adequate way of sterilising? I have seen something about cold sterilisation and tablets but am unsure what this is exactly. I always thought that boiling water destroyed all germs and figured that if it was going to be used/filled pretty much straight away then this method was ok, or am I being manky?

I only ask because we don't (and will never) own a microwave and the steam sterilisers are fairly expensive. Especially when I may not express everyday and probably not for the first month or so. I just don't want to go out buying stuff that I don't really need.

Also I figure I would need to treat the breast pump bit the same before using yes?

 

[Sherlock]

iirc you need to boil for 15 minutes.

I BF and express a bit for OH to feed LO each day. We use Milton solution in cold water. Much easier and less hassle than having to boil. 15ml of Milton in 2.5 litres of cold water. Done in 15 mins. And can leave them in there for till you need them also (for 24 hours iirc) so can do a few in one go and then use straight away.

I also sterilise breast pump stuff and dummies in it.

 

[Mildly]

Ah I did wonder whether there was an amount of recommended time for boiling.

I have just found the Milton website and am having a good read. Out of interest how much do the Milton products cost? I reckon for my purposes it will be much more economical than getting a steam steriliser.

I assume you can just use any container that holds 2.5l and don't have to buy any additional special kit alongside the fluid or tablets.

Thanks for the info

Edit - Not to worry about my price query, Boots are showing Milton fluid as £1.69 per 500ml and the tablets as £1.99 for a box (doesn't say how many tablets are in the box though). I assume that the fluid is more economical.

 

[kalia]

The milton tablets are around £1 for a box. There are 28 in a box and we often just use half as a whole one makes 5 litres which is an awful lot.

 

[Sherlock]

I find the liquid more suitable for our needs. I halve the amount of water and use less Milton. We bought a washing up bowl that we only use for sterilising. Only use that when have lots though (say 2-3 bottles plus breast pump stuff). Otherwise I have a plastic container thats taller and narrower so can pop single bottle in etc and use a fraction of the water and Milton. I sterilise the pump stuff, then take that out and put bottle etc in. Express boob then 15 minutes is up and bottle is good to go and get ready.

Just a case of doing the math as to how much Milton for the amount of water.

 

[Mildly]

Thanks ladies, have been discussing this with OH and we have decided the Milton way sounds much more suited to our needs.

 

[KJ]

I personally avoided cold water sterilising due to the chemicals involved. A few people I've spoke to said their babies wouldn't take a cold water sterilised bottle because of the weird taste the tablets/solution leave.

I bought a secondhand electric steam sterilier from adtrader. Think it cost me a tenner. It's been great and the best thing is I know Asher's bottles have only ever been sterilised in steam, and no strong chemicals.

K.xx

 

[Jade&Evie]

i got the tommee tippee steriler (electric stean one) and it was £30. however it came with a few bottles, a beaker and the bottle brush.

We use it twice a day every day so it's been worth it

Dont forget you have to sterilise dummies too

 

[Squiglet]

I use milton... thing with bfing is you are on demand... with the steam sterilizers you have to only sterilize when you are going to need the equipment as the steam sterilizers won't stay sterile for more than a few hours unopened. The milton lasts 24 hours, which works out convenient I used Milton sterilizers for both mine

 

[Mildly]

Thanks for the replies

I hadn't considered the weird taste issue, does this still persist if the bottle/dummy/whatever else is rinsed in hot water afterwards? I wonder if fussy LOs do turn their noses up at it?

The Tommee Tippee steam steriliser would certainly be the one I would get but because I hope to breastfeed for the majority of the first six months, I wondered if it would be a good investment. I think if I have problems, or end up bottle feeding or expressing quite a lot then it would be a good investment. I do have some dummies but am unsure whether LO will take to them and would only want to use them sparingly.

It is so difficult to predict how things are going to be so I think at first I will stick with the cheaper option of getting a £1.69 bottle of Milton fluid. If I do find I am needing sterilised bottles/dummies very frequently I may switch to a steam steriliser

Thanks again for your experiences

 

[Redshoes]

We originally had an electric steriliser but it was a pain in the bum to be honest, once opened it was all unsterile whereas with water its all submerged so constant sterile for 24hrs. With a cold water steriliser I was very happy, yes there's a strange smell but it didn't bother Isaac, so that's what mattered. As for choosing boiling, I'd consider the bottles you use in respect of recent claims about boiling water and chemicals being released form the bottles

 

[Mildly]

Thanks Redshoes

I'm glad the strange smell didn't bother Issac, I guess if you start off that way too it will be all our LO is used to (except obviously I'm not sterilising my boobs ).

I hadn't even thought of the chemicals released by straight boiling. I would definitely want to avoid that. I think my mind is made up and I will go with Milton

Thanks for all your help everyone

 

[hennaly]

not usre if anyone else has mentioned it but boiling your bottle wrecks them after a short while.

 

[kalia]

I think Milton is a bit different to some supermarkets own cold water sterilising stuff. Milton can be used straight away whereas Tesco's has to be rinsed, so I imagine it's a bit different and may leave a taste.

I looked up the chemical that Milton is made of - it's the same stuff you'd use to sterilise drinking water if you were off on adventures someplace with nasty water. So it's safe to ingest.

 

[Mildly]

Thanks ladies All these things that I had never considered