When to stop sterilising bottles?

[northerngirl]

Am I right in thinking that after 6 months bottles don't necessarily need to be sterilised any more? That's what's been coming up when I google it but thought I'd ask around as well to be sure.

 

[Laurajcole]

After you stop using formula in my opinion. Obviously babies are crawling and putting things in there mouth etc. but the point in sterilising bottles is because of the germs and bacteria that form in the milk bottles so until there is no formula we sterilised.

 

[Baby2sky]

Same as Laurajcole xxx

 

[kumber]

Same as above I was told to stop at 12 months

 

[Pumpkin9]

Yep I sterilised bottles until we stopped using formula, anything else I didn't bother with but I was worried about the potential bacteria in milk.

 

[Ella1979]

I also sterilised bottles until we stopped using the powdered formula, so approx. 12 months give or take.

 

[littlemonkey]

If you have a dishwasher, it's safe to stop at six months if you wash the bottles in it. Otherwise it's a year.

I hate the whole making bottles faff. It's honestly been the hardest thing second time around.

 

[sorpresa_bea]

This may sound controversial, but after some reading and checking with a LC, we stopped at 6 weeks. I wash the bottles every time with hot soapy water.... I may sterilise them once a month. I combi feed.

 

[OMGbabyno3]

I have a Swedish friend and they don't sterilise anything there-just wash in hot soapy water

 

[ChrissieCool]

Wont be stopping until he is 1 x

 

[OMGbabyno3]

I won't either

 

[sorpresa_bea]

I meant 6 months not 6 weeks. Yikes.

 

[Rooster30]

I stopped with my son at about 8/9 months. He survived.

 

[H16]

My health visitor said it was ok to stop at 6 months but that it was better to stop at a year. I ended up swapping my daughter to normal cows milk at 11 and half months old so I stopped sterilising bottles at same time x

 

[russellmuscle]

We used the micro steriliser for 6 month, then used our dishwasher on the highest setting.

xxx

 

[Bonfire Bride]

I didn't bottle feed but used to boil water and steralize cups for water up until 12 months old. x

 

[hellywelly]

6 months here. She was a thumb sucker from the word go and after watching her drag herself around the kitchen floor and then suck her thumb repeatedly I decided it was probably not worth bothering, just used hot soapy water.