Midwife told me I dont need to sterilise bottles?

[little sprocket]

I had a midwife tell me while I was in hospital that I didnt have to sterilise bottles and just to wash them in soapy water. Ive sorta learnt not to take in all advise so I said to her that all the same I think I will be sterilsing our bottles. Has anyone had a midwife tell them this? Maybe Im wrong in thinking that newborn baby items need sterilising. Also I took my own bottles and formula into the hospital because I new Id be bottle feeding and they insisted that I use thier bottle. I thought OK tops. They ended up being really crappy bottles made out of really thin plastic stuff but what ever works. Anyway they told me that they were all kept in this kitchen area and to go up and make up formula and grab bottles whenever. I goes up to this kitchen and they are keeping the so called sterilised clean bottles in a cupboard not in the fridge. They use some kind of industrial dishwasher that sterilisers bottles cos it gets so hot but I was under the impression that they had to be refrigerated afterwards to keep them sterile. Once again maybe im wrong. Last time I was in this said hospital u had to get all bottles out of the fridge where they kept them and use special tongs to but teets on and all of this has completely gone out of the window. I decided that Id be better off at home and made up some excuse to go home cos I almost sure my son has thrush in his mouth now cos all of a sudden he isnt feeding properly now and snacks just like my daughter used to when I found out she had thrush too. He isnt windy or anything he just doesnt want to eat anymore and wants to feed every 2 hours instead of every 3.5 to 5 hours like in hospital. Im having him checked out by a nurse friend tomorrow about his mouth. The hospital i was in had also had a total of 19 c-section in the 4 days when Id come in to have my elective and 15 of them were bottle feeding. Maybe they figured that they were going through the bottles so fast there was no point in refrigerating them. Who knows

[*charmalea*]

i would strelise all formula bottles ... and do it very well , but breastmilk bottles do not need to be sterlised because of the antibac. propeties in bm ...


if you dont sterlise ff bottles i find they get mucky very quickly ..

do it just to be on the safe side !!!

hth

eta : as for the fridge idea .. i had never heard of it ... ive been ff for 6 mths .. i always hung them on a bottle rack to dry in sunlight !!

[little sprocket]

Really. Ive always been told to put the bottles in the fridge after sterilising to keep them sterile. Huh u learn something new everyday.

[StrawberryMumma]

Sterilising is a funny thing really. As I don't see that bottles can remain COMPLETELY sterile for very long. As soon as they come in to contact with air I'm sure some bugs jump onto them! I think boiling/steam is a good way to clean bottles though, but in the hospital that I work at we say use soapy, hot water and air dry on paper towels. Big change from years ago isn't it. Difficult for many parents to get their head around.

[little sprocket]

I cant believe how much its all changed in the 2 years since Ive had my daughter. Thanks for your feedback.

[doulamelanie]

If expressed breastmilk is being used in the bottles, then washing them in warm, soapy water is fine. But if formula is being used in the bottles, the bottles will need to be washed in warm, soapy water and then sterilised. (If thrush is suspected, no matter what type of feeding, bottles should always be sterilised between feeds to prevent re-infection.) Bottles should always be put in the refrigerator after sterilising, as bacteria doesn't multiply as quickly in a cold environment (and sometimes it may be 12-24 hours before we use that bottle). And none of us want our babies to get sick!

[christy]

I've never sterilised a bottle. I've always been told that hot soapy wash is all you needed, I do EBM.

[Alan]

I also suggest that there is no need to sterilise bottles either for EBM or formula. As long as you wash them very well in hot soapy water that is all that is needed

[visitor1]

I FF and sterilise all the time...everything goes in mine: Dummies, bottles, spoons, bowls, u name it!

Once bottles are done they go straight into the fridge....my hospital told me thats what should be done.

I dunno when ill stop doing it....im fussy and makes me feel im doing something 'clean' for Chelsea even though im sure the amount of germs she gets off the floor from crawling would out way my sterilising habits!

[Rach75]

I'm the same as Kimbaz

nothing against those that dont sterilise but it doesn't take any effort its not like where you had to boil stuff on stove etc

I say sterilise pop in fridge after I also resterilise and reboil water if he hasn't used his bottles within 24hrs, I used to do this with his spoons but not so much now he is nearly one but I will be sterilising his bottles and cups for as long as he is using them

[little sprocket]

Kimbaz and Rach75

I thought for a minute there my brain had made up stories about sterilising bottles. Last time I was in hospital they were all very serious about sterilising. Im going to still do it though. My husband thinks I shouldnt but it makes me feel better. Ill probably stop a bit sooner this time though.

Thanks for all your feedback on this subject.

[Mum0809]

Hi
I'm going to sterilise everything, Dummies, bottles ect. I would feel better doing it then not doing it. At our hospital you have to take your own bottles and stuff. They provide a Steriliser for mothers to use.

[Visitor7]

I sterelised everything until about 6 months. Then I started washing in warm soapy water.

[lanaktb]

How long do you need to sterilise for?

[Rachel]

my MCHN said that you don't 'really' need to sterilise anything, but they reccommend it to account for the lowest common denominator (there is always someone that will take a shortcut and they don't want people to not even wash them ! sounds ridiculous but there are silly people out there), but after 6 months there is no need anymore just have to wash thoroughly and make sure have very clean hands when handling things. We never sterilised our DDs dummies as we figured she used to suck our hands etc which were probably worse than a dummy that has been washed. We no longer sterilise bottles either, each to their own though..do whatever feels comfortable (although in truth, as soon as you open the sterilising container..they are no longer sterile!).

[lanaktb]

I dont use soapy water, i have just been using hot water and bottle brush and then sterilise them. I dont let the dirty bottles sit though, rinse out straight after use. Should i be using soapy water??

[visitor1]

I use boiling hot soapy water then sterlise.

[mrsr]

Just a tip...if you were going to sterilise everything. My sister bought a small bench top lift-top bin which was tall enough to immerse bottles, teats etc in - I think it fitted 4 bottles in it and filled that with sterilising mix and kept them in there until they were required. I thought it was a great idea.