When can you stop sterilizing bottles?

[<3 Mumofthreetobe <3]

DH & I were discussing when we can stop sterilizing DD bottles? We don't sterilizing anything else (except her dummy).

Also when can we stop using cooled boiled water and just give her normal water?

Thanks in advance.

[Miss.B]

Hi hun,
I was told to stop sterilising around 6 months or when bub is picking up things off the floor, being in contact with germs etc. I sterilised until DS was 7 months old because we went to China for 4 weeks, but when I came back I didn't anymore. I also used to be pedantic about sterilising dummies, but since DS was about 6 months I stopped. As with the water, the MCHN told me to use tap water from about 6 months, but I started doing that when I stopped sterilising so around 7 months. Hope this helps and GL!
B .

[*LittleMissSummer*]

I started when DD hit 6 months. And she seems fine since the change. I havent noticed anything dramatically. I do soak her bottles in the sink with detergent but its so much better not having to sterilise them.

[Onelittleprincess]

Was wondering the same

[<3 Mumofthreetobe <3]

Awesome! Sterilizing days are goooooone! lol. Whoo!

Thanks.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

Awesome! Sterilizing days are goooooone! lol. Whoo!

Thanks.

i just found it so time consuming especially having to boil the kettle if i had forgotten to make up bottles id have to wait for it to cool and then amuse DD while it was cooling so now i just fill them up and off i go. Plus i give her water in a drink bottle throughout the day and shes fine with it.

Its all confusing stuff. I never know if what im doing is right lol

[Miss.B]

Nel.B, it's a whole new and exciting world now!! Sooooo easy and quick!

[<3 Mumofthreetobe <3]

I'm excited! Just wash and rinse the bottles, fill up with tap water. Good to go. Yay.

I'm actually a bit saddened too, letting go of a part of my 'baby' baby routine... my little girl is growing up... too fast!

[Miss.B]

I know hun

[Arimeh]

Everyone has a different opinion and I know bottles for ebm are just washed and rinsed, however I have always sterilised until they stop drinking formula. Why? Because bacteria breeds in bottles containing formula, that doesn't stop happening just because bubs turns that magical 6 months. Same reason why it states on the formula tin to do it. Plus they still state to use cooled boiled water in the bottles.

I figure if someone is giving me instructions and directions on how to use their product, they have it there for a reason and I'm going to follow their direction cos they're the ones that should know best

I know I'm alone in my thinking though so I'll crawl back under my rock now lol

[Taurean]

We were told NOT to sterilise at all - from day dot! That was the new rule in the hospitals (and with the MCHNs) around August 2009

We switched to plain tap water (so no longer cooled boiled) a couple of months ago, around 15 months.

[CrazyLady]

Never steralised. I was just told hot soapy water and a good scrub. I had glass bottles and they got nuked in the dishwasher after a thorough rinse and scrub to loosen residue. Obviously something has gone right because pixie has only been sick 6 times in 22 months. I stopped using boiled drinking water at 12 months (read somewhere that is accepted age).

HTH

[~Sarah~]

The midwife at the hospital where I had DS told me there's no need to sterilise these days, it's really not a big thing any more. As long as bottles are washed in hot soapy water then they are fine.

[Rach75]

Everyone has a different opinion and I know bottles for ebm are just washed and rinsed, however I have always sterilised until they stop drinking formula. Why? Because bacteria breeds in bottles containing formula, that doesn't stop happening just because bubs turns that magical 6 months. Same reason why it states on the formula tin to do it. Plus they still state to use cooled boiled water in the bottles.

I figure if someone is giving me instructions and directions on how to use their product, they have it there for a reason and I'm going to follow their direction cos they're the ones that should know best

I know I'm alone in my thinking though so I'll crawl back under my rock now lol

not alone at all while my boys are/were on formula I sterilised and boiled water

I mean really how hard is it to sterilise bottles its not like you have to boil them on the wood stove after collecting the water from the local stream , you wash you pop them in the micro, the elec one or solution bam its done not hard, as for boiling the jug and using cooled boiled water again its easy

OP not having a go at you but everytime one of these tyope of posts come up I think :gah: what the hell... crawlign back under my rock now too

[toomanyshoes]

Everyone has a different opinion and I know bottles for ebm are just washed and rinsed, however I have always sterilised until they stop drinking formula. Why? Because bacteria breeds in bottles containing formula, that doesn't stop happening just because bubs turns that magical 6 months. Same reason why it states on the formula tin to do it. Plus they still state to use cooled boiled water in the bottles.

I figure if someone is giving me instructions and directions on how to use their product, they have it there for a reason and I'm going to follow their direction cos they're the ones that should know best

I know I'm alone in my thinking though so I'll crawl back under my rock now lol

We did the same.

[LizLemon]

Never steralised. I was just told hot soapy water and a good scrub. I had glass bottles and they got nuked in the dishwasher after a thorough rinse and scrub to loosen residue. Obviously something has gone right because pixie has only been sick 6 times in 22 months. I stopped using boiled drinking water at 12 months (read somewhere that is accepted age).

HTH

Yep, same for me.

[Duchess]

I found out from hospital last week that even newborn baby don't get bottles sterilized anymore, just hot soapy water and airdry.
I was thinking you don't sterilize your breast so its the same thing -kinda-lol

I have no prolactin and have to formula feed from birth so finding out I can miss a step in the bottle feeding process is a relief as its going to be a lot harder than breastfeeding.

[Mummyof2under2]

My youngest is 7 months and we still sterilise her bottles and we won't be stopping anytime soon - we didnt with the other two either.

Even if we did stop sterilising we wouldn't be making her bottles up with water direct from the tap - is that what some of you are doing now??? I would still be using boiled water!