When can you stop sterilizing bottles?

**<3 Mumofthreetobe <3** · February 20th, 2011, 07:32 PM

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** · February 20th, 2011, 07:43 PM

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*** · February 20th, 2011, 07:44 PM

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.

**<3 Mumofthreetobe <3** · February 20th, 2011, 07:51 PM

Awesome! Sterilizing days are goooooone! lol. Whoo!

Thanks.

***LittleMissSummer*** · February 20th, 2011, 07:54 PM

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** · February 20th, 2011, 08:01 PM

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

**<3 Mumofthreetobe <3** · February 20th, 2011, 08:25 PM

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!

**Onelittleprincess** · February 20th, 2011, 07:50 PM

Was wondering the same

**Taurean** · February 20th, 2011, 10:43 PM

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** · February 20th, 2011, 11:09 PM

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~** · March 10th, 2011, 10:03 PM

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.

**LizLemon** · March 11th, 2011, 08:34 AM

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** · March 25th, 2011, 07:38 PM

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** · March 25th, 2011, 09:46 PM

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!

**little_mrs** · March 25th, 2011, 10:08 PM

Just a quick point.... I guess you need to consider the quality of your tap water too and if it's town supply, bore or rainwater. I was wondering the same thing tho.

**LimeSlice** · March 25th, 2011, 10:20 PM

One uses BOILED tap water as it kills organisms in the WATER itself, nothing to do with formula or the bottle.

The fact is the gut of an infant is less resistant to water-born parasites, and this is why you boil it before using it.

I would, without a doubt, never give a 6 month old straight tap water. You have no idea what state those pipes are in, where that water comes from, and what its content is. Even mains water in the middle of Melbourne (for eg) comes from various sources and its chemical makeup and debris content varies depending on the time of year and the origin of the water.