Cleaning baby bottles: Are sterilising liquids really necessary?

R

RileyC

Registered User
I'm wondering what other mothers out there do to clean the baby bottles. Do you just wash and clean the bottles and teats out with regular detergent before putting them into one of those microwave or steam steriliser machines like the ones made by AVENT? Or is it necessary to use a sterilising liquid like MILTON which I saw in mothercare the other day? Also, how old were your babies before you stopped sterilising their bottles etc?
 
I used regular detergent for the bottles before sterilising, and it was fine. As for how long you should sterilise for, I did it until she turned 1. My son was a premie so was in and out of hospitals, visiting consultants a lot and they advised me that it was ok to stop sterilising once your baby is crawling and putting toys and their hands in their mouths as those things are not sterilised but I still waited until he was 1.
 
Just re-read my post and I confused myself! I have two kids, boy (almost 7) girl (almost 2). I washed bottles and teats with regular washing up liquid in warm water before sterilising, until they were both 1 year old. Consultant in the hospital where my son was born advised that I could stop sterilising once my son was crawling, as the floors are not sterilised and he would put his hands in his mouth etc after crawling.
 
I sterilised until about 6 months - I figured that by that age, they were putting stuff in their mouths anyway and sterilising their bottles isn't going to make any difference any more.

I bought an electric steam steriliser for home use, but I noticed that the QMH NICU uses the liquid sterilising (Milton). There are pros and cons to both - do your research and see which works for you. They both sterilise just as good as each other.
 
You can do one or the other, whatever is easiest for you, I guess. We just washed the bottles with the regular washing up liquid then used a steam steriliser up until six-ish months. I know people who just wash well and don't sterilise at all and some who sterilise past a year.
 
We don't sterilise religiously - just wash out with boiling water at the start of each day and then with warm water and a little bottle brush during the day.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
i always just rinsed the bottle and teats clean before sterilizing it (no washing up liquid at all)...did this until 1 years old and then just used hot water to rinse the teats and my baby is no longer on the bottle from 1yr.
 
Judging from everyone's replies, it has confirmed my belief that there really is no need to go crazy with all the sterilising liquids that all the commercial baby shops seem to recommend. Some of those shops make lots of money by scaremongering, don't you think? ;)

Anyway thanks for the replies. I'm going to wash the bottles out with regular detergent and then stick them into my steam steriliser machine.
 
I don't think that the sterilising liquids are "scaremongering" - it's just another way to sterilise, and possibly even cheaper. The initial cost is very small - all you need is a plastic box and some of the liquid which you then dilute, and you don't have any electric costs. Plus you just make up the solution once per day and you can sterilise the bottles in the same water over and over all day (and they are ALWAYS sterile, unlike a steam steriliser which, if you open it and don't use it, you need to resterilise everything.) The only thing that I would think is scaremongering is if they tell you that you need to use the liquid steriliser AND the steam. They both do exactly the same thing, so only one or the other is necessary.
 
My baby son is 3 months, I wash his bottles with washing liquid then I put them in an electric sterilizer, I will be doing this until he is 6 months old
 
nicolejoy said:
They both do exactly the same thing, so only one or the other is necessary.
Click to expand...

May be necessary - we have used neither and never had any problems. Our only investment was a small bottle brush to clean the teat and the screw cap of the bottle. We have not used any tablets, nor steam sterilizers.

I don't think many Mums sterilize their breasts before nursing, I am not really sure why there is such discipline on sterilizing bottles.
 
2010-NewDad said:
May be necessary - we have used neither and never had any problems. Our only investment was a small bottle brush to clean the teat and the screw cap of the bottle. We have not used any tablets, nor steam sterilizers.

I don't think many Mums sterilize their breasts before nursing, I am not really sure why there is such discipline on sterilizing bottles.
Click to expand...

Well yes - and actually I was not so "strict" about sterilising either actually, but my point was that you're not meant to do BOTH, only one or the other (if you choose to sterilise at all).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top