Boiling water - how do you do it?

[pinkandblue]

Hi

When I boil water for my DS I have it in a saucepan and once it starts boiling, I let it boil for 5 minutes (or sometimes more because I walk away and forget about it).

But I have been reading a few posts and people have said they have the water ready in the kettle. I thought with the kettle that once it starts boiling it turns off so it doesnt actually boil for 5 minutes. Is this right? Or have I been reading peoples posts wrong?

So I was wondering how everyone else does it? If you are doing it in the kettle, isn't it just a waste of time because it doesnt actually kill any of the germs?

Thanks
Natalie

[Jinx]

mmmmm, good question. I'm not sure myself, but I have always just used the kettle...................

[the_queen]

:confused:

I think in general the condition of our water is "fairly good", so boiling the kettle is good enough, IMO.

Do you boil up quite a lot at once and then store it in a sterilised container in the fridge?

[Lunar]

I have always used the kettle, standard electric.
I have not had any probs with either girls (well none that would be result from using kettle water anyway:rolleyes: )

[misskittyfantastico]

I tend to boil up a kettle full at a time and keep it in a jug in the fridge...we go through it fairly quickly....I've always used the kettle for bub's drinking water and I did have a microwave sterilzer but tended not to bother after I was told at the hosp that they no longer sterilize:confused:

[whatwasithinking]

I use the kettle for Bec's bottles and also did for Hannah when she had bottles. I use the microwave steriliser still and will continue until Bec's 12mths (just habit from when Hannah was a bub).

[Jem]

Thats what i used to think when i bottle fed DD....
My mum always told me not to use the kettle, as the water has to be boiling for 5 minutes, a kettle only brings it to boiling point iykwim? :)

[EskimoMumma]

Ive just boiled teh kettle because that is what i was told to do :o

[SuperWoman]

I have always just used my kettle!:thumbsup:

[giggles]

I just make sure the water in the kettle is always boiled and use that throughout the day.

[Mummy-2-2]

I thought that once water hit 100 degrees it boiled and regardless of how long it boiled, it stayed at the same temp and just evaporated, so what would the point of boiling it for longer be?

I agree if we lived in a country with no water sanitation and filters etc, maybe, but it is clean and healthy, so the kettle is fine.

[EskimoMumma]

Seems like a general census to me :smiliedance:

[Jenko]

I wondered the exact same thing when i started bottle feeding. Then i read in a book (as you do) that the kettle was fine, so i stuck with that.

[Chickadee]

I bought a whistling kettle for the stovetop. I had been using a pot on the stove to boil water for the full 5 minutes but kept boiling it dry (forgetful baby brain!) and ruining the pot. So I could then let the stovetop kettle boil for 5 minutes.

There are some nasties which can withstand high boiling temperatures for brief times and need the full 5 minutes to be killed. Giardia is one like this, and DH says other protozoa . If you're on good city/town water then briefly boiling an electric kettle is probably ok. But if you're using non-treated water such as from a well, creek, or rain water tank then I'd definitely boil for the full 5 min.

[onabreak]

I always just used the water from the kettle. My DD never got sick from it not boiling for 5 minutes.

[cwsmum]

I've always just used the kettle...that's about all it gets used for, except for the occasional hot choccie in winter.

[mum2littleman]

I just make sure the water in the kettle is always boiled and use that throughout the day.

same!

___________
the mummy- louise 20
the buby- lucas born : 25-11-2005

"MUMMY'S ONE AND ONLY LITTLE MAN" "YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY BABY BOY"

[SassyMummy]

I use an electric kettle and store it in a jug. Gets used up pretty quickly...

And...shock, horror...I've even just used regular tap water on the odd occassion that I haven't boiled any water (or rather, that I've clumsily knocked the jug over...lol). It doesn't seem to affect bub...but I'll continue to boil for now.

As for steralizing...I just don't bother anymore. She eats ANYTHING she can get her hands on...so I don't even see the point. (Plus my brother melted my steralizer!).

[Ange&Seth]

We were just using the booiled water from the electric kettle. We now have a fridge with a water dispenser in the door and it is filtered as the reservoir automatically fills up from the water line, so we just use that. Been doing this since bub was probably 4 - 4.5 months old and we've had no problems at all :thumbsup:

[Mister Noodle]

Martham: exactly. Got to make sure your bacteria are properly hard-boiled.

Kettle-boiled for a few seconds is going to kill most of your everyday nasties and will do perfectly well 99% of the time - but there's some less-common bugs out there that can take a good long time to die. Chances are, you'll kill them anyway, but if you want to completely eliminate the possibility, you'd need to be proprely paranoid about it.

I'd also agree completely - if you're on proper town water, and there haven't been any scares, the kettle is probably the most reasonable approach. Alternative water supplies, I'd be a lot more cagey.

[mumslilspunks]

Im in the kettle club too!

[Rainbowbrite]

Kettle here too :thumbsup:

[ETsMum]

I use the kettle too, but I boil it twice. Boil it before I wash the bottles and boil it again when I get around to packing the steriliser and switching it on.

Oh, and the kettle is all they used at the hospital for FF babies.

[Mum2Lucas]

I'm gonna go with the kettle too. But i just bought a new kettle too the shark kettle. It's brilliant because DS only has warm bottles so i can keep it at the temp i want and it just stays that way all day. best 30 bucks i ever spent.

[jessgray]

im another kettle user. i stopped using a saucepan after i burnt my wrist :laughing:

i dont really sterilise codys bottles either anymore he is bound to eat something off the floor :laughing: or his foot

i have also been naughty and given him cold tap water without boiling a few times :devil6:

[sopolicha]

I used to boil my kettle a few times, whenever I walked past it I would turn it onto boil.