When to stop sterilising??

[taiyasmum]

Just wondering when you can stop sterilising bottles? My daughter is 10 months old now. Also at what age can you change from formula to cows milk?

[CJJHRA]

I stopped around 6months old, but would still wash them in rather hot water and made sure they were rinsed well. I figured bubs put more germy thing in their mouth other than un unsterilised bottle.

Cows milk, I would use in cooking from about 8 months old, but didnt introduce it to drink till around 12months

[TwoBlue]

i just stopped sterilising because i melted my microwave steriliser :banghead:

Ds #2 is 6 mths (almost)

i stopped at 7 mths with Ds #1 as i figured he was eating food from unsterilised stuff and chewing unsterilised toys etc...

12 months for cows milk but with ds#1 i finished a tin of formula when he was 11 1/2 mths and changed to cows milk then, he was fine with it.

[rynosmum]

I believe that 12 months is recommended for both. As for the steralising though, they are certainly putting non-sterile things in their mouth way before 12 months so to me, that one is debatable.

[FourAngelKisses]

I stopped sterilising everything at 6mths. It seemed pointless doing it when they were crawling around on floors or outside then sitting up and sucking on theif fingers. And not to mention everything they would pick up and then proceed to suck on.

As for cows milk, I started them all on it at 10mths. There is really only a risk of starting them on it early if there is a family history of allergies.

[Jem]

At 6 months when i started to give ds2 juice.. i would simply poor boiling water in his bottle and let it sit for a few minutes...

It is usually reccommended that cows milk be introduced at 12 months.. but i started giving ds2 the occassional bottle after 10 months...
I thought by Gradually introducing him to a few bottles, would make it easier for me to get him off the boob....... but no such luck for me...
he is 1 next week... and boobie mad :rolleyes:

[FourAngelKisses]

I thought by Gradually introducing him to a few bottles, would make it easier for me to get him off the boob....... but no such luck for me...
he is 1 next week... and boobie mad :rolleyes:


I have a friend whose youngest child turns 2 on Wednesday, she is boobie mad too and wants it at least 5 times or more a day, lol.

[jonesso]

Well I have a 10 month old son and since DH broke the steriliser last night I guess that means it is OK to stop sterlising!!!!

On the cows milk thing... Robin Barker's "baby love" says from 9 months you can slowly start to replace formula feeds/breast feeds with cows milk. DS now has 1 x 120ml bottle of cows milk with brekky and I make his cereal up on cows milk now. Have kept 3 x formula feeds in for now. Next month may drop another one, will see how he goes.

[annb]

Ive never sterlised....recommendation by midwives at St John of God was its not necessary, so long as you rinse in cold water, wash in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water and leave to air dry - this is as if not more effective than sterlising

cows milk you can use in cooking from about 9mths, as a drink from 12mths

[cheezelkat]

I've only sterilised things once a week. I wash things really well in very hot soapy water and rinse well. I read if the baby is healthy and not a premmie, it's not so necessary after the first month or so.

[FourAngelKisses]

cows milk you can use in cooking from about 9mths, as a drink from 12mths

When I had my older kids you could use cows milk in their food from 6mths, has it since changed??

[jazajess]

I stopped sterilising everything at 9 months old but i still wash them in really hot water...

i think the cows milk thing is when u want to start it...
my sister started cows milk from 10 months...

[Mummy-2-2]

With dd I stopped sterilising when she started learning to crawl and therefore eating whatever was on the floor in front of her.

With DS I was also told not to sterilise and that hot water and soap has been shown to be more effective at killing of germs than chemical sterilising.

That said, I steam sterilise after the soap and water, but will stop once he starts eating dirt too.

With cows milk, I stopped dd gradually from 11 months and made her eat food and drink water instead. Now she eats everything I do at 20 months.