when to stop sterilizing bottles

[sksty]

can anyone help me my little girl is 1 year old and i'm starting her on cows milk but don;t know when i can stop sterilizing her bottles can anyone help

[littlepickle]

There has been a lot of talk as o whether sterilising bottles actually makes much difference to washing bottles in hot soapy water. I prefer to sterilise though. I would say that at one year old sterilising probably isnt necessary as bubs is at the stage where they are more mobile and putting things into their mouths anyway, so they have already built up quite a resistance to germs. For a more formal piece of advice though, my childcare book recommends sterilising until at least 6 months

Hope this helps

[cwsmum]

I stopped sterilising bottles when my bubs were crawling...probaby after they had been crawling for a month or so, which would have been around 8mths for both of them. I now only sterilise DD's bottles if she is sick. I have also never sterilised bowls or spoons, I'm too lazy for that :laughing: DD started solids at 6mths, DS was 4mths.

I've also been told, by lots of different people (dr's/CHN's/midwives included) that sterilising is not really necessary. I was all our dishes in hot water (don't even turn on the cold tap), so that should kill any nasties anyway.

Oh, and I also give DD tap water to drink now too, tho I still use boiled water for her bottles. My DD turns one on Nov 17th :)

[~Candy~]

I was always told to sterilize and formula feed untill they were 1 yr old. Once they started on cows milk, there's no need to sterilize anymore :)

[SassyDiva]

I stop between 10 and 12 months...but once they are crawling and putting everything into their mouth I think is a safe time to stop. All our bottles go thru the dishwasher - for a bit of steam therapy

[jessgray]

i stopped sterizlising ds1's bottles and other stuff once he was putting things in his mouth. i wash them in hot soapy water now :)

[sksty]

thankyou all so much you have made me feel better and i will definitly stop sterilizing.
my little one turned 1 on the 1st Nov 06 but she is still not crawling but rolls to everything and definitly puts everything in her mouth and has been for a while. ( she had dislocated hips when she was born and was in a harness) so she is alittle behind with the crawling.
i was sterlizing her spoons for the first 6 months of solids but stopped that about 4 months ago.
guess i'm packing the sterilizer away you have all been such a great help.

[~EmsMum~]

I will probably stop when emmas around one :yes:

[FourAngelKisses]

I stopped at 6mths. By that age they are eating bugs, grass, dirt etc, so why sterilise bottles?

[sksty]

I always thought around 1 year but i never really knew but now that i have decided to stop sterilizing everyone is saying i can't believe you are still sterilizing, family are funny aren't they when asked they were no keep sterilizing and now their no you should have stopped ages ago.:ecomcity:

[xkwzit]

I stopped sterilising bottles when my bubs were crawling...

Me too around 6 months-ish.

Cheers

[Miss_Vicki]

i never sterilised , i was bfeeding till 6 months then when i went to bottle i just used hot soapy water .
i rinse them after ever feed.

Some times thou i will boil them in a pot of water if she is unwell thou.

[FourAngelKisses]

Some times thou i will boil them in a pot of water

I did that once, forgot about them and went out. Came home 2hrs later to a melted mess on the bottom of the pot and a house filled with toxic smoke.

[Honeydoll]

Hi,

It has been known that baby bottles are to be sterilized, but when I was still in the hospital, after giving birth, I was surprised to learn from the nurse/midwife that they don't sterilize bottles anymore!

The nurse was showing me the proper way to wash a baby bottle--warm soapy water. After she has rinsed them, she put the wet items upside down on top of some paper towel. When I asked how I can sterilize them--like should I pour boiling water over it or should it be steamed (as I wasn't too sure how sturdy freebie baby hospital bottles are...hehe). Then she said that they don't sterilize anymore. She even said that King Edward Hospital doesn't do so anymore. She said that sterilizing doesn't help with their immune system...Also, it doesn't seem to matter if the bottle is sterilized since the germs in the air will still get on it while they're drying. Furthermore, doesn't make a difference as the cot, sheets that they lie on isn't sterilized. Clothes that mommy and daddy wear isn't sterilized.

It does makes sense :). Although there are times that I still sterilize the bottles/breastpumps (don't want to waste that sterilizer I bought) and there are times that I just wash and let it dry. :)

Important thing is that as long as the bottles are washed properly. :)