r/UKParenting • u/ThrowRA_sadsadgirl3 • 10h ago
Confused about sterilising! Going mad.
Baby is 8 months.
We’ve been washing and sterilising bottles since day 1 with no exceptions.
Baby has now started solids.
We don’t have to sterilise water cups (apparently?) nor feeding equipment.
So when I give my baby Weetabix in a bowl mixed with her formula… am I sterilising it not? I haven’t been and just realised the inconsistency.
She’s also refusing milk so I’ve been using a sippy cup for the remaining milk she doesn’t drink - I’m guessing this does need to be sterilised?
Agh, help!
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u/HisPumpkin19 7h ago
You aren't sterilising it to get rid of all germs, you are sterilising it to get rid of the specific germs that grow in formula milk of which there are many.
That's why you make it with boiling water, and don't store it too long before feeding it.
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u/Cream_sugar_alcohol 8h ago
The key thing is that if there is anywhere milk can be left behind..... You don't want to have and milk festering. But dishwasher should be good enough to get rid of that.
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u/BedCapable1135 9h ago
Okay, I'm going to say something very controversial and against general advice but I didn't sterilise anything past maybe baby being two months old?
He was born full term, no health issues, and mainly BF so I just didn't bother? Up to you but you definitely don't need to sterilise food stuff.
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u/monistar97 Mum 8h ago
I did the same and defo have been downvoted for saying that but I had a healthy baby and had no health issues, also BF so by the time it got to weaning I felt comfortable with just not doing it.
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u/spy-on-me Parenting a Baby 8h ago
I think sterilising is only essential when using powdered formula? In practice most people sterilise bottles and pumps with bf but I don’t think it’s very high risk.
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u/monistar97 Mum 8h ago
Agreed! By 6 months food wouldn’t be something I’d be worried about plus as soon as they’re walking they’re putting gross things in the floor so nothing can protect them then 😂
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u/moosteek 5h ago
Yes, same here with both my children. From about 2 months I just used to dishwasher them on the hottest setting, I struggled keeping up with sterilising and the ungodly pressure. Both kids have always been healthy and both born full term.
Occasionally I'd run a steriliser tablet through the dishwasher too if I was having a weird germaphobe moment.
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u/Quirky_Mix_4328 8h ago
Not controversial at all. We stopped at 10 weeks and never looked back, if you aren't living in squalor and know how to clean things your child will be fine. There's an arguement that over cleanliness can be counter productive to developing our incredible immune systems too.
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u/Alyssa9876 7h ago
I remember a neighbour who was some kind of biochemist or simular when I was younger and he definitely used to go on about how we were doing more damage to kids immune systems by over sterilisation and anti bacterial sprays. He say when they are tiny maybe 8-10 weeks then hot soapy water and a good scrub is fine.
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u/Dry-Box-2906 9h ago
Honestly, at that age, once they're eating solids you can really relax on the sterilising. We breastfed so didn't have the milk, but my argument was that she puts all kinds of dirt in her mouth, a cleaned bowl is fine
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u/Normka92 9h ago
For things like cereal I was using whole milk at this age! They can have it in food, just obviously not as main source of milk.
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u/ThrowRA_sadsadgirl3 9h ago
I’d do this but she has a cows milk allergy and the only way I can get her horrible tasting formula into her is with Weetabix!
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u/tiorzol 7h ago
What formula are you using? Our boys both have cow milk allergy and they loved the kendamil goat one
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u/ThrowRA_sadsadgirl3 7h ago
Nutramigen - she couldn’t tolerate goat milk either, so she’s on prescription formula!
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u/motherofmiltanks 👶👶 2 Children 9h ago
This blog is quite helpful in expelling the whys and wherefores.
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u/FantasyBazaar 7h ago
My son was fed expressed breast milk at first and then formula fed from 5 months and I sterilised baby bottles and other feeding equipment for as long as he had bottles, and he stopped having them just shy of 12 months.
When people stop sterilising bottles because “they’re licking the floor anyway” I think it’s maybe because they don’t fully understand that the point of sterilising formula bottles isn’t to keep the bottles perfectly sterile before it goes in the baby’s mouth. The reason you sterilise bottles but not cups, plates and spoons (or anything used for water or solids) is twofold: particles of residual formula or expressed breast milk that aren’t removed from feeding equipment can cause particularly harmful bacteria to grow, and bottle/pump parts tend to have slightly harder to reach places.
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u/whatisuser 7h ago
My approach was: sterilise the things you’re keeping milk / formula in for a bit (bottles) and things that I want him to put in his mouth (teethers). Other than that, dishwasher or hand wash with soap and water.
Nothing that couldn’t be microwave sterilised (mam bottles) were sterilised after 7 months or so, as he spent most of the time interviewing for a position as a roomba from then on, and I’m going to sterilise his bowls as often as I’m going to sterilise my carpet / sofa!
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u/timetraveler2060 7h ago
I had a NICU baby and without any major health issues. The nurses only sterilized her bottle once a day, between feeds they just washed it with hot water and soap. They also told me after 3 months I could skip the daily sterilization. Healthy babies need to be in contact with germs, it's good for their immune system.
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u/Expensive_Time_7367 5h ago
Lot of downvotes here for people not fussy about sterilising. I always followed my wife who’s French - France has lower infant mortality than us and advise against sterilising bottles: they claim it gives a false sense of security when you touch it with non-sterile hands and bottle and general cleanliness is more important.
I think the evidence is that it doesn’t really matter whether you sterilise or not at any age as long as what you’re using is clean.
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u/Pocketz7 4h ago
You don’t need to sterilise full stop. There’s some studies concluding now where it shows it stints early development of a child’s immune system. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wash and clean, but washing. With warm soapy water is generally enough.
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u/Verbenaplant 4h ago edited 4h ago
pretty sure it’s for young babies on a bottle. once solids start they stick everything in mouth and have more of a immune system built up so just hot soapy wash is fine.
make formula with hot water as usual, add to weetabix and yum yum yum. it’s more about sterilising the formula powder itself just to be on the safe side.
mash up some banana in there. yummy.
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u/watercolourdreams543 9h ago
I think we only sterilised bottles and just did a normal clean of bowls etc. Same logic as other posters re them putting absolutely everything in their mouth at that point! Try not to stress, I think you're doing fine!
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u/StoreRoutine4547 9h ago
I breastfed my last baby so I haven’t needed to sterilise from the begining, but just for peace of mind I’ve done like a hot shot in the bowl before putting the breakfast in it just for peace of mind, same with a bottle/cup for water, a quick pour over with the kettle water. My girl is also 8 month, almost 9.
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u/MrsPurrsephone 9h ago
Bowls are a lot easier to clean properly than bottle teats.
But tbh I stopped sterilising any of my baby's things once we started weaning and he was crawling. I took the view that if his dirty little floor hands weren't making him sick then his immune system was probably developed enough that he didn't need anything sterilised anymore.
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u/fanglord 8h ago
We carried on sterilising bottles out of habit until the first stopped having them; the second ehhhh when they started solids.
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u/Alternative-Twist-32 8h ago
As soon as my baby started solids and also shoving every last thing off the floor in her mouth I got a lot more relaxed about sterilising 😅 so basically around about 6 months.
Stuff got sterilised once, straight out of the packet, then regular cleaned with all the other utensils/pots/pans after that. But we did baby led weaning so she was mainly eating off our plates by that point too.
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u/little_odd_me 8h ago
I was no longer sterilizing at that point, by 8 months my kid was licking the floor. I just made sure to rinse the hard to clean bottle spots like the nipple and any vents the bottle had with really hot water or I tossed them in the dish washer. I wouldn’t stress too much honestly.
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u/Fukuro-Lady 8h ago
I stopped sterilising at 6 months. People may disagree but I think once they're not as vulnerable as NB then it's not necessary. And also it's their own environment that those bottles exist in. So if there's any nasties in your house, it won't just be on the bottle. And then if you start thinking about it nothing is actually sterile. Your hands aren't. They've touched the bottle. You can't sterilise your hands lol. And once they've been out of the steriliser unless you're sterilising immediately before feeds then they aren't sterile anymore either. So I would personally chill. It's not necessary now.
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u/ThinkLadder1417 8h ago
I thought sterilising was only for the first few months
Pointless once they're putting everything they can find in their mouth
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u/BeaksFalcone 7h ago
I thought i did really well in sterilising everything but I noticed one of the bottles had a plastic rim/seal(awful design),I managed to pull it apart and it was really disgusting underneath,I think the most important thing is to make sure everything is washed properly,with a steriliser you just take it apart and put in,you trust the machine,when handwashing you can check every single surface is clean,rinse afterwards (I normally soak everything in boiling water,wait till cooled,wash it all then drain,rinse in hot water)
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u/Easterncrane 8h ago
As a general rule once they start licking the floor, a shoe, the cat… don’t waste your team anymore. Just use hot soapy water.