I have a 16 month old daughter and I was wondering how much longer do I need to sterilize her feeding stuff.:help:

To be honest, if i remember that long ago, i steralised my bottles until they werent been used anymore, not the cutlery or dishes though, (dont know why) :D

I have a 16 month old daughter and I was wondering how much longer do I need to sterilize her feeding stuff.:help:

hiya,
you should always sterilise bottles/teats/beakers/pumps (anything that you're usign with milk), up until your baby stops using formula/breast milk. this is because formula and breastmilk offer perfect conditions for bacteria to grow in. spoons, water/juice beakers, plates and food storage pots can just be washed in teh sink or dishwasher.

bc

(p.s. you might like to look at the parenting section of the forum if you have other questions like this one :)
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=84)

I've moved this to the parenting group :)

hiya,
you should always sterilise bottles/teats/beakers/pumps (anything that you're usign with milk), up until your baby stops using formula/breast milk. this is because formula and breastmilk offer perfect conditions for bacteria to grow in. spoons, water/juice beakers, plates and food storage pots can just be washed in teh sink or dishwasher.


I did right then, all those years ago :hihi:

We stopped sterilising most things at 10 - 12 months but our system is to use a cold sterilising bucket so we just throw it all in there because it's all in one place. So in one respect it's all still sterilised and in another we often use things out of the dishwasher (with an extra rinse), or off the draining rack.

I stopped at 12mths. A bit of muck never killed anyone :hihi:

thanks everyone.

I stopped at 12mths. A bit of muck never killed anyone :hihi:

on the contrary, food poisoning can be very dangerous.


that said, whilst i sterilise babybabychickens's bottles, i also let her eat soil.;)

I stopped sterilising bowls and dishes and cutlery at around 11 or 12 months, I think. Then read you could do it earlier. Typical. And I stopped sterilising bottles when i moved him on to cows milk...around 12 months again? Something like that.

Hi all,

Just wondered at what age you can stop sterilising baby's bottles.

Anyone any idea ?

As a rule it is recommended until 12 months hun

Yes, I've always been told 12 months. I argued that they were crawling around and putting allsorts in their mouths, so should I sterilise all toys, floors etc. HV said it's because milk can breed so many germs so it's best to sterilise til 12 months. I've done most of mine til 11 or 12 months old.

I spoke to the consultant gastro enterologist about this this morning as it happens! He said it's recommended that anything that touches milk products, i.e bottles, then they should be sterilised until 12 months. He said this is especially important for babes with medical conditions.

He said anything else can be from 6 months - dummy's, cutlery, feeding equipment etc. I'm lucky as Scarlett doesn't have milk products as she's allergic to dairy so I have stopped sterilising! woo hoo.

I was always told 6 months. I exclusively breastfed until 6 and 1/2 months but after that when I started weaning him onto formula I didn't sterilise the beakers and I never sterilised his bowls spoons etc when weaning him at 6 months.

Like annie said, it's the things that have had milk in them that are important to sterilise :)

You have to sterilise homebrew equipment so it must be for vessels which will store liquid for a long period of time.

I stopped strililising my sons bottles when he was about 7 months old, never did him any harm, as long as they were washed out with warm soapy water and rinsed throughly there fine.

sterilising

as long as they were washed out with warm soapy water and rinsed throughly there fine.

Fine for your son maybe, but the recommended minimum age is indeed 12 months, which I think the OP was wanting to know. Milk can breed nasty little bacteria, which makes little ones prone to tummy bugs and such like. Better safe than sorry is how I've always been with all my 5 kids.

I think I will carry on sterilising until Lewis stops having bottles. I scald his bowls, spoons and beaker with boiling water after washing.

Plus steam sterilising takes 8 mins after washing with 200mls of water - hardly an effort!

Thanks all, I did wonder what the difference was between bottles and feeding bowls, spoons etc. What with her having a heart murmur I think I will carry on till she is 12 months just to be on the safe side.

Once again, thanks for the advice.

i was going to start a thread asking about sterilising things so will just hijack yours:hihi::hihi:

i am breast feeding and sterilising everything, the question is once i sterilise it how long before i need to sterlise again?

I have never quite figured out the whole sterilising thing! do i do it just before i use the bottles or can i sterilise after washing and store in cupboard?

apologies for being thick but i cant quite get my head round it:help:

.x

I have a microwave steriliser and I usually just leave em in there til I need each bottle. Dunno whether that it correct but Lewis has been ok x

i have always sterilised the bottles then made them up straight away and kept them in the fridge until im ready to use them so long as you dont keep them for more than 24 hrs they are fine.
Sarah.x

We steralise everything until 12-14 months (depending on what age they leave the baby room) at Nursery.

I think my steam steriliser says as long as you keep the lid on, everything is sterile for just one hour after the cycle has finished. I usually leave it to cool down a bit, then make the bottles up and put them in the fridge when cold. I know now they tell you to make just one bottle at a time, when you need it. When I had my first 3 kids, you were told to make up a batch and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours, so I STILL do that. Let me tell ya, with 5 kids, i simply do not have the TIME to fanny about making up a bottle whenever I need one.

I think my steam steriliser says as long as you keep the lid on, everything is sterile for just one hour after the cycle has finished. I usually leave it to cool down a bit, then make the bottles up and put them in the fridge when cold. I know now they tell you to make just one bottle at a time, when you need it. When I had my first 3 kids, you were told to make up a batch and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours, so I STILL do that. Let me tell ya, with 5 kids, i simply do not have the TIME to fanny about making up a bottle whenever I need one.

well looks like i sticking to the milton! Nathan is breastfed but on the occasion i have to make a bottle to fill the grubber its best just having one sat waiting to be used.

I make advance bottles so I still sterilise as it gives extra protection when I'll have formula standing for up to 24 hours!

Plus he once got a bug and it was not nice - he gained only 1oz in a month as a result - so I stay careful :thumbsup:

Babycamrat is 15 months and I still steralise his bottle... seems I can stop now. :-)

Hi
My little girl is six months old now (five months adjusted) but is still a titch. I have been looking on the internet about when to stop sterilising things. She is already crawling and is putting everything in her mouth so I am thinking about stopping sterilising her food things. I have been looking on the internet and there are some people saying to stop sterilising bottles at six months to give a bit of exposure to bacteria so her system can start fighting it. When did you stop? advice and experience would be much appreciated. Thanks

I didn't sterilise bowls and spoons after 6 months, but if you use bottles you should continue to sterilise those to 12 months, or as long as you use formula, which is prone to bacterial growth.

i stopped sterilising them at 6 months.

I never sterilised dishes and spoons but kept sterilising bottles till about 10 months purely because of what can grow in a bottle that has had milk in it.

Thanks, that is what I was thinking stop sterilising food things now and carry on with bottles until she is a bit older because of the bacteria growth.

I started giving both my children food and bits of formula around 6-7 months. Before that I had just breastfed. I never sterilised anything for either of them. I have never used bottles though, only beakers. I do wash stuff in antibacterial washing up liquid, whether that helps I don't know!

I think you need to use some common sense on this one. Everyone has a different opinion on what to do.

With my first she was formula fed and I made bottles up with water and added powder when needed (bog no no according to some people) and sterilised until 12 months. Never had any health problems - She went onto cows milk at 12 months no messing with rip off follow on milk + formula is so expensive.

This time round I am breast feeding - don't sterilise feeding spoon or bowls but do the breast pump and bottles occasionally (now I am at work twice a week). I am using formula and breast feeding my son is 9 months old.

We went away when my son was about 7 months and didn't want to pack the microwave steriliser so didn't both and just washed his bottles with warm soppy water - did leave them to soak in boiling water occasionally and he was fine.

I stopped around 6 months.