Sterilising bottles - how long?

[Sausagegirl]

How long should I carry on sterilising bottles for? I'm aware you don't have to sterilise bowls and cutlery,but does the same apply to bottles once your baby is past a certain age?

[Why??]

Hi, I was told that upto when the baby is 6 months old is usually fine as by then they will have built up enough immunity to most germs.

Also if you wash them in the dish washer this also sterilises them as during the drying cycle it reaches temperatures high enough to kill the germs.

Hope that helps.

[gedk]

I was advised by my health visitor that as long as my son was drinking out of his bottles then to continue sterilising them. He is 17 mths old now and I still sterilise his bottles.

[Hgrove]

I stopped when my daughter started crawling, as I thought there was no point in sterilising bottles when she was putting her hands in her mouth having touched the floor.

[gary baldy]

Yes - i was told the same as Hgrove. Once they start crawling and eating finger food its a bit futile to sterilise.
Just give them a good wash as you would normal washing up and change the teats quite regularly.

[**Clem**]

My little boy is nearly one and I was told by different health visitors on different occasions that you should sterilise until they're one. My baby book says the same and I was told the same thing with my first son eight years ago.

What the others have said makes sense though. Sterilising does seem a bit pointless once they start crawling x

[Gingerchick]

A baby actually relies on the residual immune system passed on to him by his mother while in the womb for the first 6 months of life, while building up his own.

"Hgrove" is right that there is no point in continuing to sterilise when the child is crawling because they will be putting their hands/toys etc in their mouths that have been on the floor. The more you sterilise things the less chance you are giving your child to build up his own immune system. That includes the modern fashion for antibacterial handwashes/surface cleaners etc. The more we kill germs, the less chance children and adults have of building up immunity to them and that's how we end up with things like MRSA.

[meltoadhall]

i agree with not worrying once they start crawling, but why do you still use a bottle when they can drink from a beaker or cup? so unnecessary and gives you extra work if you still sterilize them.

[lou 26]

I stopped sterilising them once my daughter was one, I also used it as an excuse to throw the bottles away and switch to beakers.

[mycatis]

I stopped sterilising my baby's bottle (which he only used for a couple of months) when he was about 5 months old because I was in the kitchen one day doing it and went into the hall to find him licking the mud off his pram wheels!

[broomy2]

i sterilised my sons and my daughters bottles for the first four weeks only.

they are now 4 and 2 and have never been ill apart from one tummy bug my son had last summer. they dont get colds or infections and have never been to the doctors only for vaccinations.

everyone comments on how well my children always are. you can be too clean.!!! they drop things on the floor when we are out and pick them up and eat them, i think they are immune to every disease going.

my sister used to boil her childrens bottles and then sterilise them and her 2 have been in and out of hospital and doctors for the last 7 years. they have never built up any immunity to anything !!

stop sterilising !

[anj74]

I think the reason it is advised that you carry on sterilising bottles until one year old and not plates and spoons etc, is that it's a particular bug that would be attracted to any milk residue and the baby can cope with this bug batter after turning one. However ... I am just swopping breast for bottles and cups at 7 months and I am not sterilising, just washing really well, as I did with my other 2 children.

[Tristansmom]

To be honest, I only sterillized the nipples and only the bottles a couple of time. I always made sure my bottles were cleaned and never let them sit around after a feeding. But I never felt the need to stellilize absolutely everything. And my son is fine and completely healthy.