Hi there, I was wondering when should I stop sterilizing my daughters bottles. I have the AVENT sterilizing so its kinda more of a process than just throwing them in hot water. I've been told by two different people it was enough, my baby its 11 months now. And also I want to know whats the next best way to rinse them. For my baby shower I got the rack to place bottles on for the dish washer, then again I know some moms just wash them without the hot water and hot drying to disinfect. what do you think? thanks in advance for your help.
I have never in my life sterilized a bottle. I have 13 years in child care and have never sterilized a bottle in the baby room for 3 years of that, never sterilized a bottle for any of my 7 grand kids, never.
Soap works. It kills germs, it sanitizes the bottle, if you get it clean it is sanitized when you pick it up.
You don't need to sterilize them at all. I just washed them in hot soapy water. That's it.
Just run them through the dishwasher. I never did more than that.
Never sterilized a bottle in my life. Four healthy kids. Just put them in the
dishwasher. That is hot enough.
My mom gave me the best advice that she got from her doctor: Do you dip your boobs in boiling hot water to sterilize them before you give them to your baby? After that I never sterilized another bottle.
I sterilized before the first use.
Then after that I just washed in hot water and dried them on a dish rack like how I would do any other dish washing.
In my family we stopped sterilizing bottles at about 5-6 months. We got rid of bottles at 1 year old and potty trained at 2 years old.
I hope this helps.
The dishwasher acts as a steriliser because the water heats to steam. It's fine to just stick them in there. If you don't have one, just washing normally is fine at 11 months.
My doctor told me it's really not necessary except for before the first use. However, if it's something I really wanted to do, after about 4 months you're good. If you wash them in hot water or the dishwasher, that really is enough.
I sterilized for 2 weeks only but my daughter is 4 and to this day I've never put any of her bottles, binkies, sippy cups, dishes or utensils in the dishwasher. We use a natural dish soap to handwash dishes and I just don't trust that the plastic doesn't break down in the extreme heat of the dishwasher. I have considered getting glass bottles if we have another one so that I can put them in the dishwasher. Do what makes you feel comfortable but at 11 months, I'd say it's way safe to stop sterilizing. Good luck!
Never did sterilize bottles, we just ran them through the dishwasher.
I asked this question a few months ago, and got mostly answers of "I never sterilized, it's not necessary" etc. So, to counter those...I DID sterilize! I stopped around 8 months (my steam sterilizer was borrowed and they needed it back) and went to handwashing with soap and hot water or dishwasher for the dishwasher safe stuff. I'd just put them on the drying rack and then once they were dry put the nipples/covers back on so they didn't get dusty or dirty (my son is breastfed, but got bottles when I was out). The rational part of me knew that after the first few months this would've been fine, but I had the sterilizer so I figured I might as well use it. I'd also sterilize the toys that fell on the floor. Now I wipe them off on my jeans and back to being gnawed on they go! Just use your common sense and clean them like you'd clean anything else. And ignore those "sterilization is stupid" folks, if it makes you feel better (and it did me), then it was worth it. Someone responded to my question about this that their friend was an epidemiologist and put all breast pump parts in the fridge after sterilizing them to keep things from growing, so there are always those that are more nuts than us!
ETA:
Moms I respect don't sterilize. I had my doubts - but they have convinced me. No sterilization for baby#2.
ORIGINAL
We had the plastic bottles that you microwaved in the steamer bag, but I know your question is more of "when did you stop".
about 10 or 11 months old.
It was just before we switched to sippy cups and no bottle (one year)
