My MIL told me it's probably okay that I don't sterilize the nipples and bottle parts anymore now that my daughter is over 3 months. How long is the norm? She has had her first round of vaccines so far and will get a 2nd round in 2 weeks. Thanks for any input.:)

I know everyone is different on this, but for me, I stopped sterilizing the bottles/nipples after her first round of shots at two months. I soak everything in very hot soapy water after every use still though and run then through the dishwasher once a week so they are washed in extreme hot water.

i think we might have sterilized binkies, bottles/nipples, once...

i know i'm a terrible mother, but i have actually gone and grabbed a pack of bottles at the store, ripped open the package, dumped formula in (also grabbed off the shelf!), and shoved it into the hands of my poor screaming, starving baby girl (when my oldest was a baby). i've also been known to grab a pack of binkies off the shelf and rip it open and shove one into the mouth of my screaming toddler!

i guess my point is, while it's probably not the best idea in the world to give your baby things straight out of the package, you really don't need to get too crazy with the sterilizing. a good wash in hot soapy water is really all you need. :)

I'll join the bad mother club... I never sterilized bottles/nipples/pacifiers etc. I didn't use them too often, because I usually nursed, but I occasionally fed her expressed breast milk. If my daughter had ever gotten sick - I would have then so she didn't reinfect herself. But at 2 she still has never really been sick. She had a mild ear infection once.

I also never sterilized bottles and my son was a preemie. I always washed them in the dishwasher and thought that was good enough. My son was never sick and is a healthy 2-year old now.

I have always heard that you don't need to sterilize unless your baby is a preemie. The dishwasher is fine.

Do we need to sterlize if we don't use a dishwasher? A diswasher does some steriliztion at a higher temp than washing manually.

Hi,

I heard you should sterilize until your baby is 6 months old. I wash my bottles with really hot soapy water and then either put them in sterilization microwave bags or in the dishwasher. I just started the dishwasher a few weeks ago. Up until then I sterilized them after every use. Its better to be safe than sorry. Im also a first time mom...ask me what i do after 2 or 3 babies! ha!

Koukla

in the uk its reccomended to sterilise bottles etc until they reach 6 months, especially if they have allergies and such. with dd i sterlised EVERYTHING before each use, if she droped her pacifier i wouldnt let her have it again until i sterilised it lol. with ds im a little more relaxed, but i still sterilise his bottles and food stuff before each use and i will till he hits 6 months also, i just dont really do the pacifiers. i have special bottles that you pop in the microwave for 1 min 30 secs so its not like im there for ages sterilising something while he is screaming for food. with everything else i just boil the kettle, pop the water in a pan and put it in the water for a couple mins.

i think we might have sterilized binkies, bottles/nipples, once...

i know i'm a terrible mother, but i have actually gone and grabbed a pack of bottles at the store, ripped open the package, dumped formula in (also grabbed off the shelf!), and shoved it into the hands of my poor screaming, starving baby girl (when my oldest was a baby). i've also been known to grab a pack of binkies off the shelf and rip it open and shove one into the mouth of my screaming toddler!



I'VE DONE THAT! (The pacifier one, not the formula one). I'm usually good about not forgetting a bottle, but I've lost track of a paci or two every now and then. ;)

In general, I sterilize one time when the item is new, and after that it gets handwashed (primarily) in hot soapy water. We have our water heater set on 120 (anti-scald), so the water isn't even all that hot... Every so often (once every couple of months?) everything (pacifiers, bottle parts, teething toys) all go into the dishwasher (top-rack) on "sanitize." But that's only if I'm feeling particularly anal...

Oh, and I NEVER boiled water for the formula. And I NEVER have heated up a bottle (she now likes it straight from the fridge, just like I taught her ;)). And the five-second rule is definitely in force at my house!

I'm a first time mom. My son was born at 34 weeks and I was never told to sterilize anything. I just followed the instructions on the product packaging, "Sterilize before initial use, then wash in hot soapy water." In fact, if you read a package of powdered infant formula, it will tell you that it's not sterile. I suppose my view on the point is that if I'm going to be putting non-sterile formula in the bottle, does it matter if the bottle is sterilized? Honestly, he's the only one who drinks out of it, and the only thing that ever goes in it is formula mixed with distilled bottled water. My son is a happy, healthy 10 week old and is FINALLY growing like a weed. I hope that helps.