Hi

I have been BF DD2 since birth. She is now 6 months and I am considering expressing so that I can leave her with her dad etc. Do I need to sterilise at this age? I have bought some bottles but am also wondering if I should go straight to a sippy cup (or do you think a bottle would be more comforting. Do you freeze your milk in the little bags or just use containers (do they need to be sterilised?) I guess I am reluctant to go out and buy a heap of equipment because I am not sure if I will be very committed when it comes to expressing. Would love to hear your thoughts and about your experiences.

I'm a slacker who doesn't sterilise anything anymore. Bub is 5.5mths and I haven't sterilised for a month or two

Double check the ABA's website, but I'm pretty sure they say you just need to wash in warm soapy water and well rinse. If using breast milk that is, as it has natural antibacterial properties. Formula may be different.

Our little man chews, sucks and slobbers on everything now and rolls around so not much point sterilising

Do you have a dishwasher? If so you dont need to sterlise at any stage.

I stopped steralising everything at 6 months - MIL is a Community midwife and said this is the norm.

I stopped at 4 months. All you need to do is wash the bottles in hot soapy water. A bit a bacteria is really good for their immunity.

I have never sterilised a thing for my son. As well as BFing he drank tap water from an unsterilised cup from 6 months.

I didn't sterilise bottles by 6mths of age.

I never sterilised anything. I either used the dishwasher or really hot water.

R

If your baby is fully breastfed, he may not take a bottle. It would be a better idea to use a sippy cup and there will be no nipple confusion and him/her liking the bottle more, because it is easy to get. Mums usually freeze breastmilk in -ice-cube trays and then you can thaw out as many ice cubes as you think bubs will need and not waste any, which may not be finished by him. You can buy ice-cube trays with a cover, to stop any contamination in the freezer. EBM can be kept in the fridge at the back for 3-5 days and in the freezer part of the fridge for 3 months and 6-12 months in a deep freeze. If you do it this way, you won't have to sterilize anything.

I do it until 12 months, even though I've heard from other recent new mums that hospitals no longer recommend that you need to sterilise even from birth (no-one I've spoken to in person has taken this up, they've at least sterilised for a newborn and a few months beyond).

My SIL has never sterilised and wonders why her kids are always sick - I often wonder if this has something to do with it or it could be because they're always inside and never have contact with other kids to build up their immunity.

This, even from birth if your baby is healthy and term then sterilising is not required for expression and giving of breast milk.
It is different from formula.


I am wondering what you mean by that? Many types of bacteria cause disease/illness and are not good for babies. Especially if they are not receiving any mothers milk combined with an immature immune system, that would be a recipe for disaster.

Babies need to be exposed to a certain degree of germs/bacteria to build their immunity. If they live in a sterile environment this limits how much their immune system can mature, and as a result will become sick more often and for longer. Washing in hot soapy water will remove dangerous amounts of bacteria, however there will still be tiny amounts present which pose no risk to healthy babies and are actually good for them.

There's a big difference between bacteria which will cause serious illness and harmless bacteria which benefits our bodies. We all have billions of good and bad bacteria throughout our digestive system even living on our skin, all which we need to live a healthy life.

It's the same with the over use of those hand sanitisers people are going nuts over, and how our food supply has become sterile; it's all to our detriment.

I never sterilized anything for my bubs, just hot soapy water, good rinse and air dry.

Thank you everyone for the replies. I totally forgot about the ABA - will have to do some reading. I like the look of the ice cube storage trays - would be prefect for someone like me who doesmn't seem to get much with each attempt at expressing (yet all my babies have been super chubby!!). I guess now that DD2 is starting solids and getting quite active - she is putting alot of different things in her mouth which have not been sterilised.



Thanks again for sharing.