Comments on: The Saturday Question: Did You Sterilize Your Baby Bottles?

By: Jennifer Lovitt

Jennifer Lovitt — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:13:01 +0000

I don’t think its necessary to sterilize when you are talking about breastfeeding. I always put the pump parts in the fridge after each use and just washed them by hand or in the dishwasher once every day or two. But I only pumped when he was a little babe and wasn’t wanting to nurse. Once he got the hang of things, I was pumping a little so my husband to bottle feed sometimes, but I eventually found that to be more trouble than it was worth.

But its perfectly fine if you are pumping at work to bring a big ziplock bag and put the everything in there still assembled, minus the bottle (Which of course is lidded and put in the fridge as well) and reuse it without sterilizing in between, assuming you have a fridge at work and feel comfortable putting it in there. No need to wash at all, since the fridge keeps the small drops of milk on there fresh

By: Stacy

Stacy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:52:55 +0000

I’ve boiled my bottles and pacifiers before the first use, but that’s it. I don’t know if my pump parts were ever sterilized because the lactation consultant brought them to me in the hospital when my baby wouldn’t breastfeed. At work, I have to hand wash my pump parts in a bathroom (gross!) and my little guy is completely healthy. So, while I do stress about cleanliness, I don’t worry about things being sterile….like others have said, a little dirt won’t hurt!

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:52:18 +0000

Sometimes I sterilize; sometimes I don’t. I do pump occasionally and can see both sides of the sterilize/don’t sterilize argument. So instead of making a decision (ugh, *another* decision), I do both! No rhyme or reason to it, whatever suits me. And he’s just fine.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:22:17 +0000

Only time I boiled to sterilize anything was the first use. From then on, hand wash with hot soapy water. And he lived to tell! Bottles, soothers, now sippies.

By: Penny

Penny — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:49:16 +0000

The only thing I bothered to sterilize was my breast pump stuff. I used the Milton method rather than boiling. (http://www.milton-tm.com/motherandbaby/Milton_health_protection.htm)
Both kids were breastfed but I pumped now and again to save some for mixing with their baby food, and to relieve engorgement.
Lydia did have some formula in a bottle once she was weaned at 2yr 3month but by that time I didn’t think it worth sterilizing and just washing it all up in the normal detergent hot water.

It’s my personal opinion based on no scientific basis whatsoever, that once a child is 1yr or so, that sterilizing is getting OTT. Some exposure to bugs is a good thing. I don’t mean be irresponsible about it, but washing up with very hot water and soap should be sufficient.

By: Anelewolf

Anelewolf — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:59:44 +0000

I did some research before having my baby, and what I read mostly is that you don’t really need to sterilize the bottles anymore, I read various articles that it was used when the water systems where new and water wasn’t properly treated, so that had a lot of weird germs. In the baby books I didn’t find also anywere it said you must sterilize the bottles. So I only sterilize in the microwave the breastpump stuff, but the bottles only before the first use. My baby is almost 3 months old, he has breastmilk from a hand washed bottle ocassionally and he’s doing great.

By: shari

shari — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:04:15 +0000

I used to wash them in the dishwasher and then do an extra rinse and hold, so they were boiling hot. Raised two kids-now 17 & 19 no major illnesses or problems.

it is a problem, in that the heat from the dishwasher as well as the microwave does cause leaching of the chemicals from the plastic. But if the baby gets sick from the germy bottles and pump parts? Then there will be antibiotics to consider. IDK which is worse.

By: Jodie

Jodie — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:48:24 +0000

I pump and feed my son bottled breastmilk. I, like one of your other readers, have the microwave sterilizer. It’s wonderful. I rinse my pump parts and stick them in the fridge and use them throughout the day. Then once a day, I pop them in the microwave to sterilize them. It’s much easier than handwashing, and I don’t waste all the water from the dishwasher because it only requires 7 ounces of water. If it wasn’t for the microwave sterilizer, I wouldn’t sterilize my bottles. I don’t do it for the sterilization factor- I do it for the ease factor. I think people are too paranoid about germs these days. My son is four months old and hasn’t caught any illness except impetigo (which is clearly not from his bottles). Knock on wood!

By: alexa

alexa — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:26:41 +0000

I breastfeed but she gets bottled of pumped stuff while I’m at work. I sterilize sometimes…I have the microwavable sterilizing bags and use those to do all the bottle and pump pieces every few weeks. I can’t do the tubing in there though, so that usually goes a little longer. We don’t have a dishwasher, and if I had to boil everything it wouldn’t get down very often.

A little bit of dirt never hurt anyone.

By: eileen

eileen — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:00:29 +0000

I don’t know, do you sterilize your breasts? I think that if it is going between only you and your baby, your only concern is bacteria which are the same sorts of bacteria that you have to be careful of in food which get killed by soap and water. If your baby is taking breastmilk, then she gets your immunity. So yeah, I think if taking the time to sterilize might inhibit the breastfeeding and make you less likely to stick with it, then the sterilizing is not worth it.