How old were your babies when you stopped sterilizing the bottles and pump stuff? We have a steam sterilizer that I use for everything, I BF so it's mainly pump supplies and the occasional bottle, but I was just wondering when others stopped and just handwashed or ran things through the dishwasher. NOTE: I'm not looking for an explanation of why sterilizing isn't necessary, just when others that did use them stopped. It's quick, easy, and it makes me feel better!
I remember asking my peditrician that same question, he said "when they start eating out of the dog's dish". So, it was around the time they started crawling.
I used the dishwasher for most items. Both the water from the wash cycle and the heat from the dry cycle are enough to sterilize.
I rarely did b/c my ped told me the dishwasher was fine. I think after about 4 months old they seemed "hardy" enough, but that has no basis. It was probably I was just more comfortable with the baby itself at that time.
I never did. I just ran them through the dishwasher and used the drying option. I figure if stuff comes out of the dishwasher too hot to touch, it's sterilized enough. :)
I pumped exclusively for 6 mos and then fed table food and pumped for the next 6 months. I handwashed in hot soapy water and air dried about 6-8 Dr. Brown's bottles and all their "stuff" everyday along with pumping "stuff" 8 -10 times a day. I never sterilized a bottle beyond the initial purchase and didn't realize you needed to?? I found that the dishwasher didn't clean em as well as me?
My son is now 3 1/2 and got sick the first time at about 12 months (a cold), so I don't think I would start sterilizing with my other kids since it is another step on top of washing, right?
The drying option on the dishwasher is the same thing.
I sterilized after each pumping session for a couple of weeks, then rinsed w/ soap and hot water and sterilized once a day for a couple of months, and then said screw it and just washed w/ soap/hot water amost exclsively. Every once in a while I'd feel guilty and stuff everything into the sterilizer - but that was about once a month.
A friend of mine is an immunologist and she would put her pump parts in the fridge to inhibit bacterial growth. The thought of slapping those icy cones on full breasts made me shudder, but it worked for her!
I didn't BF so when I did sterilize, I did it until I stopped using bottles at 1 year old.
Wow, I guess I didn 't realize you were supposed to sterilize on a regular basis! I just did the initial sterilization of bottles and pump stuff but then after that I just washed with dish soap in the sink.
Never used one, soap works.
I think my daughter stopped at 8=9 months, then hot hot water or dishwasher..
My daughter never did sterilize bottles and pumping supplies. She runs bottles thru the dishwasher most of the time but not always. She just rinses the breast pump things in soapy water and runs them thru the dishwasher once a week or so.
My babies are 4 months and I just stopped sterilizing everything seperately. I am know using the sanitize option on my dishwasher.
I only sterilized once, before first use. After that, hand-wash or dishwasher.
sterilized for the first kid for 1 month.. second kid got dishwasher clean things.. I have heard for 3rd kids they get used dirty things and they survive too.
