Sterilizer or boil??

I have started shopping for my first baby due in early August. I have read some threads on the site regarding sterilizer choices, but I would like to ask the experienced people here whether a sterilizer is really necessary.


I know that when my mom raised me, she used to boil the bottles and nipples, and I was wondering if people still do that these days. If not, why not? Is it tons more work or does it not work as well?


Having started shopping for my baby, I realize that there are literally hundreds of things to buy, and I am feeling like I should save on certain things.


Is a sterilizer a must and thus, I should look for other things to save on, or can I get away without one, i.e. go the traditional route and boil the bottles/nipples?

Sterilizer or boil? Neither in my opinion. Careful hand washing with warm water and normal detergent (washing up liquid) followed by air drying in a rack works just fine. Our 2 daughters have survived and are no more or less sick than anyone else.


One nurse at the pediatric clinic in the US said that once you touch them they're not sterile anyway unless you use surgical gloves so what's the point.


In my opinion "excessive" cleanliness leads to oversensitivity. Some "dirt" is good since the immune system need to be built up. Also babies lick and chew anything they get their hands on. They are built to handle that. If baby has just licked the floor sterilizing a bottle seems a bit pointless.


Just my two cents.



"there should NOT be hundreds of things to buy.... newborns need very little."


Onesies and washcloths are key. ;)


http://babygear.rosboch.net

I guess I did get carried away with my comment on 'hundreds of things to buy'. I recently bought a cot, bedding and stroller and since these items were very expensive in my standards, it feels like there is loads more to go.


axptguy38,

You totally described what I have been feeling about this whole sterilizing thing all along! But since all baby books and parents talk about sterilizing like it is a natural thing to do, I came to reluctantly accept that I would need to as well.


I am also a strong believer of exposing babies to some 'dirt' for stronger immune system.


YES!! THANK YOU!!


All I need to do now is to convince my husband..... (a bit of a hygiene freak)...

"You totally described what I have been feeling about this whole sterilizing thing all along! But since all baby books and parents talk about sterilizing like it is a natural thing to do, I came to reluctantly accept that I would need to as well."


I am convinced that the books say that since the authors know that if they say "just wash the stuff as if it were dishes", some people will not do it very well. If they say "sterilize" at least the germs will be killed for sure.


As you say though, sterilization works of course. It just seems like way too much work for the purpose.




"i must admit myself that we were far less stringent with the sterilising with the second than we were with the first."


I think that's perfectly natural. All parents are anxious with the first one. We are soo much calmer with #2.



"All I need to do now is to convince my husband..... (a bit of a hygiene freak)..."


My wife shared an office with a hygiene freak for a while. Disinfecting gel on his hands all the time. Wiping down the desk and phone with a disinfecting wipe every day. Scared of germs. He said when he grew up his mother would keep the kitchen floor clean enough to perform surgery on. He also ate poorly. Pizza slices and soda for lunch and such. Of course he was almost constantly more or less sick, with colds succeeding one another.


She convinced him to change his diet and lighten up a bit about the hand disinfectant. Amazingly, he immediately became more healthy, and didn't get a cold for months.

We have a steam steraliser.


If we had a dishwasher that washed in very hot water, I would not have one.


But with a breast pump, there are lots of 'nooks and crannies' and I feel more comfortable knowing they have been steamed after being washed with warm soapy water.


While they aren't 'sterile' in a medical sense (they really should be called steamers, not stealisers!!), it does provide an extra level of cleaning.


Because I pump milk, then put it in a bag in the freezer to use later to mix with baby food, I feel more comfortable with these items being steamed before use.


But, give me a super hot steamy dishwasher any day instead!!


When we travel, we use milton steraliser tablets or microwave steraliser bags - because we really aren't sure what is creeping around the hotel water, etc... I just wash everything in the sink, and throw it in to soak overnight or to steam. Very hand for travel (especially as I am often washing in a sink with cold water, and then rinsing with tap water in the kettle)


Of course, the kids eat dirty things of the ground, etc... but bottles, pumps, etc... can all be breeding grounds for mold, germs, bacteria in different ways - so the goal is to clean them as well as you possibly can, and with a very hot water rinse (or steam).


In terms of your shopping - get as much as you can second hand (this site is great!), buy less now, and buy as you need things rather than too much in advance.


Good luck!!

Ok, IMHO the books have to protect themselves from being sued just for that one kid who got sick from not sterilising bottles so they have to write that you have to clean and sterilise bottles to perfection. Thye cannot assume that the parent-to-be reading that book understands basic level of hygiene, they need to take a whole spectrum of readers into account.


Personally, I do sterilise. You are talking to someone who picks that slice of banana off the floor and feeds the child again (my 5 sec rule hehehe) but I did sterilise bottles for 1 year and will do the same with my 2nd baby (now 3 months). I probably could have stopped before that but I waited until we were done with bottles at age 1 (he went onto the straw cup).


I do it because it's not a big effort, esp. once your kid is well-established on feeding and on a decent routine. With that, you can implement a system where you only wash and sterilise bottles once a day in the morning and shouldn't take you more than 30 mins. It's abit like a ritual for me and I enjoy it and I suppose it makes me feel that it's worth that extra time than potentially have a child with a runny bottom - that cannot be fun. And I agree with Crj, bottles, esp. the teats, you really want to make sure you clean it well.


I have a dishwasher but I don't use it because I don't have enough dishes to run it everyday. And the plastic caps overturn and all, which is annoying as it accumulates water.


My advice:

get a steriliser

get your kid on a routine asap if he's going to be on bottles...unless you are demand feeding, you shouldn't have to washing and sterilising bottles all day long.


good luck.

crj, my wife pumped for 12 months per child and we never "sterilized", or as you correctly say "steamed". If ordinary washing is clean enough for my dishes, it's clean enough for my child's stuff. Some of those pump parts are finicky though. A good thin bottle brush is your friend.


Having said that, I'm not saying steaming is wrong. If you want to be really sure it's the way to go. You shouldn't go around feeling unsure.


By the way after arriving in HK all that stuff was even cleaner. Our helper is the most picky dishwasher... ;)




"Ok, IMHO the books have to protect themselves from being sued just for that one kid who got sick from not sterilising bottles so they have to write that you have to clean and sterilise bottles to perfection. Thye cannot assume that the parent-to-be reading that book understands basic level of hygiene, they need to take a whole spectrum of readers into account."


I agree with that assessment.

thanks all for sharing your experience.


i think if i end up feeling icky about the cleanliness, i may consider boiling. how much is a 'steamer' anyway?

Fascinated by the different opinions I hope you don't mind me adding mine. I am not a parent but a Specialist Maternity Nurse and would say that sterilizing itself is a safety precaution. I know some people don't sterilize but I would strongly advise it in humid countries where bacteria multiplies faster especially for newborns. You do not need a sterilizer as such but trying not to 'handle' hot, boiled bottles, teats ect stragiht from the pan is a problem, also you may get distracted by a baby needing attention and not necessarily remember to switch it off! I would personally suggest that you can save money on things like change mats (use an old towel for example), baby towels that they grow out of within the first 8 weeks etc Good luck and have fun with your baby! (I work worldwide but am sometimes based in HK!)

Breast milk keeps longer when stored in a sterilized container. We have the avent steam sterilizer and it's been great for us. Agree with crj re the breastpump comment and maternity nurses point about humidity. It's saved me lots of time and hassle and I think its a worthy investment. You can always get one second hand on asiaxpat classifieds, I got a lot of my baby stuff from here for example our carseat/pushchair travel system for a fraction of the cost.

We used the Avent Microwave steriliser ... it is cheaper than the table top version, easy to use and compact for storage in little kitchens, and also very portable for taking on holiday.