New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I apologize for what might be a stupid question, but I am confused -- what's the deal with sanitizing/sterilizing baby bottles? I know that you are supposed to do it when you take the bottles out of the package before you 1st use them, but are you supposed to do it after every time you use them? We hand-wash our bottles, parts, and nipples after each use and our hot water from the tap is scalding hot. What are you thoughts? Should I purchase one of those microwave sanitizers? I'm definitely not boiling water on the stove each time.....

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I sanitized the first time, and a few other times in the year dd used bottles. I think over sanitizing isn't good. I'm sure it breaks down all the plastic components. My dishwasher washes in hot water, so sanitizing seems unnecessary.

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I use the dishwasher.

As soon as you take something out of the sterilizer machine or the boiling water on the stove, it's exposed to air and no longer sterile. So I never saw the point.

I do have the microwave bags from munchkin. I like zapping the pacifiers as they are kind of nasty imo.

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I used the dishwasher or hand washed all of our bottles and parts. I didn't sterilize anything except for the very first time when they were new.

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I never sterilized anything, not even the first time. But I hand washed all the bottles, nipples, pacis, etc...

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I sterilized first time out of package... I hand washed after that... Once every few months I would resterilize, but DEF NOT every single time.

Don't worry your fine with hand washing.

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

We did in the beginning, but then realized they were never really sterile after coming out of the dishwasher. I used those microwave bags a few times or the sterilization cycle on my dishwasher. Just wash well in hot water you'll be fine :)

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I sterilized when I first bought the bottles, nipples, pacifiers. After that I hsnd washed for awhile and then eventually everything went in the dishwasher.

Once something is used or even hits the airmen it's no longer considered sterilized. You don't need to keep doing it.

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

Sterilized them before the first use. After that we mostly handwashed, occasionally put them in the dishwasher, and used the microwave sterilizer maybe once or twice.

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I hand washed everything with scalding hot water and natural soap. I still do! I've thought about putting them in the dishwasher with the 7th Gen soap, but my BFF told me that the rubber parts get nasty looking.

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I boiled at first then I hand washed or put them in the dishwasher.

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

My pediatrician said the dishwasher is hot enough to sterilize them as much as they need sterilizing. Also my dad tells the story of going out and buying a sterilizer and the chemist teasing him it must be your first kid. My dad didn't get it until a few months later when he realized babies put their mouth on everything. Already DD constantly has her hands in her mouth so unless i sterilize everything in my house, whats the point.

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

sterilized for first time use, after that just hand washed.

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

After sterilizing for first time use, I just always used the dishwasher. I bought a container to hold all the bottle parts and would just run them every evening. Found it the easiest for me.

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

We sanitized all pump parts and bottles every time they were used. Either in the dishwasher or microwave.

The thing is as soon as it hits the air its not sterile anymore but whatever I still did it for the first year.

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I had this steam sterilizer bottle cleaning machine. Got it at my shower.

So, the first time I ran all of the bottles in that. They were steamed.

Then, when DS came along and I started using bottles I would rinse the bottles when he was done out with water and then use the machine to clean them. I would rinse, then fill the machine up, then run it at the end of the day when it was full. Then start over the next day.

I had ten bottles so I never ran out in between filling it up and running it. The machine was good to clean his binks and his teething toys too.

Worked out well. I wanted convenience and I didn't want bottles all over or a big rack or anything next to the sink. The machine was off in the corner on my counter, next to the fridge, and I would put the bottles IN it until I ran it that evening so everything was always "out of sight". I'm weird like that

The wash cycle, on my machine, was about 15-20 minutes and done. It was great. Whisper quiet, and you just saw the steam coming out from the top. You needed to give it about 15 minutes, after, at least before going in there because it got SO HOT I can't even tell you.

Message edited 5/12/2015 9:51:26 AM.

Re: New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

We used the dishwasher. If we were not going to be running it, we rinsed them thoroughly and popped them in a pot on the stove and boiled them. It was actually really quick and easy.

New Mom: Sanitizing/Sterilizing Bottles?

I boiled bottles for months then I realized I'm nuts. I eventually got a microwave sterilizer. She's 14 months an I still use it because it keeps everything neat. I really don't need to tho, considering a bottle washed with hot water and soap is cleaner than the garbage pail I found her licking on Mother's Day.