Bottle Sterilizing

1st time use i took the biggest pot i had and put everything in the boiling water for 5 min (maybe 10 if i would forget) then i wouldn't bother with that until there was a smell to the bottle. i felt that hot water and soap was fine, her pediatrician felt the same way, so that's what i went with THOUGH...i was told to NEVER put the bottle in the microwave, something about the plastic that they're made with, microwaving them puts out some kind of "poison" or "toxic" chemical....so if i EVER needed to heat something up i would put it in a coffee cup and microwave it that way, THEN put it in the bottle.

My peditrician (a young mom of 3, too) said that soapy hot water and friction (lots of scrubbing) is good enough. She said to air dry or use a paper towel so you don't just rub the germs back on w/ a used towel. Good luck!!!!

I would definitely sterilize the first time by using a big pot of boiling water. After that I believe it's a personal choice. I sterilzed everything for the first 3 months. The boiling process does breakdown the rubber in the nipples, so they won't last as long.

You may want to consider using platex bottles with the drop in liners. I thought they worked very well.

If possible, you may want to look into investing in a dishwasher. It will make you're life so much easier. I found my dishwasher to be great not only for bottles and dishes, but great for all the plastic toys.

I also recommend the Playtex bottle liners because it eliminates the need to sterilize an entire bottle. I always washed nipples in the dishwasher, but I suppose without a dishwasher you could boil them for a short time or use hot water and soap and probably be fine either way.

Now I really don't know you or your particular situation and I really don't want to be one of those pushy people who get on a soapbox about this very heated issue of formula vs. breast BUT because I am the mother of 10 week old twins I feel compelled to say that IF your reason to formula feed your babies from the beginning is because they are twins and you think breast feeding would be too overwhelming or that you won't make enough milk, I just want to encourage you (and all twin mothers) that it IS possible to successfully and exclusively breastfeed twins. I have the EASY2NURSE pillow that allows me to feed both babies at the same time, which makes it less time consuming, especially in the early weeks when they eat so frequently. Nursing one or two babies is absolutely not easy at first, but by the time they are the age of my babies, it is so much easier because there are no bottles to clean, or milk to prepare or warm up. Not to mention how much cheaper it is. Obviously the support of a lactation consultant and a breast feeding support group of other mothers is critical too. If you want to know more, please send me a message.

Please understand that even though I breastfeed I do respect people, who for various reasons, make the decision to feed with formula and I do not want to offend you or anyone out there reading my post.

Finally, I noticed you said, "I won't have much help." Having just been through the early weeks with twins, I have to say that I recommend that you try to do everything in your power to get as much help lined up from your friends and family as you can possibly get.
From 7 1/2 weeks-now, I have not had a lot of help either and it is still a daily challenge, but I had a lot of help from family and friends during their first 7 1/2 weeks, which I believe laid a foundation that allows me to be "going it alone" most of the time now.

Congratulations on your two miracles. I really wish you all the best. God blessed you with them and will give you the external and internal resources necessary to care for them well.

I used the Advent Bottles and got the microwave sterilizer. It is great! Before that I did boil water and sterilize my bottles after each use. With twins, you might want to consider investing in a dishwasher! I have 3 kids and run mine every other day!

M.,

Congratulations on the twins. I only boiled the bottles for the first time, and now handwash them. I use to put them in the dishwasher about once a week for a good cleaning but now there is all this talk about how really hot water brings out a chemical(BPA) in the bottle which is harmful. I was told of a product by "Medela" called Quick Clean micro-steam bags that you put in the microwave. They are fine but I prefer to wash the bottles by hand. I have 2 little tubs in the sink(from the baby wipes) and put the bottles in there with soapy water until I have time to wash them. For me,this works. You will find your own system in due time.

Best wishes.

I had a very premature baby who was in the nicu for a very long time - the nurses there (who were unbelievable) all told me that there was no need to sterilize bottles after each use. Just sterilize them before the first use by putting them in a pot of boiling water for five minutes. After that you can just wash them normally with soap and hot water.

M., What I tell every new mother is to read all the information out there and do what works for you and your family. I am a new mom as well, my daughter is 17 mo old now. I can tell you I never sterelized anything with her I just washed it with warm soapy water. I was breastfeeding so I figure I am not cleaning myself every time I feed her so why should I sterelize any bottles or pump attachements? So I never did, my daughter is perfectly fine and so was I as everything was so much easier. I do have a dishwasher but hardly ever used it b/c the idea of putting her stuff in there with all the dirty dishes didn't appeal to me at least at the begining and using the dishwasher just for the few things I was using seemed wasteful, so I didn't. I did start using the diswasher for all her stuff when she turned about 5-6 months b/c she started daycare and bottle feeding became more the norm so doing by hand became a chore. Hope this helps, just keep in mind that this is what worked for me and what I was comfortable with so you will receive tons of different advice so read on and do what works for you and what you are comfortable with.

O.

Hi, I have two sets of twin girls, ages 9 and 4. All were bottle fed and for the first year, we had no dishwasher. I had tried an electric sterilizer but didn't like it because the bottles never dried. My pediatrician told me to sterilize bottles for the first month. Since I was by myself during the day, I would rinse the bottles and leave them in the sink until evening. I would then wash them all and toss them in a big pot, boil for five minutes and then leave them to dry for the next day. My brother never sterilized and would re-use unfinished formula and my nephew always had gastro problems. I can't say for sure that it was related but I always thought that it was. Let me know if I can be of any more help and Good Luck!

Hi M.,

Congratulations on your babies! I hope you're feeling good and able to keep cool in this nasty weather.

I'm not a doctor (don't even play one on t.v.), but unless your twins have special health issues I wouldn't think sterilization every time would be necessary. We did it with our son for the first month or so (Medela makes a microwave ster. bag which we loved) but eventually we just made sure to wash well in hot, soapy water. You should probably go with whatever your pediatrician suggests, assuming you like and trust him/her.

Good luck!

i boiled the nipples the first use. i purchased a microwave sterilizer and used that on the other parts the first time. my daughter had thrush when she was 2 weeks old so i decided to sterilize in the microwave after each use. you dont have to but i wanted to be safe. then i sterilized just the nipples in the microwave sterilizer. it only took a few seconds and was no big deal since i handwashed the bottles anyway.

if you only plan on doing it ev ery once in awhile(i would say do the nipples like once a week or so matter what) i would just do boiling water in a pot. get the microwave one only if you will be using it alot, or else it wouldnt be worth the money. i used the avent one with dr browns bottles.

My doctor said:
1. sterilize the NEW bottles
2. you can hand wash after each use (make sure you get all of the soap out)

do moms who breastfeed sterilize their nipples?

this was all my peds advice

good luck with the rest of your pregnancy

Hi M.,
First off CONGRATS!!! How exciting twins!! I have to tell you that I to was anal....I sterlized my daughters bottles after every single use...I used the Avent bottles for her and bought the microwave sterlizer that went with those bottles...its sooooo easy to use and I love it...put everything in, add 7-8ounces of water(I usually just fill up one of the bottles Ill be sterlizing with water and pour it in), microwave for 7 minutes and your done...I still use it to this day for her binkies, sippie cups and even those rubber spoons....I do have to say though be careful when you first take it out of the microwave...the steam can burn you and it has happened to me a few times...I didnt realize how hot it got...Just make sure if you go with the microwave sterilizer you get the one that is compatible with the bottles you will be using...they dont all work with every brand of bottle out there...Hope this helps!! I wish you the best with your little guys!!
Meg :)

Hi M., I have always just washed the bottles and nipples in hot soapy water. I prefer that over the dishwasher since the dishwasher can leave a filmy cover on things. My son is almost a year old and he's fine and healthy without sterilizing after each use so don't worry! Although remember to sterilize before the FIRST initial use- especially the nippes. Congrats and good luck! You'll be great!!! Lynsey

Hi M.,
Congratulations on your soon to be twin boys. You are right, you will be busy. One baby keeps your busy but two at a time even more so. I think the best thing for you to do is to ask the twins peditrician what you should do. There are so many different opinions out there. When my children were infants I sterilized every bottle
every day until they started drinking milk. I want to say it was close to 9 mts or even a year.
I used a sterilizer that was done on the stove. I wish I had gotten an electric sterilizer. You can just put that on and go where the one on the stove you had to keep watch it but with timers it really wasn't to bad. Now they have the sterilizers that you put in the microwave. I'm a little concerned about that because they tell you not to put the formula in the microwave in a plastic bottle. When I sterilized the bottles, I did it with the formula in the bottle. Then I let them cool and then put them in the refrigerator. I always felt that by doing it that way it sterilized everything. That was my peditrician's suggestion. I honestly think that sterilizing bottles in a pot of boiling water to be more time consuming then doing it in a sterilizer. You can buy the ready to feed already in bottles but that's a lot of money especially with two babies. I know they say you can sterilize a bottle in dishwashers but I don't know that I agree with that. But that's me. Many Mom's feel sterilizing is a hugh issue. I never felt that but every mom has to do what works for her and her children. I hope this helps you a bit. Good luck with your new sons to be. I wish you every happiness in your new journey to be. There's nothing more wonderful then being a Mom. xoxo D.

Hi M.!

As a mother of twin girls...I know your anxiety for easy solutions...we used a microwave sterilizer for all new bottle items...only once. At the time, we didn't have a dishwasher either and just hand washed the bottles/nipples after each feeding with Ivory Dish Soap and the bottle brushes.

Feel free to ask any other twin questions you may have!!

Good luck!!

I have a preemie that was born at 35 1/2 weeks, she's now 10 weeks old. We sterilzed the first time, and now I just use hot soapy water and a bottle brush. I feel even the dishwasher doesn't get them as clean as I can with scrubbing, there's residue in them after using the dishwasher.

As far as the woman about breastfeeding, I was unable to because she never got the latch, so I've been pumping, and giving breastmilk, but therefore still use bottles.

Good luck.

Hi M., I did this a long time ago and I also breastfed for many months and also had glass bottles. I think if you sterilize once a week and wash well you don't have to unless something has been left in the bottle a long time. Motherhood should not be so stressful. Babies have a lot of immunities. Be as clean as possible. Im also not sure of the new plastic bottles like Avent. Check to see if they can be boiled. As a nursing mother I never sterilized my breasts and baby was fine. I'm so happy for you. Enjoy your miracles, they truly are :-) all of them! Grandma Mary

Hi, my pedi told me that I only needed to sterilize them before you use them. I know of other mom's who felt this wasn't enough and sterlized after each use, but that was related to their own anxiety. I thought being a new mom is alot of work and if I could eliminate something safely, I would and did! You have to weigh what your pedi recommends with what makes you feel comfortable and what you feel you need to spend the time on. Lots of luck to you!

Hello M.,

Congratulations on your upcoming arrivals!!

I do not sterilize my bottles between uses - I use hot, soapy water. I do, however, regularly sterilize my breastpump valves and such.

Since you're asking about bottles, I wanted to bring up the issue of BPAs. I don't know if you are aware of the issues created by BPAs in plastics. Please make sure that the bottles you have selected are BPA free! I found two blogs that were incredibly useful - http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infa...
and http://thesoftlanding.wordpress.com/

Good luck with your delivery and bring the little ones home. Enjoy them!

Hi M.,

I've been told by my pediatrician that it is not necessary to sterilize bottles after each use. Just sterilize them before the first use and wash with hot soapy water after you use them. If you have a dishwasher, it should get hot enough to do the trick. This is what I did with my two children.

Good luck!

You'll get tons of different responses from other moms as well as even doctors, but my baby's doctor said you only need to sterilize bottles when you first buy them so this is what we did. I never bought a sterilizer and just used a pot of boiling water. If you're using plastic bottles, it's best to hand wash them. Even if you use BPA-free bottles, heat and abrasion break down plastic so it's best to hand wash using a soft sponge or something that won't scratch them. Sassy makes a bottle brush that's rubbery and soft so as not to scratch up the insides of the bottles. Congratulations on your twins and good luck!

You definitely need to sterilize before every use until they are maybe 6-8 months or so (until they are grabbing everything and putting it in their mouths so are challenging their immune systems every 5 seconds anyway!)
I used a steam sterilizer unit which sat on the kitchen worktop and fitted all the bottles in - doubled as a storage device to keep everything in one place, and kept them sterile until used.

Hi M.,

Congratulations on your expected twins! I have heard, directly in hospital infant care classes, that you do not have to sterilize the bottles.

If you have space for a dishwasher, and want one, I have one for you (we're just finishing our kitchen renovation and I only bought this one last year - it's white - we bought stainless steel appliances for the renovation. So, it's not old).

Best of luck to you.

I congratulate you on your twins and wow are your hands going to be full,, best of luck,, as a mother of four I went from sterilizing after every feeding but by my fourth realized just hot water and soap is enough. Some people say to sterilize after every feeding but trust me there is not much difference. Your babies will not be sick or anything. I always feel safe boiling them in hot water the first time only because they travel in crates and have been around before you got them but after that you can wash them and feel completely safe.

Hello M.,

I washed my bottles with soap and water and then put them into a microwave sterilizer each time after use. I am due to have baby #2 in just a few weeks but I am concerned about the BPA in bottles now. They said that the heat activates the chemical in the bottles. I only use Avent products so I am thinking of using the Tempo Nurser which is a system that uses throw away liners and are BPA free.

Congrats and the twins and good luck! Miracles do happen!!!

I never sterilized my bottles every time. I also used the Playtex drop in so it was so much easier. You just drop in a liner and it's less to clean. And if you rinse them the liners are recycleable. Then since the actual bottle never really comes in contact with what their eating you can just rinse the bottle (without the nipple) and reuse it.
Just a little advice, take a deep breath. Follow your babies cues. They will tell you what they need and when. My son never had different cries for what he wanted, they were all the same. My daughter on the other hand, her's were different and I knew what she wanted. When feeding, don't force them to finish a bottle. When they stop sucking they'll spit out the bottle, burp them and offer it again. If they don't take it their full. It's o.k. if they don't finish their bottles. If you relax they will too. They can sense your disposition, and will follow your lead. It is overwhelming at first, until you find your groove. Just remember you'll be fine. Don't worry about housework, the laundry or anything. It all pales in comparison to the needs of those babies. Let people who offer do that stuff. Just relax and go with the flow. You will survive this. It won't seem that way at first, but things will come to you. It's trial and error.

I steralize when you first buy them and I also steralize eachweek. I think if you wash them well that is enough. Make sure there is no formula stuck in the bottom that cuases the bacteria build up.

M., congratulations!! I am a mother of three boys. I want you to know and be aware about the bottle situation. I have heard on the news about it but haven't heard much more. They are finding that the baby bottles are not safe due to the plastic that the bottles are made of and warming them breaks down the chemicals in the bottles. I am not trying to scare you nor am I trying to make it hard, but when I heard about it, I threw the bottle out and got this special cup with this nipple that has the sprout that looks like a sippy and it's long and supposedly it's great for babies who are going from bottle/breast to sippy. My thing is I don't warm up the bottle. I can save the bottle from breaking down. I have read where it says that you need to sterilize it in the boiling water, but I didn't. I cleaned it real good with lukewarm water and dish detergent. My 8 mnth old baby is fine. When we become a first time mother, we all freak out and want the best of the best for our babies, but then you realized that you went overboard. You don't realize that until you have gone through it. ha,ha,ha. Anyways, I would make sure to leave a bottle or bottles of room temperature water available (not in refrigerator because it'll be cold) and mixed it with formula everytime. If you're nursing, or think you'll pump and give them that, pump as often and nurse to keep your milk supply going and store them in the freezer. The hospitals have information about freezing breastmilk and ask them before you leave the hospital and ask lactation consultant about it too if you feel that there isn't enough information on that. Then you go from there. Just don't warm the bottles, it will break the bottles down and your babies will get the chemicals that the plastic bottles are made of. So, make sure you wash them good first time and everytime with lukewarm water and detergent. Okay? Now, if you need to ask any more questions, go ahead and ask us or to me alone, you are welcome to and just reply to this message for private. Let us know how it goes. God bless you and your little ones and let us know how you made out after delivery if it's possible to get to the computer. I'll be praying for you and your babies.

I have four children and with the first one I sterilized everything all the time. Now that I have the hang of things...lol. I just wash them in hot soapy water. You might want to sterilize them when you first buy them.

Nanc

Hi, M.! And congratulations on the upcoming birth of your twin boys!! You didn't mention the possibility of breastfeeding in your post. I have a friend who nursed (and continues!!) to nurse her twin boys. So, you may be able to avoid the hassle and expense of bottles and formula completely. I definitely recommend a book called "Mothering Multiples" put out by La Leche League. Also, you might want to contact a LLL leader in your area. They are a wonderful support in those early days of nursing and have advice for nursing twins, as well. I don't know where you live, but "Realbirth" in Manhattan has a breastfeeding support group especially for moms nursing twins. Best of luck to you.

you don't need to sterilize for "healthy, full-term babies." if your babies are premature, which is common in twins, then you should for a while. but realize that standard formulas say right on the can "this product is not sterile!" so if they use nonsterile equipment, whats the point in sterilizing bottles? best of luck with twins!

I had 5 kids (including a set of twins) and the only time I ever sterilized any of their bottles was for my first baby. And only then because my mother in law made me do it. She would say that in the old days they sterilized the bottle before each use. My answer to her was, they had "dirty" water to wash them with back then. Now days the water is clean. Even the soap is cleaner then it used to be.

Think about it....If you sterilize the bottles should you also be sterilizing the spoons and dishes? How about the pacifier? In the old days they even sterilized the diapers!

Use hot, soapy, water and a good bottle brush to wash the bottles. And don't worry about it, over the next few years you will have so many other things to worry about!

my doc said no, hot water and soap only after eacxh use. you bcan boil before first use if you want to. trust me i was sooo happy to hear this, it helped so much with one i can only imagine twins. good luck.

I used to sterilize the bottles before the first use, and every time they were used. I used to boil the bottles for 5 minutes when my daughter was an infant. I was able to do several bottles at once, but it was still time consuming and messy. For my sister that had a baby, I bought her a bottle sterilizer (Dr. Browns makes one), and she loves it. Much easier to use.

Hi there,
We sterilized the bottles and pacifiers before first use. We actually had a medical emergency with our baby and were in the hospital for 2 weeks. When we got home we re-sterilized because we hadn't used the bottles for 2 weeks. But after that, I just started washing the "equipment" with hot, soapy water and let them air dry. But if I need to sterilize something now, I use boiling water. I used the microwave sterilizer 2z and I thought it was more work than just washing by hand.
The one thing I did read is not to use anti-bacterial soap. I think it has something to do with it "weakening" the nipples. I use Dawn Foaming dishwashing soap. It saves sometime since it is already sudsy. And with twins on the way, I am thinking every bit of time saved can help.
Good luck!
Best,
Tahara

yes i do.. I put bottles in a pot the old fashioned way. put in 5 minutes. U don't want r child to get any sores on her mouth. Good Luck and Congrats!!! :) :)
Barb G.

Hi M.,

This is an issue that I'd ask your doctor about, whether to sterilize. When I had my first baby 13 years ago, our doctor told us sterilizing was not necessary, but I was not comfortable with that, and I sterilized for the first few months. Same with the 2nd who was breastfed, but did receive bottles of pumped milk.

There are bottle sterilizers sold in baby gear stores, you may want to look into that option, however, I did it the old fashioned way by just boiling.

Hi M.
Congrats on your little ones!
I have a 4-month old and have been sterilizing her bottles (although I dont know if it's really necessary to do so at this point). And you're right... if you ask 5 people, you will get 5 different responses. I have heard that it's most important to sterilize before each use when a baby is tiny (say, under 3 or 4 months). But I have also heard that the most important thing is to sterilize the nipples (regardless of the child's age), since that's what can transmit bacteria between uses, and that it doesnt matter whether you do the actual bottles or not.
My husband handles most of the bottle cleaning, and because he's a little anal, he still sterilizes everything. He'll boil water in a pot (the one I use to make pasta in), and wash the bottles with a bottle brush (they're really cheap in any store - I get them for 99 cents), then put them in the boiling water for about 5 minutes. He does about 3 bottles at a time(but they're 8 oz bottles, so you could probably fit about six 4 oz bottles if that's what you will be using). Just go by the stove every once in a while and push the bottles back into the water with a fork or something, since they tend to float to the top.
With regard to the ready-to-use formula, you might want to consider the one you add water to - it's a big savings and will last a long time. My daughter goes through a 24 oz one every 8-10 days (she drinks about 8 oz per feeding now) and it costs about 25 bucks.
A.

Trust me, you will not be sterilizing after every bottle with twins. you are going to be so busy, your head will be spinning. i have a 3 yo sold and a set of twins. i would definitely sterilize them in boiling water-really the nipples and the plastic pieces and pacifiers etc before you use them for the first time, but if you get a good bottle brush you should not need to sterilize unless there is a issue. having twins is MUCH different that having a single baby and you will not be harming them if you don't sterilize. Medela makes some steaming bags that are great and can be done in the microwave for small parts etc. usually in the breastpump section of babiesrus. good luck!

Hi M.,

Congratualations on your twins! I am a mom of 2.5 year old b-g twins. Since you will be having twins, my advice is to keep things as simple as possible :) If you are concerned about sterilizing, think about one of the systems with drop in liners. I used the playtex nurser and it was great.

As an aside, think about contacting a local mothers of moultiples organization. I have met wonderful women who have become great friends and we have our own newsgroup to help problem solve the unique challenges of mothering multiples.

---K.

I sterilized the bottles until all of my children where between four and five months, once they're on regular food there's no need to sterlize. I loved the AVENT microwave sterilizer. It's done in three minutes, couldn't be easier. Enjoy your twins!

Hi M.!

Congratualations! I was completely anal with my first baby, and sterilized everything. If we took a blanket in the car with us I had to wash it before we could use it again, even if it had only touched him. We used the microwave steamers which were easy, but now I am reading that the high intensity heat breaks down the bottles and is actually more harmful than a couple of germs. We are due to have a baby within the next two weeks, and I am hoping not to be as worried this time. As someone pointed out to me, we don't sterilize breasts, and I can't tell you how many hours my son logged on those! My advice to you, especially with twins, is either purchase a dishwasher to lighten your load and just wash everything in there, or use the drop in liners and buy a lot of bottles to hold them. Minimize as much as you can so that you can spend time with your precious babies and be able to relax any second that you can. Best of luck!

You only need to sterilize before the first use. That is because you don't know what kind of germs are on the machine's and the peoples hands who process these things. If you and family members are the only ones touching the bottles, and binkys, and what not there is not need to constantly sterilize everything. I have 4 children, and you just don't have time for all that sterilizing. Congrats on your twins, and good luck!

Hi there. I know no one who sterlizes after each use. We all sterilize everything before the first use. Thereafter, we clean everything after each use in warm soapy water using a bottle brush. All our kids are just fine.

However, If you're going to sterilize every time then I would recommend the microwave sterilizer mentioned by another poster. That'll make your life so much easier especially with twins.

Good luck.

Hi M.!! congratulations on your twins!! How exciting!! Yes, sterilize before first use, otherwise I don't think it is necessary to sterilize after every use. Maybe once a week by boiling in hot water on stove.. You could buy a sterilizer, but they are expensive and the pot on the stove works just as well!!! good luck!!