Doctor Explains
If you’re a new parent or expecting, you’ll likely be bombarded with lots of information about what to do and not do. Whether you plan to bottle feed or express breast feed, sterilising bottles will be on your list of skills to conquer. In this article, I discuss the importance of sterilisation, how it’s done and the different options that are available.
Why Sterilise?
Your baby’s tummy and immune system is still developing. By introducing bacteria on bottles or teats, you may compromise your little one’s health.
Before sterilising your feeding equipment, it is important to wash off any milk residue or bacteria using a pH neutral soap. Ensure you rinse the soap off thoroughly after washing.
Sterilisation helps to add an extra layer of protection to your little one’s tummy. Washing alone may not be sufficient in getting rid of bacteria, hence sterilisation can help with this, in fact, up to 99.99% of bacteria is killed by sterilisation.
How Frequently
According to the CDC If your baby is less than 2 months old, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system due to illness, frequent sterilisation is important. Items should be sterilised once a day. Daily sterilisation of feeding items may not be necessary for older, healthy babies, if those items are cleaned carefully after each use. Once you have sterilised your items, keep them in a safe place so that they don’t gather dirt or bacteria. Usually, the device that you use, may have a container for you to keep them until next time.
Which Method
There are a lot of techniques and sterilisers on the market and it can be quite confusing to know which option to go for. What’s important to note, is that the recommendation on the CDC is to boil or steam your bottles.
You should also take note of the instructions on your feeding equipment as to the recommended sterilisation method as some methods may not be suitable for some products and may actually cause degradation of your products. For example, Haakaa does not recommend using a UV steriliser on its products as it may shorten their lifespan.
Here’s a run down of the techniques you may wish to use.
Water
Before fancy machines came into play, water at boiling point was sufficient to sterilise feeding equipment — and it still is.
To use this method, wash your apparatus thoroughly and fill up a saucepan of water, placing your equipment inside. Allow the water to boil for up to 5-10 minutes depending on the instructions on your equipment. For an adequate result, the water needs to touch all parts of the apparatus, which may be tricky.
This process may also take some time, however, it is simple, relatively cheap and can be performed anywhere, such as on holidays.
Steam
This is a method that uses water on a heating plate at a high temperature to create steam. The steam covers all the equipment for a period of time. Some machines also have a drying function, allowing the equipment to come out sterile and dry after.
Most steam sterilisers, such as Dr Brown’s have a large capacity and can hold a number of bottles/ teats. They are relatively quick compared to the other options. For example, Dr Brown’s steriliser takes 9 minutes to sterilise the equipment and 45 minutes to complete both sterilisation and drying. As the container is closed with a ‘breathable lid’ the equipment can be stored inside ready for next usuage.
The downside is, although the capacity is large, it does take a lot of space which is to be considered when buying.
UV Steriliser
UV sterilisers are a more modern approach to sterilisation. Note that these are not recommended by organisations such as the CDC and many feeding equipment companies do not state the use of these devices in their manuals — so always be sure to check before buying.
UV relies on passing a light from the top to the bottom of the container. The light sterilises the equipment, however the light must touch all surfaces of the equipment. This can be tricky for bottles that may be curved, leaving some areas potentially unsterilised.
The devices tend to be smaller — which can be useful in small spaces, but may also mean frequent usage. UV sterilisers tend to be slower than steam sterilisers also. However both steam and UV sterilisers kill up to 99.99% of bacteria so their efficacy — provided they are used correctly — is the same.
As you can see, all of these options have their pros and cons and their usage depends on your individual factors.
I hope that you have found this article helpful.
Take care and stay healthy,
Dr Nora x
Please note that the contents of this article are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or medical condition.
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