i breastfed my first daughter for 9 months, so rarely used bottles. i have to go back to work soon, so i stopped nursing ali. how long do i need to sterilize bottles? ali is 10 weeks old.
thank you everyone. the responses seem as varied as the information i found. i thought i remembered reading something about 3 months with my first child. honestly, i haven't been using sterile water, so i'm not sure why i've been sterilizing bottles. i think i'll stop now. thanks for suggesting the drop-in type bottles, but i still have a ton of avent bottles from 3 years ago i am using again. they are not bpa free, but i contacted avent directly. they said they were safe to use as long as you were not microwaving them with milk/formula in them.
theres no need to sterilize bottles for a baby that age and if you do use bottles i would recommend glass bottles their safe from bpa chemicals. many doctors suggest practicing with a sippy cup at that age. it will all work out fine don't worry :)
from H.
if you have a dishwasher that should be sufficient sterilization..
buy the bottles by Playtex (with the disposable liners) and all you'll have to do is wash the bottles and sterilize the nipples...this is easier...best of luck
Just washing them in hot water and soap is fine. That is what we did for both my kids (2 & 5) which is what our pediatrician said was fine.
I sterilized the bottles for both my children for an entire year. On the day they each turned one I stopped sterilizing.
There are really no hard and fast rules here anymore. Every pediatrician will just suggest something not based on any research. When I had my first baby 14 years ago, my doc said not to even bother! I wasn't comfortable with that, so he said a month. I sterilized bottles, pump parts, etc for 3 months with both of my kids. Good luck
I never sterilized any bottles for either of my girls. Just washed them in the dishwasher before first use and then every time after. Hot soapy water is fine too. You no longer need to sterilize bottles or boil water unless you live in an area of concern. (Your ped would specifically tell you if you do.) I liked the playtex drop ins because then all you have wash is the nipples (And the holder, but it's a bit easier.) :)
