BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Bottle Feeding => Topic started by: Eva's Mummy on March 22, 2013, 09:23:39 am
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Thats really it, at what age can you stop sterelizing your babies bottles?
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I never sterilized, just very hot soapy water. :)
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In the book "baby's first year" I read you could stop sterilizing at 3 months. But I still did it every now and then afterwords.
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I never sterilized, just very hot soapy water. :)
Same, and realistically, unless your baby has a compromised immune system it really isn't that necessary. More so when they start crawling and pick up who knows what off the floor!!!
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I thought it was more to do with bacteria being able to breed more easily in warm milk..? I think the uk recs are up until 1 year for bottles :-\ I did it until about 11 months.
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It is to do with bacteria in the milk so any bottles or cups used for formula should be sterilized.
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I thought it was a year old, my LO 10 months and I still do it.
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I think they do recommend it until a year because of bacteria. I did it until 8 months and I am comfortable with that - I wash them in really hot soapy water and I still sterilize the nipples once or twice a week.
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Here is the info from the WHO guidelines. Sterlizing is to me two different things. I didn't sterilise dummies, water sippies, teethers once my LOs were putting stuff in their mouths from all over the place. No point. A good clean in hot water sufficed.
The issue is formula is not a sterile product. While the risk may be small it is a risk none the less so bottles etc used with formula should be sterilised. As far as I read the risk does not lessen with age. The recommendations are for use with formula not age groups IYSWIM as it remains unsterile regardless of age.
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/pif2007/en/index.html
3.1 Recommendations
PIF is not a sterile product and may be contaminated with pathogens that can cause serious illness. Correct preparation and handling reduces the risk of illness.
Where available, commercially sterile ready-to-feed liquid infant formula should be used for infants at greatest risk.
PIF is not a sterile product and can pose a risk to infants, particularly if it is prepared and handled inappropriately. Reconstituted PIF provides an ideal environment for the growth of harmful bacteria. Even if present in powdered formula at very low levels, inappropriate preparation and handling of feeds provides ideal conditions for the growth of harmful bacteria, which greatly increases the risk of infection. However, the risk can be reduced if feeds are prepared and handled correctly.
The recommendations below outline the best practice for the safe preparation, storage and handling of PIF in the home in order to reduce the risk of infection with E. sakazakii. These recommendations are also appropriate for reducing the risk of infection with Salmonella.
It is recommended healthcare professionals ensure that parents and caregivers are instructed in the safe preparation, storage and handling of PIF.
3.1.1 Cleaning and sterilizing feeding and preparation equipment
It is very important that all equipment used for feeding infants and for preparing feeds has been thoroughly cleaned and sterilized before use.
1. Hands should always be washed thoroughly with soap and water before cleaning and sterilizing feeding and preparation equipment (as described below).
2. Cleaning: wash feeding and preparation equipment (e.g. cups, bottles, teats and spoons) thoroughly in hot soapy water. Where feeding bottles are used, clean bottle and teat brushes should be used to scrub inside and outside of bottles and teats to ensure that all remaining feed is removed.
3. After washing the feeding and preparation equipment, rinse thoroughly in safe water.
4. Sterilizing: if using a commercial home sterilizer (e.g. electric or microwave steam sterilizer, or chemical sterilizer), follow manufacturer's instructions. Feeding and preparation equipment can also be sterilized by boiling:
a. fill a large pan with water and completely submerge all washed feeding and preparation equipment, ensuring there are no trapped air bubbles;
b. cover the pan with a lid and bring to a rolling boil, making sure the pan does not boil dry; and
c. keep the pan covered until the feeding and preparation equipment is needed.
5. Hands should be washed thoroughly with soap and water before removing feeding and preparation equipment from a sterilizer or pan. The use of sterilized kitchen tongs for handling sterilized feeding and preparation equipment is recommended.
6. To prevent recontamination, it is best to remove feeding and preparation equipment just before it is to be used. If equipment is removed from the sterilizer and not used immediately, it should be covered and stored in a clean place. Feeding bottles can be fully assembled to prevent the inside of the sterilized bottle and the inside and outside of the teat from becoming contaminated.
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Here it's 6 months (I think ;) )
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I agree with Shiv. Em still drinks formula at 20 months old and we still always sterilize.
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I always did screaming hot soapy water and a good bottle brush to ensure that the biofilm that can form was broken down and removed. That said, I didn't use powdered formula (I used concentrate and it is sterile).
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Does the same apply for cows milk?sorry for jumping in!
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Taking out the whole baby side... if you take a fluid that can grow bacteria at room temperature (formula/milk/food) or warmer & you do "microbiology" on it & work out the CFU (colony forming units) at 10mins at Room temp there is no difference in CFU in something that is in a "sterile" container, to that in a "hot washed" but at 30mins at room temp then there is a difference & by 60mins it is a significant difference. So if a baby takes a bottle & has it at room temp for 30mins then sterilising is a good thing, but if they drink it in 10mins then probably ok to have it really well washed.
It is also important to note that lots of recommendations are made for what could be said as "lowest common denominator" so someone who really does wash up in hot water & scrubs compared to a luke warm rinse kind of wash are also factors in the recommendations.
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Good info Katet! My kid always chugged her bottles in under 10 mins so we are good!
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I had always thought it was when they start crawling and putting all sorts of things in their mouths. She does take her bottle straight away its never longet then 10-15 mins. Think i'll keep sterelizing for a few more months then go to hot soapy water.
Thanks for all your help :D
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I had always thought it was when they start crawling and putting all sorts of things in their mouths.
For sure that apply to dummies, toys etc. little point In sterilisiing those when they are sticking everything in their mouths. And I think that's where people get confused. Formula is a different matter and has its own sterilising rules due to it not being sterile.
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Because formula is high in "sugars" (lactose is a sugar) & protein it is food for bacterial growth, but a dummy doesn't have a means for the small amounts of bacteria to rapidly reproduce in the same way formula (or uncooked meats, non pasteurised milk etc)
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Thanks Kate. Much better explanation!
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Yeh great info Kate
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Hmm, I think the original question has been answered really, but with regards to shivs post about the bacteria in powdered formula I think it's worth highlighting, cronobacter sakazakii and salmonella can cause life threatening infections. Life threatening.
These bacteria can be found in powdered milk formula which as shiv rightly said is not sterile.
It is highly recommended to use water that is above 70 deg (a kettle that has been boiled and allowed to cool a little) to make up the formula so that any bacteria are killed. In emergency situations where hot water above 70 deg is not available it is considered more important to feed your baby (using cold water to make up the formula) and risk the bacteria than not feed.
Many people tend to think that boiling water for making up bottles is about making the water sterile, it isn't it's to reduce the risk of bacteria in the packaged formula - whether or not the bottle has been washed in hot water or sterilised. The risk of infection from powdered formula doesn't change with age.
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It is highly recommended to use water that is above 70 deg (a kettle that has been boiled and allowed to cool a little)
Easiest way to get this done.. boil rapidly for 2-3 mins to ensure the water is sterile (this is important especially if you have well-water or other untreated water), then cut the power and let it sit for 15 mins, go ahead and prep the powdered formula.
As Kate has stated, there is a valid concern about the bottle/teats too. Bacteria from babies mouth go into the bottle when they eat... milk/formula is known to create a biofilm on bottles - this biofilm breeds bacteria introduced by baby (in addition to the issues of non-sterile formula).
Concentrated formula (which is sterile) still instructs you to sterilize tools/bottles/teats.
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Many people tend to think that boiling water for making up bottles is about making the water sterile, it isn't it's to reduce the risk of bacteria in the packaged formula - whether or not the bottle has been washed in hot water or sterilised. The risk of infection from powdered formula doesn't change with age.
Actually boiling it (for 3+ mins) does make the water Sterile & Sterile water mixed with Formula WILL reduce the number of Bacteria that are in the environment around the formula & that is the greatest risk in terms of bacteria.
The risk of infection from powdered formula doesn't change with age.
Actually it does (well at least Bacterial growth changes with time, so therefore infection risk does too) even with full sterilisation... unless a bottle is made up under UV light (or sterile airflow hood) there is still the risk of bacteria (from the air) in a baby bottle, but the concentration will be really low & even a baby can cope with one or 5 or 10 single bacterial units, but in 37C milk environment they multiply at a rapid rate (1 divides to 2, then 2 to 4, then 4 to 8, 8 to 16 etc - every 17mins for E Coli) so if it is freshly made there is less chance for growth in the short time (Bacterial can't multiply in dry formula) & TBH 70C water won't necessarily kill off ALL Bacteria much more than 50C it is the time that it is at the temp for & the air pressure of the environment.
Basically it works on the same principals as food prep... the longer a protein rich food is at room temp the higher the risk of contamination, no matter what was done to kill off bacteria in the first place... thus why any milk product (or baby formula) shouldn't be at room temp for more than 15mins before it could be a potential risk.
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Doesn't change with the age of the baby, as in salmonella can be life threatening at 5 days or 9 months. Not the age of the bottle.
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Yes I think what we need to make clear is that proper formula prep and cleaning and sterilizing of bottles/cups is the recommendation for as long as you use formula. If you are still using formula at 18 months the guidelines remain the same as the risk is the same. There are different guidelines for sterilizing other items like dummies or teething toys.
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Yes I think what we need to make clear is that proper formula prep and cleaning and sterilizing of bottles/cups is the recommendation for as long as you use formula.
Yes
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Doesn't change with the age of the baby, as in salmonella can be life threatening at 5 days or 9 months. Not the age of the bottle.
Actually it kind of does, a bigger & more mature gut with more gut flora to kill off foreign bacteria faster does make a difference (it is load rather than contact, that causes poisoning) ... younger the child the smaller the numbers of bacteria needed to cause an infection, simply because there isn't the gut flora there.
That isn't to say Sterilisation should stop, but the risks are greater in a bottle fed baby if doesn't take place before solids are introduced because the gut is far more immature & the ability to deal with any bacteria is minimal.
Basically sterilising will significantly reduce the number of bacteria present, but it will not be 100% foolproof & the longer a bottle is at room temperature the more any bacteria will multiply, if it is warmed to 37 then bacteria multiply even faster... because a small baby takes longer to drink its milk & it is generally at a warmer temperature (37C) the risks are far greater at say 30mins in non-sterile formula there could be enough bacteria to cause a problem, where as a 9mo drinking a bottle at room temp (22C) in 10mins will have had much less chance for any bacteria present to multiply... but at the end of the day it is better to sterilise bottles than not.
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In terms of the WHO guidelines there is no difference based on age so I think to keep advice consistent that is what we will continue to recommend here so as not to risk someone thinking we said an older baby is fine to have unsterilised formula and bottles (which quite often is the presumption). There is a risk regardless of age and that is the issue.
On that note I am going to lock this. Thanks for all the advice. Will PM kara about getting this into a sticky as this comes up alot and there is a lot of good info here rather than just a link to the WHO guidelines.
Thanks ladies x