When can you stop sterelizing bottles?

[Eva's Mummy]

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 

[Shiv52]

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.

[Katet]

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)

[Shiv52]

Thanks Kate. Much better explanation!

[*jazzberry*]

Yeh great info Kate

[creations]

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.

[*Kara*]

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.

[Katet]

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.

[creations]

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.

[Shiv52]

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.

[creations]

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

[Katet]

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.

[Shiv52]

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