Sterilising utensils

My LOs are practically one year old and I decided to stop sterilising their utensils a few days ago (spoons, dummies, sippy cup lids...) as they are picking their toys, etc, off of the floor and putting them in their mouths.

When did you stop sterilising?

 

I never sterilized, apart from the first time after I bought something. Everything I've read says it's not necessary; nothing stays sterilized in a real-life environment. I just wash well in warm, soapy water.

 

Well, I sterilized their bottle nipples and paci's before using the first time, and maybe once or twice in the first few months, after that I just washed them in either the dishwasher or by hand I never sterilized spoons or bowls or anything.

 

It depends on what you consider 'sterilzing.. cause if it's the 'boil, put in dishwasher, etc..." then I never did that to begin with. I do wash everything with hot soapy water [spoons, sippy lids, pacis, etc..] but I don't/haven't done much more than that and we've turned out fine [so far]

 

QUOTE(Suzy! @ May 21 2009, 05:23 PM) [snapback]1323415[/snapback]
It depends on what you consider 'sterilzing.. cause if it's the 'boil, put in dishwasher, etc..." then I never did that to begin with. I do wash everything with hot soapy water [spoons, sippy lids, pacis, etc..] but I don't/haven't done much more than that and we've turned out fine [so far]

Same here. I wash their spoons/forks in the dishwasher and everything else by hand w/ dishsoap. I also wipe down their toys once a month or after a sickness. Paci's get washed every so often, though I'm not sure b/c they all look the same and I rotate cleaning them. Hmm...maybe that's how we got our latest cold.

 

i'm another one who's never done much in the way of sterilizing. usually i just do it once after we buy a new item.

 

QUOTE(Rach28 @ May 21 2009, 01:17 PM) [snapback]1323402[/snapback]
When did you stop sterilising?

I never started! My kids are all healthy and happy!!

 

Same here. In the first few months I sterilized by boiling all the new bottles and nipples before the first use, and occasionally boiled some again if I was already boiling a new batch of bottles and such, but I never did it regularly.

I never boiled spoons, bowls, sippies, or anything else. I just wash everything in hot soapy water (using Method dish soap that doesn't have phosphates).

 

I never sterilized here either!

 

QUOTE(twoplustwo @ May 21 2009, 05:50 PM) [snapback]1323444[/snapback]
I never started! My kids are all healthy and happy!!


Same here - just hot soapy water when I wash them, but no special sterilizing. I don't think you need to worry.

 

I just noticed you're in the UK. I know (my husband is British) that in the UK it's advised to sterilize more regularly, and it is the standard. The main reason for sterilizing is if the water is not clean enough for just general washing. What I don't understand is why it would be the standard to sterilize over there when I've always thought the tap water there was just fine.

Anyway, over here in the States it was standard to sterilize some decades ago but now the medical profession advises parents to just wash in hot or warm soapy water, since in most places the tap water is sufficient for cleaning the bottles/nips/utensils/etc. The only people I know over here that sterilizes with every use are my British and European friends.

For what it's worth, if I were in the UK I don't think I would sterilize that often unless I were presented with evidence that the water there wasn't good enough for washing - and then I wouldn't trust to drink it, either.

 

My boys are 7 weeks old and so far I sterilize their bottles, nipples, etc. after each feeding. After each sterilization I keep them in the fridge for the next use.

Atina

 

QUOTE(Lizzybo @ May 22 2009, 06:34 AM) [snapback]1323927[/snapback]
I just noticed you're in the UK. I know (my husband is British) that in the UK it's advised to sterilize more regularly, and it is the standard. The main reason for sterilizing is if the water is not clean enough for just general washing. What I don't understand is why it would be the standard to sterilize over there when I've always thought the tap water there was just fine.

Anyway, over here in the States it was standard to sterilize some decades ago but now the medical profession advises parents to just wash in hot or warm soapy water, since in most places the tap water is sufficient for cleaning the bottles/nips/utensils/etc. The only people I know over here that sterilizes with every use are my British and European friends.

For what it's worth, if I were in the UK I don't think I would sterilize that often unless I were presented with evidence that the water there wasn't good enough for washing - and then I wouldn't trust to drink it, either.


Im a Brit living in Spain and its the norm to sterilise here too. I used 1 Milton tablet disolved in cold water and changed the water every 24 hours. The ironic thing is I used to rinse the sterilised utensils under the tap so teh babies wouldn´t taste the remains of Milton! Kind of defeats the purpose, I guess! Now I just wash in warm, soapy water. I never sterilised their bowls except for the first time I used it. I didnt realise that it wasnt the norm in the US to sterlise! Interesting how different countries work

My parents have always filtered the tap water and we never had a problem in the UK! Must be a European thing to sterilise! :lol:

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

I only sterilized when they were brand new Rachel.

 

Just used hot soapy water on everything from the get go (except after baby girl got thrush and I had to sterilize everything...I don't see how people do it all the time).

 

QUOTE(twoplustwo @ May 21 2009, 10:50 PM) [snapback]1323444[/snapback]
I never started! My kids are all healthy and happy!!

I never started with utensils either. I did/do sterilise bottles and pacifiers though, I stop that around 10-12 months.

FWIW I'm British, living in the UK and I don't think I've ever come across information that says you should sterilise spoons/bowls/food storage pots/beakers. In fact most of the packaging on those things tells you not to sterilise them.

 

QUOTE(Twin nanny @ May 23 2009, 02:15 AM) [snapback]1324957[/snapback]
I never started with utensils either. I did/do sterilise bottles and pacifiers though, I stop that around 10-12 months.

FWIW I'm British, living in the UK and I don't think I've ever come across information that says you should sterilise spoons/bowls/food storage pots/beakers. In fact most of the packaging on those things tells you not to sterilise them.


Maybe I used the wrong word "utensils". I was really referring to bottles, teats, dummies, their spoons... I never sterilsied plates or bowls, etc, unless they were new.

I hadnt heard of this either.

Thanks for the info!

 

QUOTE(Rach28 @ May 23 2009, 10:02 AM) [snapback]1325293[/snapback]
Maybe I used the wrong word "utensils". I was really referring to bottles, teats, dummies, their spoons... I never sterilsied plates or bowls, etc, unless they were new.

Well like I said I would/do sterilise bottles, teats and dummies. The logic/reasoning I've always gone by is that while they are tiny babies they're more vunerable to germs and, as they're not capable of getting hold of anything you don't put in their reach, it's good to limit exposure. Bottles/teats and dummies are ideal places for germs to grow as they have milk and saliva residue and are kept at nice warm temperatures so it makes sense to sterilise. However once you get to the solid food stage they're normally moving around, picking up things from the ground and putting them in their mouths, getting lots of lovely germs anyway so it doesn't seem worth worrying as much about sterilising. That's why I don't bother with spoons.

 

QUOTE(twoplustwo @ May 21 2009, 02:50 PM) [snapback]1323444[/snapback]
I never started! My kids are all healthy and happy!!


Same here!

 

I never sterilized.

 

I never sterilized -- just washed with warm soapy water. They started eating stuff off the floor (and doing things like chewing on people's shoes) practically when they could crawl, so it seemed silly to worry about their spoons.

ETA: I also only sterilized bottles, nipples, & pacifiers for about the first month. I'd do it once or twice whenever there was an outbreak of tummy virus at daycare.