Sterilising

Why?

To reduce the chance of your baby getting sickness and diarrhoea. Sterilising keeps equipment clean and helps to kill any bacteria, especially important on items that have been in contact with milk

When?

• For at least the first 6 months, you need to sterilise all of your baby’s feeding equipment before each use
• Bottles and teats should be sterilised before each use for as long as you use them

What you need?

• Either a steam steriliser, a cold-water steriliser and sterilising fluid or tablets, or a large lidded pan that has never been used for cooking
• Bottle and teat brushes
• Teat tongs
• Ensure feeding equipment is not damaged (i.e. scratched or cracked)

How?

Before sterilising

• Wash your hands and clean the surface where the bottles will be assembled
• Wash your feeding equipment thoroughly in hot, soapy water
• Scrub inside and outside of your bottles using a bottle brush
• Scrub teats with a teat brush and squirt water through them to help remove all traces of milk
• Rinse all equipment thoroughly under the tap

After sterilising

• Before removing equipment, wash your hands, remembering to clean the surface where the bottles will be assembled
• Remove equipment just before it’s needed
• If not being used immediately the bottle should be fully assembled with teat and lid in place. This prevents the inside of the sterilised bottle and inside and outside of the teat from being contaminated for a short period, which depends on the method of sterilisation

Sterilising by boiling

• Beware of scalding when sterilising by boiling
• Check your equipment is suitable for boiling
• Fill a large clean pan (which has not been used for cooking) with tap water
• Completely immerse all of your equipment, including your teat tongs, ensuring there are no trapped air bubbles
• Cover your pan and boil for at least 10 minutes, ensuring the pan doesn’t boil dry and all utensils remain under the boiling water
• Keep the lid on the pan and allow the contents to cool slightly
• Assemble your bottles using your teat tongs to avoid contaminating your sterile equipment
• Your equipment will stay sterile for three hours in the water with the lid on

Cold water sterilising

• Fill your cold-water steriliser with the required amount of water. (See manufacturer’s instructions)
• Add the required amount of sterilising liquid or tablets. (See manufacturer’s instructions)
• Completely immerse all of your equipment, including your teat tongs, ensuring there are no trapped air bubbles, and put the lid on. (Use a float tray to keep everything under the water)
• Boil your kettle
• Keep items immersed for at least 30 minutes
• Rinse all items with cooled, boiled water before use
• Items remain sterile if kept in the solution for 24 hours – you must change the water every 24 hours

Microwave steam sterilising

• Add the required amount of water to your steriliser. (See manufacturer’s instructions)
• Load the steriliser with your equipment, including your teat tongs making sure that no items are facing upwards/able to fill with water. (See manufacturer’s instructions)
• Put the lid on your steriliser and put it in your microwave on the required power setting for the required amount of time. (See manufacturer’s instructions)
• Beware of scalding steam - keep the lid on your steriliser and allow the contents to cool slightly before opening
• Assemble your bottles using your teat tongs to avoid contaminating your sterile equipment
• Your equipment will stay sterile until you remove the lid

Electric steam sterilising

• Add the required amount of water to your steriliser. (See manufacturer’s instructions)
• Load the steriliser with your equipment, including your teat tongs making sure that no items are facing upwards/able to fill with water. (See manufacturer’s instructions)
• Put the lid on your steriliser and switch it on
• Beware of scalding steam - keep the lid on your steriliser and allow the contents to cool slightly before opening
• Assemble your bottles using your teat tongs to avoid contaminating your sterile equipment
• Your equipment will stay sterile until you remove the lid
• Remember to de-scale your steriliser as required. (See manufacturer’s instructions)