What to do with bottles, etc. after sterilizing?

Pretzel80

So this might be a dumb question, but what do you/are you planning to store all your bottles, nipples, and other things that you sterilize in?  I have the microwave sterilization bags but after you take them out of those, I need someplace to store it all...doesn't that place also have to be sterile??  I bought a Rubbermaid thing with a lid that I figured I could put in the dishwasher to clean it and then put all the things in that.  Thoughts??

I guess I'm just having a hard time with this whole "sterilization" thing because I work in a lab that does manufacturing so sterilization to me seems different than this type of sterilization.

kimbo1216

I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but does it really have to be completely sterile all the time?  I mean, we do need to build immunities here.  Germs are all around us and we can't sterilize everything.

I'm throwing all my bottles in the dishwasher, using the dry-heat setting (just as good for sterilizing) and then putting them in the cabinet.  I just don't see the point of keeping them in a sterilized plastic bag until I need them.

Pretzel80

See, that's what I was thinking.  True "sterilization" just isn't possible or necessary in my mind (I mean how many times do we see kids throw their binkie on the ground and the parent brushes it off and hands it back...sterile??)

That's why I was thinking if I "sterilize" them either in the microwave or dishwasher and then put them in a clean bin, that would probably work, right??

egpitt22

I just cleared out a shelf in a cabinet the last time & stored them there.  we'll do the same this time, I don't think they have to be kept in a sterile container or anything like that. 

Winkski15

I was just planning on washing them, sterilizating them and then putting them away in the cabinet

MommaA117

I cleared out a spot in the cabinet for all baby stuff.

The_Birds_04

I too, planned to just wash in the dishwasher and store in the cabinet.  I am trying to not make any process too difficult or time consuming. 

Ashnkris

kimbo1216:

I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but does it really have to be completely sterile all the time?  I mean, we do need to build immunities here.  Germs are all around us and we can't sterilize everything.

I'm throwing all my bottles in the dishwasher, using the dry-heat setting (just as good for sterilizing) and then putting them in the cabinet.  I just don't see the point of keeping them in a sterilized plastic bag until I need them.

THIS!  Amen for germs!  Haha  Kids need them to boost their immunities.  If you attempted to sterilize everthing for you kiddo (impossible to do) they would miss at least half of kindergarten or preschool when they got around all the other kids!

I think you are on the right track of just wash/sterilize in whatever method you want and toss em in a rubbermaid container.  We're hoping and praying that she will like the playtex drop ins because they are disposable (Please don't flame me for not being the greenest momma!) and will require less washing and storage. 

MrsPBNJ0220

I will be boiling our bottles, I suppose that's okay, that's how I sterilize my breast pump, so I figure the bottles would be fine doing it the same way.

After that I will just be placing them in a cabinet with all of his bottles and sippy cups.

luvbeingmom

there's no point in sterlizing them now, if they're just going to sit for the next two months... that's probably more of a in the last two weeks event.

that being said... i put my stuff in a rubbermaid drawer thingy after they were sterilized (in the dishwasher by the way)... but that was more for organization than anything. i'd wipe down the cabinet that you're going to keep the baby stuff in, but that's about it...

 

 

CarlaAndJames

I'm going to wait to sterilize anything until fairly soon before I plan to use them (plan is to introduce the bottle around 1 month unless we feel like we're doing great at breastfeeding and want to try earlier, or of course unless breastfeeding doesn't work altogether and we need to bottle feed her earlier).

I will sterilize before the first use, just to get some of the manufacturing chemicals, germs, etc off of them, but no way am I going to try to maintain a sterile environment to keep them in!

11kacey

luvbeingmom:

there's no point in sterlizing them now, if they're just going to sit for the next two months... that's probably more of a in the last two weeks event.

that being said... i put my stuff in a rubbermaid drawer thingy after they were sterilized (in the dishwasher by the way)... but that was more for organization than anything. i'd wipe down the cabinet that you're going to keep the baby stuff in, but that's about it...

 

 

oh thank goodness! I am on the last minute train. I don't see the point in washing any clothes now only to have them sit in a nursery that isn't painted or cleaned. I am waiting until next month to start that process. We'll have someone come and paint the room (after I get all the crap out of there this week) and then put the furniture back in. In a couple of weeks I'll wash clothes and put them away, assess our cloth diaper needs, take care of prepping those and umm depending on my milk situation we might not even sterilize a bottle until we get back from the hospital. I can send my husband home to run the dishwasher and sterilize a bottle if I need to so it is ready when I get home from the hospital. 

Or am I in denial that at some point nesting will kick in and I won't be able to help myself from doing all of these things ASAP and then, again, when I feel the urge to clean?

Pretzel80

Oh yeah, I'm not sterilizing yet!  I was just organizing things yesterday and got to thinking about this issue which is why I asked now.  Thanks for the advice....like I said, sterilization to this engineer means something completely different than what we are talking about here!

luvbeingmom

11kacey:

luvbeingmom:

there's no point in sterlizing them now, if they're just going to sit for the next two months... that's probably more of a in the last two weeks event.

and umm depending on my milk situation we might not even sterilize a bottle until we get back from the hospital. I can send my husband home to run the dishwasher and sterilize a bottle if I need to so it is ready when I get home from the hospital. 

Or am I in denial that at some point nesting will kick in and I won't be able to help myself from doing all of these things ASAP and then, again, when I feel the urge to clean?

those are both good points... lol

i don't recall how long it was before i actually even used a bottle since i bf. it may have been at some point during the first month, but i know that if for some reason i didn't have any sterilized or just clean for that matter, before the baby got here, i wouldn't have worried about it...

but yes... you could find yourself soon just wanting to do everything and that'll get done anyway... lol