How often do you sterilize bottles, nipples, etc.?

WaitingforLucas

I am a little confused as to how often I should sterilize our bottles, nipples, etc. I thought you are only supposed to do it before first use. Now my mom tells me I need to do it every night. She says using them for a day and washing them out with warm soapy water is fine, but at night I need to sterilize everything. How do you handle it?

Karma01

I sterilized before using and now I just use hot sopay water when I clean them.

SailorGray

You don't have to do it as often as your Mom is saying. I think once before use is enough. I do set the sanitize setting on my dishwasher when washing them, though. If I didn't have that, I would just do hot, soapy water.

futuretomasini

The bottles that go to daycare I sterlize everyday, but the other ones usually once a week.

madisonpeas

Warm soapy water daily then try to sanitize once/week.  Emphasis on "try."

 

dairygirl19

Never. I did before first use.

Now I just toss them in the dishwasher. Good enough for me.

Once a month (aka when I feel like it) I'll dump some bleach in the soapy sink water and wash everything. It just makes me feel good. I don't really feel the need to have to do it.

lanbob

I sterilize lil man's bottles every night. I only do this because his bottles have more parts than just the bottle and nipple.

WeWearCombatBoots

I only sterilize if the bottle has been sitting with milk in it for an extended amount of time, like if LO only ate part of his bottle and the rest sits out on the counter for hours and hours. Otherwise I just wash immediately after we use it with hot soapy water or throw it in the dishwasher. Our dishwasher has a setting for sterilizing so that works, but I also use the medela steam bags.

suzyqjmu

I originally wasn't sterilizing at all (just hot soapy water or dishwasher). About a week ago, my cousin gave me her Avent microwave sterilizer. I have started to sterilize almost every night (mostly pump parts and pacifiers because I mostly BF). It's not that i think it is necessary, but it takes no time at all so I might as well. I do feel like things are cleaner now, but I totally could have lived without it.

mrswalkertobe

I do them every night with the Medela bags. I was sterilizing them with boiling water for 2 months and have completely ruined my pots so I tried the bags and love them. I am planning on sterilizing through the cold/flu season although I know it's probably not really necessary.