sterilizer? Worth it?

RC31604 · March 2011

I was just wondering if they are worth it or would a dish washer be ok? Thank you

CarlaAndJames · March 2011

Most people say dishwasher is fine. I went ahead and got one because we're going to be going through bottles every day since I work full time and I didn't want to buy enough bottles to get through a whole week or run the dishwasher with just 4 bottles in it.

Might be a waste though, but I figure I'm entitled to a few of those as a first time mom

RC31604 · March 2011

Thank you. I figured it was kinda a waste but living in an apartment i think it would be better to have one to keep them separate from the other dishes.

LittleApple · March 2011

You only need to sterilize the bottles once and you can do that by boiling them for 2-3 minutes. Even if you sterilize them you still need to wash them. Why create more work for yourself??

Warm soapy water or the dishwasher does the trick to clean them daily. I have a big bowl and wash the bottles every night.

RC31604 · March 2011

Thank you LittleApple

Mereou12 · March 2011

Total waste.

If you find that you want to sterilize something, just buy a package of Medela steam bags -- you just add 20 ml of water, toss in pacifiers, pump parts, whatever, and microwave for 2 minutes. Way cheaper than a sterilizer, and doesn't take up any space.

AlisaSW007 · March 2011

Waste - boiling works just fine. I used mine once and it just sits in the cupboard now and never gets used.

bobbs420 · March 2011

We boiled everything before we used it, and then just washed them in the dishwasher every day. Sterilizers are a waste IMO.

MrsChelseaP09 · March 2011

We do not have a full dishwasher but maybe once or twice a week. While I was pumping & substituting formula waiting for my milk supply to come in, the sterilizer was a life saver. It was a lot easier (to me) to hand wash and sterilize in the microwave for a few minutes vs. running the dishwasher.

blondek8 · March 2011

We bought the Dr. Brown's microwave sterilizer. We have 16 bottles for the twins. We washed in hot, soapy water and then shoved them in the sterilizer for 5 minutes. I wasn't putting the dishwasher through a cycle just for bottles and most of the time we didn't have a full dishwasher everyday. Was easier, quicker and less messy than boiling. It was recommended to sterilize all bottles, parts and water up until 4 months -- so we did.

1026pumpkin · March 2011

I think the fancy plug-in ones might be a waste, but the cheap, plastic microwave ones are great. DS is in daycare, and I feel better sterilizing his bottles and paci each night because of all the germs. I just toss them all in hot, soapy water when we get home and then rinse and put them in the microwave for 3 minutes.

We only need to run our dishwasher 1-2xs/week. Since DS needs 4-5 bottles a day for daycare, and I need another 4-5/day to pump into, it would be very expensive to buy enough bottles to last the week and a huge waste of water to run a dishwasher with a few bottles and a dish or two.

The Medela bags are also great for use at work or if you're travelling. They don't hold much, though, so I prefer the big microwave one for everyday use.

Lux_Diva · April 2011

IMO, most helpful if you BF and you don't want to use the bags. You'd be surpised how hard the pump parts can be to clean so the sterilizer was helpful.

MegZRN · April 2011

Mereou12:
Total waste.
If you find that you want to sterilize something, just buy a package of Medela steam bags -- you just add 20 ml of water, toss in pacifiers, pump parts, whatever, and microwave for 2 minutes. Way cheaper than a sterilizer, and doesn't take up any space.

This. I'm IN LOVE with these bags. They're like $1/bag and can be used 20 times each. Every box comes with 5 bags. Totally worth it!

booboo1414 · April 2011

Mereou12:
Total waste.

If you find that you want to sterilize something, just buy a package of Medela steam bags -- you just add 20 ml of water, toss in pacifiers, pump parts, whatever, and microwave for 2 minutes. Way cheaper than a sterilizer, and doesn't take up any space.

Agreed. This is what I use. Plus no waste of space. By the way dishwashers do not do well for sterilizing the nipples. I know lots of babies that get thrush because the dishwasher did not sterilize the nipples like many parents think. FYI

sterilizer? Worth it?

Re: sterilizer? Worth it?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards