Sterilizers...necessary or a waste of money?

Babybear70 · February 2012

I'm a bit confused. Do I have to have a sterilizer? Will the dishwasher do the job? How often are they used? Any info would be helpful. Thanks ladies!

firecracker8 · February 2012

I would personally thought I would not use one... that was until DS got thrush. I know that thrush can be hard to get rid of, so I got a sterilizer to use on his bottles and pacifiers so that hopefully we can get rid of this awful stuff!

bugandbibs · February 2012

We use our microwave sterilizer at least once a week. Our dishwasher leave a cloudy residue, so we wash bottle by hand. I sterilize my pump parts and bottles every Friday. I also like using it for pacifiers and teething toys. They aren't very expensive (ours was $15), so I would recommend having one.

iluvmylab · February 2012

bugandbibs:
We use our microwave sterilizer at least once a week. Our dishwasher leave a cloudy residue, so we wash bottle by hand. I sterilize my pump parts and bottles every Friday. I also like using it for pacifiers and teething toys. They aren't very expensive (ours was $15), so I would recommend having one.

this exactly.

chardonnay24 · February 2012

We never used one.

acbeeman · February 2012

We got one, for the fact that I was told by a number of sources that dishwashers can deteriorate the plastic and it leaves a cloudy residue.

ellewoodsSC · February 2012

I don't sterilize with every use. I handwash with soap and hot water or use dishwasher. Every now and then I will either sterilize in a pot of water or use the Medela microwaveable bag sterilizers for pacis, pump parts and bottles. I don't think that routine level of sterilization is necessary unless you're fighting thrush or have a baby with some special circumstances.

Natalie3398 · February 2012

ellewoodsSC:
I don't sterilize with every use. I handwash with soap and hot water or use dishwasher. Every now and then I will either sterilize in a pot of water or use the Medela microwaveable bag sterilizers for pacis, pump parts and bottles. I don't think that routine level of sterilization is necessary unless you're fighting thrush or have a baby with some special circumstances.

This exactly. I registered for the Medela Micro Steam Bags... you can get up to 100 uses from 1 box. It's so easy to use and very affordable. You can actually fit a lot into 1 bag at a time too. I sterilized all my bottles, nipples, caps, parts and others in 1 bag using it about 3 to 4 times.

srs5624 · March 2012

I never bought one or had a use for one. Hot water + soap = clean

My dishwasher sucks (its 22 years old now) so I hand wash bottles, among other things. I have got to get a new dishwasher.

I think that amount of heat is only necessary in the case of something like thrush or a child with special needs (immunocompromised for example).

Extreme heat will deteriorate plastic. Whether it comes from boiling water, a dishwasher or a steamer. Heat + plastic = deterioration. If deteriorating plastic concerns you, you'll want to go with glass bottles. They sell silicone bands that fit over the bottles so you can get a better grip.

Sterilizers...necessary or a waste of money?

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