Milk Bottle Steaming?

[nikster]

So we are shopping for lots of baby stuff to prepare for the birth of our first. Yesterday we bought milk bottles. My wife told me we need a milk bottle steamer to sterilize the bottles. It's a machine for about 2000 baht which can do one thing only: Steam-clean baby bottles.

Ignorant skeptic that I am I didn't buy this very specialized contraption - do we really need that? It's not so much the price, I am just trying to avoid collecting useless and never-used-again kitchen equipment.

So - what is it for and why do I need it?

[donna]

is breastfeeding out of the question?

[boogie]

So we are shopping for lots of baby stuff to prepare for the birth of our first. Yesterday we bought milk bottles. My wife told me we need a milk bottle steamer to sterilize the bottles. It's a machine for about 2000 baht which can do one thing only: Steam-clean baby bottles.

Ignorant skeptic that I am I didn't buy this very specialized contraption - do we really need that? It's not so much the price, I am just trying to avoid collecting useless and never-used-again kitchen equipment.

So - what is it for and why do I need it?

No you don't need a special machine

I've copied and pasted the quote below from Babycenter.com

" Do I need to sterilize the bottles?

Before you first use new bottles, nipples, and rings, you should sterilize them by submerging them in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Then allow them to dry on a clean towel. After that, a good cleaning in hot, soapy water or a cycle through the dishwasher is sufficient. "

It does add that if you use wellwater it's best to keep sterilizing. If your wife is sceptical do a google search on the subject there are loads of links.

We bought a special machine for warming milk in the bottles, absolute waste of money. Think we only used it once. Just use a pot of hot water.

[markwhite]

It does add that if you use wellwater it's best to keep sterilizing.

I'd not thought of that!

We're planning to breastfeed, but have a couple of bottles so I can help with night feeds with expressed milk, and maybe for water. I'd discounted a steriliser as I just don't think I'd get the use out of it and was just planning to boil in water, but ours is from a well.

I suppose boiling in bottled water (we use the 'gallons') with some bottle cleaning fluid should be okay though? What do people think?

Mark...

[think_too_mut]

Our baby has been on bottle milk from day 1.

Have never thought of any sterilizer, we were doing just what somebody quoted - soapy water, rinse and let them dry naturally.

[garro]

I also have a baby on the way next month, with the help of my wife of course, and have already bought my sterilizer. I worked with new born babies as a nurse and we always used a sterilizer so I went with it, but I am not sure if you really need it though. I just like lots of gadgets around the house

[nikster]

is breastfeeding out of the question?

oh no, we plan to breastfeed as much as possible.

i am new to this...

[think_too_mut]

....and have already bought my sterilizer. I worked with new born babies as a nurse and we always used a sterilizer so I went with it, but I am not sure if you really need it though.

That could be practice if there are many babies and bottles and nipples are going rounds.

[nikster]

I've copied and pasted the quote below from Babycenter.com

" Do I need to sterilize the bottles?

Before you first use new bottles, nipples, and rings, you should sterilize them by submerging them in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Then allow them to dry on a clean towel. After that, a good cleaning in hot, soapy water or a cycle through the dishwasher is sufficient. "

As my dear wife just pointed out, that does sound like we "need" it, as in should have it as we don't have a dishwasher + generally don't clean dishes with hot water.

I mean OK we could also have a pot of boiling water around but we don't have that either (not even for tea) so I guess the BHT 2000 gadget is a go

Thanks for all your responses!

[think_too_mut]

As my dear wife just pointed out, that does sound like we "need" it, as in should have it as we don't have a dishwasher + generally don't clean dishes with hot water.

We still wash the bottles with plain water from the tap and dishwashing detergent.

[garro]

2,000 bath seems a lot. I am sure we paid less than 1,000 in Tesco/Lotus a few weeks back.

[Boo]

personally I think a steamer is good. I use mine all the time & can be sure that bottles, teats etc are totally clean & bacteria free. I wash everything first in hot soapy water & then rinse in hot water then put in the steamer. If the cost is an issue then you could always just cold water sterilise in a large plastic tub & add milton tablets, Just as good imo & takes 15mins to totally sterilise.

Conventional wisdom for 50+ years is to sterilise all baby bottles prior to EVERY USE for at least 6 months as not doing so puts baby at risk of bacteria that their stomach can't protect from. 10 minutes a day washing & sterilising my sons bottles is a small price to pay to stop him getting ill.

[Goldenbead]

Conventional wisdom for 50+ years is to sterilise all baby bottles prior to EVERY USE for at least 6 months as not doing so puts baby at risk of bacteria that their stomach can't protect from. 10 minutes a day washing & sterilising my sons bottles is a small price to pay to stop him getting ill.

I totally agree. With the first two I boiled the bottles for a couple of mins in a large saucepan on the stove top which was used only for bottles. We never cooked anything in it. For the second two, I used cold water and sterilizing tablets. I kept up this practice for longer than 6 months for every child.

Very important to clean and sterilize properly IMO.

[think_too_mut]

personally I think a steamer is good. I use mine all the time & can be sure that bottles, teats etc are totally clean & bacteria free. I wash everything first in hot soapy water & then rinse in hot water then put in the steamer. If the cost is an issue then you could always just cold water sterilise in a large plastic tub & add milton tablets, Just as good imo & takes 15mins to totally sterilise.

Conventional wisdom for 50+ years is to sterilise all baby bottles prior to EVERY USE for at least 6 months as not doing so puts baby at risk of bacteria that their stomach can't protect from. 10 minutes a day washing & sterilising my sons bottles is a small price to pay to stop him getting ill.

Sorry, it's just a hype.

My baby has been eating the food from street vendors, the immunity has already built up.

We have had zero problems.

Contrary, some farangs that I know of even shave with bottled water.

What a TV box can make people fear.

[Boo]

ttm u r entitled to you opinion but pls don't spread the idea that good hygeine is a hype, you have been very lucky your child is ok but not all babies will be so lucky. i would rather follow "hype" than risk my childs health thanks & fyi new born children have no way to build immunity from germs until several months old. but do what you think is best for your child & i will do whats best for mine.

[think_too_mut]

ttm u r entitled to you opinion but pls don't spread the idea that good hygeine is a hype, you have been very lucky your child is ok but not all babies will be so lucky. i would rather follow "hype" than risk my childs health thanks & fyi new born children have no way to build immunity from germs until several months old. but do what you think is best for your child & i will do whats best for mine.

It's a hype. CNN and other rubbish.

Thailand is a nation of healthy people who would wonder what you are talking about. My wife has seen through 2 kids in the family, ours is her first one on her own.

With all the comfort my baby has been enjoying, no drama ,ever, to eat off the street vendors. Just make it for a baby, no chillies.

Been like that since she was 6 months old.

Now, somebody says "sterilize the bottles". I would, if there was any need.

Back to Fox News and CNN. Or any TV.

[Boo]

Seems you can't accept that other people have different opinions based on proven fact & according to the wisdom of health & child development experts everywhere!!!!. No news channel I know reports on the best way to raise kids so not sure what tv program you are watching??? Maybe you have a link?

The thai people I know sterilise their bottles in fact my MIL has already purchase a cold water steriliser for my son, she is a 65 year old women who sterlised for her 2 sons aged 41 & 38, but she is without CNN or FOX, so I wonder why she thinks it is a safe thing to do??????? Just because you or your wife don't beleive in doing it doesn't actually prove that all thais don't so why not bear that in mind.

As I said, do whats best for your kid & we will do what is best for ours. No one is mocking or critising you for not doing it, if thats what you think is best then ok, but what a shame you aren't big enough to do the same without making ridiculous comments.

OP, try to do some reaseach on the net or get a couple of baby books or even better, ask the mw at the hospital what is best.

[mrtoad]

From experience of three children - the first two in England we used a steamer for stralising. Here we have just used a cold water steralliser.

I agree that it is good for kids to have exposure to germs, but when they are very small then it is adviseable to limit the exposure. We still steralise my daughters bottless now, it only takes a couple of minutes really, and before anyone says otherwise, I am not into molly coddling kids and creating a toal germ free, risk free environment.

Anyway, it is the parents decision to do what they feel is best and I wish you luck.

[torrenova]

Go and get it all from Avent. I did a couple of months ago and its all easy as, well, making (not having) a baby !

You get a microwaveable sterilizer which is great. 200ml of water and 4 mins in the micro. Sorted.

Get an electric water heater, like a permanent kettle. Go digital and get a Japanese one. You put a little hot water in to make the powdered milk warm, saves fannying around with bottle heaters or the micro again.

What you are paying for is the ergonomics, quality, non toxicity and design brilliance. You can buy the local stuff but I got the whole load in the UK for perhaps GBP100 including a breast pump, different teats, breast pads, sterilizer, starter pack, dummies etc. all from John Lewis. Here is their website http://www.avent.com/uk/en/ http://www.johnlewis.com/Nursery/Baby+Esse...roductType.aspx

[Sanpatong]

We used an old rice cooker, it has a plastic steamer tray. Just fill a little water in the bottom and let it do it's thing.

Lot cheaper than 2000 baht for a steamer that only steams baby bottles.

(And to another poster: Also when breast feeding you will find the need to collect some milk and/or water in bottles which then have to be cleaned)

[torrenova]

I agree with the number of bottles needed. You do need some to store milk and the Avent system has caps which replace the teat to seal the bottle.

At the moment, we have one bottle of water, maybe 2 or 3 breast milk, through the night maybe 3 or 4 bottles getting used and a total of about maybe 8 on the go or in the whole process. We have bigger bottles for later on which can then turn into those cup things with a spout for the young child.

No expert but some things you obviously need and others you don't. With each part having a multitude of uses it works well for us and keeps the volume of pieces down as they are all from the same producer.

[Boo]

8 bottles does for us too, he has 5 feeds a day & I sterilise 6 at a time which means I always have 2 bottles already made up in the fridge, so end up cleaning bottles once every day & half.

[bina]

for those that are worried: torrenove good ideas but the boiling water is as follows so just quick boiling is no good:

water must be boiled at least 10 minutes to kill ghiardi lamblia which is found in most water (even in some of our israeli drinking water ugg!!); most of our older kids have natural immunity but tourists of course suffer as do babies: so boiling water and cooled off to make formula

and boiling water for ten minutes then put washed bottles and nipples in, boil, take out with tongs, air dry so a regular tea kettle (the one minute boil type) is NOT effective

this also protects against the candidas that are very resilient to most washing soaps and do affect bottle fed babies (thrush on the tongue, that icky white stuff on tongues that make baby very cranky and unwilling to nurse, usually bottle babies not breast fed babies though can also happen)...

we also nuked (micro wave) bottles of older babies (3 months up) but not all bottle brands and nipples can be nuked.

these, once again, from my sis in law nanny of the kibbutz baby house (they do use sterilizers in the baby house as there are many babies, but instruct mothers what to do at home)

[Mossfinn]

It's not so much the price, I am just trying to avoid collecting useless and never-used-again kitchen equipment.

If it is not about the price, then in my opinion buy one, if you don't use it or feel it is unnecessary, then there is no loss.

So - what is it for and why do I need it?

It does what it says on the box, it sterilizes the bottles. It is quick, easy to use and in my opinion, very useful and worthwhile.

Breast feeding, again in my opinion is best, but as you quite rightly state there will always be a time when you have to jump in and feed the baby.

Why take a risk when they are relatively cheap, when taken in context. if you don't and something goes wrong, how will you feel?

Trust me, something went wrong recently with the wife's breast and she had chronic infection and abscess in one, using formula and expressed milk and storing it in the fridge was invaluable and then you can pick up the baton when it is most needed.

It is uptoyou, but I think it is a no-brainer.

Good Luck and Well Done to you and your family,

Moss

[nikster]

Update: It's settled, wife's bought - judging by the price - the supreme deluxe version

I still don't know whether we'll really need it but from the responses here I assume that it will be pretty useful. I certainly prefer it over using cooked water for 5 minutes....

Thanks for all the responses! I am learning something new every day

[Taci]

The electric advent steamers are great but as people have said expensive.

"You get a microwaveable sterilizer which is great. 200ml of water and 4 mins in the micro."

We used one of these. Cheap to buy and perfectly good for the job.

[t.s]

The electric advent steamers are great but as people have said expensive.

"You get a microwaveable sterilizer which is great. 200ml of water and 4 mins in the micro."

We used one of these. Cheap to buy and perfectly good for the job.

we did same. advent makes a microwavable one at a fraction of the price of the electronic. it also fits in suitcase when we take off for the beach

[Heng]

Also recommend Avent (although we use the electric one and not the microwave one). Probably one of the better makers of baby goods out there. Ours is the Avent Express model, something like 4500 Baht at one of those Queen Sirikit Convention Center baby fairs they have a couple times a year. You can also get them at Central and the Mall for 5200 or so most of the year.

[nikster]

That's the one we got as well, I think. after 9 weeks, we have used it a grant total of zero times but that's because we are breast-feeding and everything is going OK with it and no need for bottles. Certainly the most elegant solution to the problem

[LadyinRed]

I use to sterilize bottles on the stove in a large pot of boiling water.

When a friend had her baby I bought her a second hand Avent sterilizer as a gift.

And what a difference it made! I regretted not getting one myself.

It's so much easier with a sterilizer.