Full Steam Ahead!

As if you didn’t have enough to do as a new mum or dad, sterilising your baby’s feeding equipment is one of those little jobs there’s no getting away from!

Concentrating on establishing breastfeeding at first means there should be no need to use any equipment for feeding, leaving more time for you and your baby to enjoy getting to know one another.

Once breastfeeding is established and you do start to use a breast pump, bottle, soothers or any other equipment which comes into contact with milk and your baby, it’s essential to sterilise it first, before each use. Milk bacteria, in particular, is harmful to a young baby with an immature immune system. Poor cleaning and sterilising can lead to gastroenteritis, or diarrhoea and vomiting, which can be quite serious.

The equipment must be washed first, either by hand with warm water, washing up liquid and a baby bottle brush, or in the dishwasher. This makes the equipment clean but to kill off any remaining bacteria the items must then be sterilised.

When I first started out 20 years ago, the most popular method of sterilising was the cold water method. Every morning the tank had to be cleaned out and filled with a fresh chemical solution, the items then had to soak for half an hour. It was time consuming, messy, smelly and left the equipment smelling quite unpleasant!

In comparison, the up to date method of steam sterilisation is quick, easy, and efficient, with no chemicals involved-just the heat of the steam to kill off the bugs. Hospitals use this method to prepare medical equipment too.

To protect your baby from illness be sure to sterilise all feeding equipment for the first 6 months (so if you have introduced solids before 6 months it’s wise to sterilise the bowls and spoons.) After that only milk feeding equipment like bottles and breast pumps need to be sterilised until your child is one year old.

Sterilising is all about protecting your baby from particularly harmful germs until his immune system is strong enough. Breastfeeding provides protection too. Don’t be too precious about germs in general though - a clean environment is good, but if everything around your baby is sterile this can prevent him from building up a strong immune system for the future!