Importance of sterilisation

[Proactivity]

Our baby is just at the age where everything she grabs heads straight for her mouth - teethers, toys, fingers, muslin squares, etc. Now while we do our best to keep those clean, they're far from sterilised. If that's the case, then do feeding pots and spoons really need to be sterilised before use? I can see the point of zapping bacteria before storing her food, but surely eating utensils from the dishwasher are cleaner than some of the things she sucks. And isn't being too anal about cleanliness bad for her developing immune system anyway?

[redcrx]

How old is she?

I havnt sterilised my sons bowls and spoons since he was 7 months old. I still do about 90 percent of his bottles as milk is a good breeding ground for bacteria.

He is 10 months old now and putting everything in his mouth so i wont sterilise anything by his first birthday.

[unruliejulie]

I gave up sterilising when my son started putting everything he came into contact with, into his mouth! some i daren't even mention!!!!! this is roughly around the time they get moving. I am a great believer in a bit of dirt being good for building up a good immune system. Yes, i think people are too obsessed about a bit of muck these days. I think a child who is exposed to harmless dirt is a healthier child.I get sick of antibacterial this and antibacterial that and bleach on everything. Too sterile! its all part of growing up. One thing he did put in his mouth that i can mention is a snail shell i caught him chewing on once! YUK, he's hardly ever ill though!!

[growbag]

Hi. I was very paranoid with my first child, sterilised everything in sight until he was a year. But then with my second son I was much more laid back and didn't sterilise anything. He was fully breastfed until six months, then I supplemented with extra drinks but he didn't have a bottle, he had a feeding cup and I just put it in the dishwasher. Maybe you need to be a bit more careful if you use bottles with teats, but otherwise there's no point in sterilising spoons, bowls etc when they are chewing on toys, especially when they're at nursery or mother-and-toddler groups and every other chidl is having a good suck on the same toys! I think I wasted a lot of time needlessly sterilising things with my first born, and it really didn't matter. Also, it's a lot easier when you go out if you're not worrying about having sterilised spoons etc. I think if your baby is otherwise healthy, and as long as you use common sense, you don't need to sterilise anything except bottle-teats.

[SaxyJag]

A good housewife used to say that her house was clean enough to be healthy and mucky enough to be happy.

Just look at the eating utensils she's about to use and ask yourself whether you would be prepared to eat with them. If the answer is yes ... well ... .

You get my meaning.

[B00]

I never steralised my 18month olds food dishes and spoons, though I did steralise the bottles until she was just over one. I still ocassionally do them (she loves her milk to go to bed with) but it's only every few weeks or so.

Incidently she ate a handful of dog food last week- which was nice!

[jas1002]

I agree with all of the above and would probably do the milk bottles/beakers. I think not just because of the milk but they're in contact with the mouth longer. You need to build up your baby's resilience to the world.

[cobie]

I only sterilised my sons bottles until his first birthday and then he was of them anyway. And I completely agree with the idea that a little bit of dirt helps build up the immune system. as my mother used to say " a dirty child is a happy child", never a truer saying

[libranaster]

As soon as my kids started eating things off the floor I stopped sterilising. I have a motto what the health nurse doesn't know doesn't matter. Do what you are ok with