When to stop sterilising?

[lollyone]

Hi all. My daughter is almost 7 months old. I'm still sterilising her milk bottles, but I have never bothered doing her cutlery, dishes or tippee cup.
She has Aptamil formula milk but I was looking at a tin of SMA the other day and it said there is no need to sterilise after 6 months. I thought it was a year? When did you stop sterilising? We are going to Canada in September, she will be 9 months then and it would be lots easier if we didn't have to sterilise. Also, I'm not sure how I go about making formula over there. Will she be ok with their water, boiled? Perhaps we will have to buy the ready made cartons. Thanks

[B00]

I stopped sterilising things when my daughter was old enough to crawl around and shove (quite often unsavoury things) in her gob herself. I figured that sterlising bottles and dummies etc was pointless when she's quaffing dog biscuits out of the dogs bowl whenever I wasn't looking.

[k8bailey]

My HV says 10 months but my little girl has a shoe fettish and has been licking peoples shoes (I wish I was kidding!) since about 6months, making sterile bottles etc seem a bit pointless!

Never been to canada but I would've thought the water over there would be fine once boiled.

Hope you all have a nice holiday!

[tigwig]

I stopped at 7 months. You just have to think of all the other things they put in their mouths like others have said that there is no point!
The water will be fine in Canada and should still be boiled until 12mths then tap water is ok (as a drink I mean not to make up a bottle)

[annie0000]

I sterilised up to a year with my first, but he tended to have quite a delicate tummy, with my second, it was probably about 7 months - we had a dishwasher then anyway, but when I caught him licking the water out of a puddle I thought it was a bit pointless sterilising.

[lollyone]

Hi all thanks for your replies. I'm thinking that I might try gradually stopping over next month or so then.
Thanks again.

[oldgrape]

i stopped as 11 months when i thought it was pointless as my son was eating and sucking on everything

[pinkcowprint]

i stopped just after 6 months,hes never been ill and full of beans!bit of germ is good for them!lol

[carron81]

hi

i stopped at 5 months. i was the same as BOO thought since she was putting anything and everything in her mouth i though whats the point

She is the healthiest baby ever.

my friends sister stopped at 3 months and her 2 kids are healthy

i agree with pinkcowprint. need a bit of germs to build up there imune systems!!! kids get ill to often compared to what i did when i was wee,

[lollyone]

Interesting. Its making me nervous though!! Lol!
Did you always make your bottles up fresh? Or in advance?

[carron81]

i know, i was that nervous about stopping and once i stopped if she cough, sneezed or anything i was like i better start steralising again!!! silly really and i never started it again

I made my bottles up with cold boiled water. i had read lots about it when i started formula feeding and when i mentioned it to a friend she said thats how she made it and explained there was a programme on ch4 about it about 4 years ago (just before she had her son) and she decided from then thats how she'd make them

i've since heard of a friend of a friend call aptamil or a formula help line and they were asking about bottle rules and the helpline said to make the bottle up by the guidelines but if doing in advance to do it with cold boiled water. i've been meaning to call it up just to see if this info is right

what i would do would steralise all bottles at night, boil the kettle, let it cool. fill all bottles with the water that she would require. then about an hour before the bottle was required i'd mix in the powder. give it a huge shake and by the time it had all settled my daughter was ready for it and would serve at room temp

once starting local coffee mornings i found a few friends that done it this way and we all have healthy babies who have had no health problems.

the only thing my daughter has had wrong with her in 13 months is an ear infection due to teething and constipation due to, to much iron so she is now on cows milk at 10 months, - advised to by the health visitor so i have no bottles to make up now

some people had a heart attack when i told them how i made the bottles but the amount of compliments i get on such a good, happy baby she is and has slept through the night since a couple of months and managed to get her off the night bottle very early

[lollyone]

Thats great carron thank you. This is exactly how I make up my bottles now. I figure if the milks not sat festering then she'll be fine.
Thanks all for your answers