Do I really need a bottle warmer and sterilizer?

[foreignerforlife]

I'd like to start pumping so my dh can share in the fun of feeding my 8-wk-old. I bought a hand pump, some storage bags, and I'm ordering bottles today. My dh thinks we'll need a bottle warmer and a sterilizer. I think we can warm the milk on the stove and just boil the nipples for sterility. Who is right? Since he will be doing the feeding, I am leaning towards just getting him these things, but I'd hate to throw out money if they're not necessary. 

[katelove]

You will need some method of sterilising the bottles as well as the teats for an 8 week old baby but you could certainly boil them all if you have a pot big enough to fully submerge them in water.

You don't *need* a bottle warmer. I wouldn't heat the milk on the stove though. If you heat BM too much you destroy some of the valuable elements. IMO/E the best way to heat a bottle of milk is just to pop it in a cup/jug of hot tap water for a few minutes.

[Adaline'sMama]

Do you have a dishwasher?

We reallly only ever had one bottle for DD because DH only fed her like 4-5 times a week, so I could just was it. I dont see the need to have a whole bunch of bottles if you arent making multiple bottles at a time. And I agree with Katelove, the best way to heat breastmilk is just to put it in the bottle in a large cup of warm water. Sometimes, we would put the cup of water in the microwave and heat it up and then put the bottle in it, but if you are going to do that, make sure to read this:

http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp

[gunnarsmama77]

Originally Posted by Adaline'sMama 

Do you have a dishwasher?

 

What she said.  Our dishwasher has a sanitary rinse cycle and I just hit that when I'm washing bottles (I WOH).  When warming them up, we just set the thawed milk (in bottle) in a bowl of warm water.  Easy peasy.  Particularly if you're not having DH feed the baby all that much, I would certainly not spend the money on it. 

If I recall correctly, the whole necessity of sanitizing bottles was a.) for formula and b.) for immuno-compromised kiddos.  If you're feeding breastmilk to a healthy baby, I wouldn't think sanitizing was necessary unless you guys had thrush or something.  So I wouldn't think a sanitizer (or even boiling nipples) is immediately necessary, if at all (but certainly ask your pediatrician!  I'm not a Dr.)

If you don't have a dishwasher you might want to spring for the Medela Steam and Sterilize bags.  They are good for like 20 uses, and you get a pack of 5 (so 100 sterilizations total) for like 5 bucks at Target.  You just throw the nipples (or whatever) in this bag with a couple of tablespoons of water and it sterilizes them.  Much less expensive than a sterilizer, and takes up less room. 

HTH!  Congrats on your new baby:)
 

[Megan73]

Just my 2 cents, but are you sure you want to go through all the hassle of pumping and sterilizing bottles just so your DH can "bond"? My DH has never bottle fed either of our kids and no dad could be more bonded through cuddling and rocking, diaper changes, baths, etc. Most babies can switch between breast and bottle but some come to prefer the fast-flowing bottle - why take a chance if you don't have to?

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by gunnarsmama77 

What she said.  Our dishwasher has a sanitary rinse cycle and I just hit that when I'm washing bottles (I WOH).  When warming them up, we just set the thawed milk (in bottle) in a bowl of warm water.  Easy peasy.  Particularly if you're not having DH feed the baby all that much, I would certainly not spend the money on it. 

If I recall correctly, the whole necessity of sanitizing bottles was a.) for formula and b.) for immuno-compromised kiddos.  If you're feeding breastmilk to a healthy baby, I wouldn't think sanitizing was necessary unless you guys had thrush or something.  So I wouldn't think a sanitizer (or even boiling nipples) is immediately necessary, if at all (but certainly ask your pediatrician!  I'm not a Dr.)

If you don't have a dishwasher you might want to spring for the Medela Steam and Sterilize bags.  They are good for like 20 uses, and you get a pack of 5 (so 100 sterilizations total) for like 5 bucks at Target.  You just throw the nipples (or whatever) in this bag with a couple of tablespoons of water and it sterilizes them.  Much less expensive than a sterilizer, and takes up less room. 

HTH!  Congrats on your new baby:)
 

I agree. We dont have a dishwasher and I never sanitized my one bottle. (but I know lots of people who do sanatize in the dishwasher.)

[Anna Phor]

My son drank breastmilk from a bottle when I was at work for 8 months, usually three bottles a day, and I didn't have either of these things.

The nipples (and maybe the bottles? I can't remember) come with instructions on how to sterilize them before the first use. Usually you just need to submerge them in boiling water for 5 minutes. After that, hot soapy water is sufficient (although I have boiled when my son had thrush, as pp noted).

And yeah, just submerging in warm water will warm the milk. You just flick a little on your wrist to check the temp.

[Marissamom]

yeah, I sterilize with 5 minutes of boiling water (on the stove), but only when the bottles are brand new, got left dirty for too long, or are about to go into storage for a long while. for warming we always just stuck the bottle in a mug of hot tap water. 

[tessie]

The guidelines here are that you should always sterilize bottles and teats used for milk feeds, whether BM or formula. Cold water sterilization is often the most convenient as you can leave the bottles in the solution for 24 hours so they are ready at your convenience. However, if you're not keen on using a sterilizing solution a microwave or counter top steam sterilizer are probably a better choice and quicker than a dishwasher.

The dishwasher does sterilize but the bottles on only remain sterile until you open the door and remove them from the dishwasher.

However, it is a lot of hassle to pump and sterilize just so the dad can bond. Couldn't he do bathtime or one of a hundred other activities instead?

[JudiAU]

You don't need either. Sterilization is passe according to most experts. If your dishwasher gets them clean, fine. Otherwise handwash the nipples.

Don't warm milk "on the stove."You need to be gentle with bm.  . Heat up water and place in a cup. Add a bottle or frozen bag of melt. Swirl, don't shake. Really. It improves quality.

But seriously, I would never pump a bottle for someone else "to bond." I would never pump a bottle for anything unless 1)I needed time away from the baby for some reason or 2) work. My breasts and LO don't need the hassle. Plenty, plenty of ways to bond with a hassle without my breasts attached to a machine. (And I have pumped many, many bottles.)

[foreignerforlife]

Thanks for you input, ladies! I probably should have been more clear -- I din't mean that I wanted to pump so my dh could bond with the baby; I really just want him to be able to feed the baby in case I want or need to be away.