Clare Byam-Cook explains the do’s and don’ts of keeping germs away from your baby

Small babies are very susceptible to germs and because milk is an ideal breeding ground, the best way to keep germs at bay is to sterilise your baby’s feeding equipment. It’s particularly important to sterilise any bottles that will be used for milk if you’re making up a full 24 hours worth of feeds. If you put milk into a grubby bottle, germs will start multiplying as soon as you add warm milk. If the grubby bottle happens to be the last of the batch that you use, the germs will have had time to multiply to a dangerous level by the time you give it to your baby.

In theory it would be perfectly safe not to sterilise a bottle providing you wash it thoroughly and use it immediately. The reason I say ‘in theory’ is because people’s knowledge of hygiene varies, and your idea of ‘washing thoroughly’ may not be the same as mine.

Having said this, there’s some concern that mothers are creating problems for the future by being too meticulous and over-protecting their babies. So I would suggest that if you need something in an emergency (such as a nipple shield), it’s OK not to sterilise it. You could wash it thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse it under the tap, dry it with a piece of clean kitchen paper and then use it immediately.

Ways to sterilise

If you’re fully bottle feeding it makes sense to buy a proper steriliser so that you can sterilise lots of bottles at once.

If you’re planning to breast feed it’s still worth having some sterilising equipment, but you won’t need to invest in anything sophisticated or expensive.

There are three methods:

1. Steam sterilisers. They’re quick and easy to use (it takes approx 10 minutes) and have the added benefit of not involving any chemicals. They are quite expensive to buy (about £35) but will see you through all your babies. You could also buy one second-hand or borrow from a friend.

2. The boiling method. You can use an ordinary saucepan for this. All items needing to be sterilised must be immersed in cold water, brought to the boil and then boiled for 10 minutes. The items can then be used immediately, or left in the water in the saucepan for at least 12 hours, providing you do not take the lid off.

3. The soaking method. For this you can use any non-metallic container (e.g. a plastic jug, ice-cream container or pyrex bowl) and a bottle of sterilising solution, which can be bought from any chemist, supermarket, etc. All items needing to be sterilised must be fully submerged in the sterilising solution (you may need to use a saucer to weigh them down), then left to soak for a minimum of two hours. Left in the sterilising solution, the items will remain sterile for 24 hours, after which point you will need to make up a fresh solution. It is perfectly OK to take anything out of the sterilising solution, shake off the solution and use it immediately. But if you want to rinse off the solution, you must use boiled water from the kettle – if you use tap water the item will no longer be sterile.

Dummies

• Dummies should be washed and sterilised after each use, and should be kept in a sterile container, until you’re ready to use it again
• It’s worth buying several dummies so you always have a sterile one available
• If the dummy falls out of your baby’s mouth into his pram or cot, you can put it straight back in his mouth without washing or sterilising it
• If the dummy falls onto the ground, you should not put it back in his mouth
• You must never put the dummy in your mouth and suck on it as a way of cleaning it. This risks transmitting bacteria from your saliva, which could be even more dangerous to the baby than any germs picked up from the street.

• You should continue to sterilise all your breast/bottle feeding equipment until your baby is a year old
• You don’t need to sterilise the beaker when your baby starts using it at approximately six months
• Nor do you need to sterilise anything when you start giving solids, i.e. spoons, bowls, etc.