moms: do I need a bottle sanitizer?

2008PelicanBride

I hope these posts aren't annoying anyone....  

A bottle sanitizer (which would also be used for the BF pump parts, since that is what I hope to do) that goes in the microwave...is that necessary?  Or is there another way to do this without buying and having to store something else? I thought I read about some kind of disposable bag that does the same thing somewhere, but I'm not sure.

ragazza19

Boil them in water or put in dishwasher on sanitary mode.  I never bought any type of sanitizer, but that's just me.  My kids are fine :-)

SouthSeasBride

No. I just washed mine.  My kids are just fine as well!

tashaandsage

I was given both a bottle saniter and the steam bags for pump parts, and I never used either. I sanitized by boiling water prior to using, and then used the dishwasher after that. Like PPs, my kids are fine too

jennifer80808

Add me to the list.  The only time I used the steam bags were when Kennedy had surgery b/c I didn't feel like I could wash the parts well enough.

2008PelicanBride

Thanks everyone!  I think I'll skip it! I will just use the bags if anything.

mrs.jenRN

I use the bags for pacifiers and my pump parts (esp because I take my pump to work twice a week - ew!), We just wash the bottles. Zoe only gets about 4-6 bottles a week. About once a month I might boil them or put them in the bag.

bparkhur

I'm in the minority, but I loved my Avent sterilizer...especially for pump parts (I EP-ed for over six months...). I didn't have a ton of bottles and I only had one set of pump parts, so I wasn't going to run the dishwasher constantly.

amellis2

I have an Avent one that my mom found at Goodwill for $4. I use it twice a week for bottles, nipples, bottle rings, pacifiers (and recently, medicine droppers, ugh!).  BUT my mom has two long-haired dogs and the hair.gets.EVERYWHERE.  In the PNP, on the counters where the bottles dry, on the babies...When I was trying in increase my supply, and was pumping/nursing, though I used the microwave bags after each session. 

So, I guess, my advice is: if you do get one try to go to the Goodwill (so that, if you don't use it a lot, you didn't spend a ton on it.  Just run it once with nothing but water in it before use.  

Oh, P.S.: With new bottles, before I had the sterilizer, I just used hot water and let things sit for a little while.  So, I've done everything! 

Gator_Bride08

Ditto PPs. Hot water and soap should be sufficient.

ChangeOfPace

I pumped at work so the bags were essential to me there as I wanted to sterilize my parts at least once a day.  At home I also used an Avent microwave sterilizer.  You can boil the parts of run the dishwasher, but I'm the type that usually waited until I had no bottles left and wanted a way to quickly sterilize something to use immediately.  It's not a necessity, but I personally used mine all the time. 

MrsChelseaP09

I thought my sterilizer was extremely helpful. Especially since you want to sterilize everything the first 3 months. Any time Lila's Nuks hit the floor, they got sterilized. I tired boiling in the beginning, but it just made too much of a mess. I didn't know about sterilizing bags though, I definitely would have went that route. The sterilizer is hard to fit into our cabinets, it takes up tons of space.