Thank you for your interest in BottleFedBabes!
Its amazing that in today’s ‘free choice’ society, that us formula-feeding parents receive so much stick and so little support, for making a decision that is right for us and our baby. What makes it worse is that often we didn’t really get to choose – for the best interests, the choice was made for us!
Help us change this perception and support each other by joining BottleFedBabes – the New Zealand formula feeding parent support group.
We’d love you to be a part of the group – the more the merrier!
We’ll be preparing a newsletter every two months, with your stories, tips and ideas – so you don’t feel like you’re the only one feeling guilty or unsupported! We’re also approaching the experts, so if you have ANY questions about your baby (not just feeding) throw them at us, and we’ll do our best to get them answered!
BottleFedBabes operates several different avenues. Our new website (under development) will host the group and all our information. As a member, your email will be added to our mailing list and we will email you our newsletter, any announcements and news, and you will have access to our forum.
We’d love to hear how you’re coping… what situations you’ve experienced… your ideas…. We’ll be compiling a couple of research reports from your information so yabber away!
If you’d like to keep your stories confidential, clearly let us know : -) , likewise, if you don’t mind your story published but you’d like us to withhold your name, that’s cool too!
In the meantime… thank you so much for showing your support of BFB’s – its so wonderful to know you’re not alone, and so valuable having the support of others around you.
All the very best in your formula feeding and parenting, it really is such a magical time!
Ashlee
BottleFedBabes@hotmail.com
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Wash your bottles and pump in hot soapy water (use a teat and bottle brush to get into those tricky places!) before sterilising. Sterilising your equipment will kill germs but will not clean it.
There are THREE ways to effectively sterilise your baby’s feeding equipment. Weigh up the benefits of each method below:
Boiling
Use a large stockpot to boil your teats, bottles and breast pump. You need to have the items submerged in the water for at least 5 minutes.
This is a very portable method, perfect when staying at someone else’s place or camping. It’s also very cheap.
The bad side is that it’s very hard on your equipment and can also be dangerous for sleep-deprived parents having to deal with boiling water!
We recommend: Good for occasional use. Take your time, use tongs, and be careful!
Chemical
Sterilisation tablets (Milton and Karicare, for example) are added to a bowl or bucket of water and the equipment is submerged for a set length of time (usually one tablet to two litres, for about half an hour).
The pro to this method is again, it’s very easy and portable, perfect for camping, in emergencies, on the go etc.
The con is the chemical. Your feeding gear smells like an over-chlorinated pool and you can’t even rinse it off (this would defeat the purpose of sterilising!). Also, keep out of reach of older babes!!
We recommend: Keep them in the cupboard and nappy bag for emergencies.
Steam
Steam sterilisation works with a special steriliser that either sits in your microwave or plugs in. Major bottle brands like Tommee Tippee and Avent make steam sterilisers.
Once you have washed your equipment, you load it into the steriliser with a set amount of water, which is heated to provide sterilisation through the use of steam.
It’s generally very quick (2-10minutes depending on brand and microwave wattage), easy and offers somewhere to keep all those caps and bottles. You can pop your breast pump in as well!
The con is that there is generally a high outlay cost (usually between $40 and $100) and some microwaves are too small.
We recommend: the ideal solution for long-term bottle feeding. Buy a steriliser that comes with bottles to help offset the cost.
No matter what: ALWAYS follow the instructions, on both the steriliser and the items you want to sterilise. Some pump parts, teethers, breast accessories etc cannot be sterilised in some ways. Always wash your equipment well before sterilising.
How long do I have to sterilise my baby’s bottles for?
The Ministry of Health recommends 3 months, as do a lot of other people, because at about that time, baby starts to put everything into his mouth anyway (yummy, dead flies!). If you stop sterlising after at least 3 months, be sure to wash those bottles really well.
Some recommend six months, others will sterilise up until a year or longer.
Dealing with baby milk needs to be hygienic as their immune systems can’t handle too many bugs. Milk is a great breeding ground for those bugs.
WE RECOMMEND: sterilising bottles until baby is at least 6 months old for formula, and always sterlising breastfeeding equipment.
Does the dishwasher sterilise my bottles?
Nope, generally the dishwasher does not get hot enough to sterilise your equipment. You could use the dishwasher when you baby is older or use it to clean the bottles and then sterilise them.
