Warning: This post contains nipple talk and yeast infections!
I went to Mommy and Me today and a question was asked about yeast infections. This may be TMI, but I have never (knock on wood) had a yeast infection but I hear they are no fun. This poor new mom kept giving it to her baby and then her baby would give it back to her. It sounds excruciating because it just tears up your nipples and it is supposedly painful for the baby, or so that is what she implied. Anyway, another mom had the same problem with her first baby and said she sterilizes everything in the Medela bags each time she uses it. For those of you who don't know what a Medela bag is, and there are other brands as well, you put the baby items in the bag with a few ounces of water and microwave it for a few minutes and everything gets steam sterilized.
I have never sterilized anything but Henry's pacifiers and bottle nipples in boiling water (and that is only once weekly). I hand wash his bottles with hot soapy water and a bottle brush. I guess this woman said you are supposed to sterilize pump parts too. I never do, I wash it in Hot soapy water and everything Henry uses dries on the baby bottle dryer rack we have.
Mom's weigh in here, am I missing the boat or is this something I should be more concerned with?
5 comments:
Hey Sam,
I have a microwave sterilizer that is super easy to use. It is by The First years I believe. I sterilize anything new....bottles, nipples, pacifers and pump parts. I sterilize my pump parts, and nipples once a week. Medela makes sterilize wash clothes that are nice, especially when you go back to work. Also, something I learned was to use a non anti-bacterial soap when you wash bottle and other baby products. I also handwash all of Katie's bottles and accessories... since I don't have a dishwasher but I use the method dishwashing soap and that works well. One more thing...... I also replace the nipples to Katie's bottles every two months.
Hi Sam, we sterilize everything, often. I sterilize my pump parts after every usage. I do the pump tubes once a week. We sterilize the bottles, pacifiers, nipples, etc. after we wash them in hot, soapy water each time. This means we will sterlize some round of bottles/parts every single night. We have the microwave sterilizer by Avent. you fill it with 7 oz. of water and then sterilize the baby bottles, etc. in the micro for 4 min. It's really easy and quick. I also have the Medela bags which you can also use in the micro. like you were talking about. It is the only thing I use for the tubing from my breast pump, and I think it's the only thing that works for them. But I think our micro sterilizer does a better job on the bottles, nipples, pacis and breast pump sheilds and milk storage containers. I also have the Medela breast pump shield wipes, which, I agree with Erin, are great when you are still pumping and at work. I don't know, but we just feel better about sterilizing everything so often so that is why we prefer to do it that way.
We always sterilized bottles, nipples, pump parts before each use... but we didn't sterilize paci's for the short time he actually used one. Now we don't sterilize anything anymore.. I mean the kid eats old cheerios off the floor and if we don't watch him sticks rocks in his mouth outside so we're not worried. I do recommend hand washing the bottles and stuff though.
We were the sterilizer king/queen! I got the Medela microwave bags and sterilized all of my breast pump parts - tubing, shields, etc (not every day but about once a week). We sterilized all bottles and pacifiers in a different microwave sterilizer (First Year, half blue, half white). It was a pain in the butt but it worked.
Like Erin, I also had the wipes (great for when you travel!) and I used antibacterial soap to wash my parts at work because that's all I had.
We replaced Tyler's nipples as he outgrew them (you do know you have to get "bigger" ones as they grow, right?) but not on a regular basis. I think they're strong and they should last as long as he doesn't bite them (once he has teeth)
I think sterlizing is up to you. If you have time, do it. If not, don't worry. Henry has been just fine up through now so why start worrying?
Moms like to freak out other moms so just ignore the talk and do what works for YOU :)
I think you're referring to thrush in that conversation, right? I have no experience with that either. I've never had it and none of the kdis have either (knock on wood!)
We have always sterilized everything from pacifiers to pump parts. We bought the dishwasher that we have because it has a sanitation cycle so we load everything in and run that cycle. We do this every time we was bottles, pump pieces, etc. I sterilize pacifiers about once a week.
But Henry hasn't had any issues with the way you've been doing things now, right? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" If it's working for you, keep doing what you're doing.
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