I have the Nuby UV one and I love it. I wash the bottles and let them air dry and then put them in there dry for three minutes and it's done! If you're formula feeding Nuby had a sale on their UV steriliser and Rapidcool (can make milk to NHS recommendations and they be cool in 3/4 minutes) bundle." Loved by Mumsnetter Grace185 Our verdict Do you have enough kitchen counter space to keep a sterilising unit out all the time? Would you want to if you did? Electric units usually stay plugged in on the counter – they’re too large to store and too bulky for it to be convenient to move them often. We have a Tommee Tippee microwave one and it's so simple, no faff. Wash the bottles and pop them in the microwave."Tried and tested by Mumsnetter hereforfun. An unclean baby bottle is a breeding ground for germs and bacteria to grow and can make a baby severely ill if they consume breast milk or formula from the same bottle. A bottle sterilizer helps ensure you kill more bacteria and germs than a traditional cleaning. Plus, many bottle sterilizers do more than sanitize—some can warm or dry bottles.

Because travel sterilisers need to be compact enough to carry around, they’re usually short on bells and whistles. What we loved about the Milton Solo was that, travel steriliser or not, it’s more adaptable and comes with more useful design features than any other travel model we tested. Electric, microwave and travel sterilisers using steam will all get very hot, so the usual cautions apply: wait the recommended amount of time before opening the lid after a cycle has completed, open the lid away from you to redirect any steam, use oven gloves to retrieve from the microwave if necessary, and of course keep any hot items away from children. The box contains five capacious, well-designed bags that can fit two bottles apiece and each bag can be reused 20 times, so they’re much more economical than they might first appear. Can easily be scaled up and down for different quantities of equipment and equipment in awkward shapesNot the most budget-friendly electric steriliser we tested, and a more expensive initial outlay than microwave or travel versions If you’re bottle-feeding full-time, however, and need something reliable that will fit in all of your gear, the Dr Brown’s Electric Steam Steriliser is a good choice. According to the NHS, sterilising feeding equipment is necessary for the first 12 months to keep your baby free from bacteria that could harm their brand-new immune systems. If you’re planning on expressing breast milk, combination feeding or using a dummy during your baby’s first year, you’ll need to sterilise all the relevant baby equipment after every use. Don’t rinse equipment off again afterwards as the water won’t be sterile. You don’t need to dry them as the cloth likely isn’t sterile either – just shake off the excess moisture and make sure it’s cooled down completely. When can you stop sterilising baby bottles?

While they tend to take longer to sterilise things than a steam steriliser, the advantage of a UV steriliser is that you don't have to contend with equipment that's hot to the touch after sterilisation, making them a safer option for most households. You also won't need to do any descaling after use. What makes a steriliser safe? It’s not as roomy as the microwave steriliser bags like the ones made by Philips or Medela, which can usually fit two bottles or a bottle and a breast pump – this fits one or the other There are four main sterilisation units on the market: cold water sterilisers, microwave sterilisers, electric sterilisers and travel sterilisers. They all have their own pros and cons. 1. Cold water steriliser Usually, they’re of a size that isn’t truly portable, however, and you still might find it inconvenient to find the cupboard space or take it with you to a grandparent’s house. Some of the larger models might not fit inside more compact modern microwaves either. The advantage of microwave sterilisers is that they’re more capacious than travel models but smaller than electric ones, so they can be stored out of sight. The length of the cycle is almost always shorter than using an electric steriliser, too, which might come in handy with a very hungry baby.

5. Best travel steriliser: Milton Solo Travel Steriliser

Baby plates and bowls, cutlery and sippy cups will also need to be sterilised if they’re used before six months but, after that, washing in hot soapy water should be sufficient. Should you sterilise baby bottles every time? Microwave sterilisers are smaller, but not exactly portable. They could sit on top of the fridge or stay in the microwave itself if you’d rather not keep them out. 3. Cycle time This electric Baby Brezza bottle sterilizer holds up to six bottles of different shapes and sizes, plus accessories and pump parts. We appreciate the stainless steel heating plate to protect against water or rust build-up regardless of how often you use it. However, it's hard to reach for cleaning purposes. On the plus side, the bottle sterilizer is impressively quiet. After it finishes sterilizing in eight minutes, it automatically switches to drying mode and shuts off in just one easy step. As well as baby bottles, teats and breast pump parts, you'll also want to steriliser dummies and teething rings, ideally once a day unless they are dropped on the floor outside.

She investigated best practice safety recommendations from the NHS and sourced expert advice from Kate Bennett, a midwife of nine years and course teacher with antenatal education provider, New Life Classes. It takes one touch of a button to start a cycle and, if you have any accompanying Tommee Tippee bottles, each bottle is clearly marked to show how much water to add to the steriliser – a thoughtful touch that our tester really appreciated. Instructions are clear and easy to follow, but the Dr Brown’s Deluxe Electric Steam Steriliser is really intuitive to use – three lights on the front let you know instantly whether the eight-minute cycle is heating up, cooling down or completed.Electric sterilisers attract limescale on their heating plate over time so will need regularly descaling (manufacturers will specify a frequency, but it’s usually once or twice a month). To reduce limescale build-up, pour out the water after every use and wipe down with a soft damp cloth. To descale, you’ll need descaling solution which you can easily buy in supermarkets – though most brands now give instructions for an eco-friendly version using vinegar. Pour in the solution over the heating plate and leave to soak for between 30 minutes and 24 hours, depending on the extent of the limescale. Pour out, rinse with cool water, wipe with a damp cloth, then run an empty cycle before using the steriliser as normal. Multiplicity of functions means a great deal of flexibility – whatever kind of sterilisation you need (except cold water), this product can cover it Babies still need feeding on holiday (who knew?) so travel sterilisers are designed to provide a portable solution that works on the go.