Like many first-time mothers, I had no idea when I was pregnant whether breastfeeding would prove successful or how often I’d want to express or formula feed. As with every baby product, I was utterly baffled by the choice in sterilisers. Nine months on, I almost exclusively breastfeed but regularly pump and often travel, so I’ve needed different cleaning methods for varying scenarios.

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. Compatibility: Some bottles are wider or longer than others, or have a unique shape. Make sure sterilizers work with yours. Dr Brown’s Options+ bottles offer an easy and comfortable way to feed your little-one, adapting to their needs as they grow. The kit consists of five BPA-free plastic bags, each one reusable up to 20 times, allowing 100 cycles in total which is plenty if you mostly breastfeed. I love Medela’s products (they make the best pump I’ve tried) and even these bags are intuitively designed.The items are sterile after a manufacturer-recommended 15-minute cycle – the NHS recommends 30 minutes – and remain so for as long as they’re in the solution. Plus, they don’t need rinsing off when they’re needed. Items can continue to be added and removed as necessary over 24 hours when the solution will need to be remade. If you have a recent addition to your family, by the way, you may want to read my guides to the best prams, baby carriers and baby bouncers, Cat Hufton’s guides to the best high chairs, travel cots and running buggies and Nicola Cutcher’s guide to the best reusable nappies. Nuby’s electric steam steriliser comes with a drying function so equipment can immediately be reused without having to wait for it to cool down or dry off. Our tester loved this feature and found it very useful.

Over-tightening of the collar will also create a pressure build-up. You should twist the collar enough to close. Capacity: Four bottles | Materials: BPA-free plastic | Included: Sterilisation unit, bottle/food warming unit, two 160ml MAM Anti-Colic bottles, two 0-2 month dummies, and teat tongs Good for parents who

Drying: Steam sterilization leaves items wet, unless the sterilizer has a drying feature. Some even allow you to only use them as a dryer, which can be handy if you're washing bottles but don't need to sterilize. The sterilisation cycle is just five minutes, one of the shortest from an electric steriliser we tested. If the lid isn’t removed, everything inside stays sterile for 24 hours after running a cycle. While the initial outlay is more than a microwave steriliser, it’s considerably cheaper to run. Altogether, the Tommee Tippee Super-Steam is a reliable, thoughtfully-designed steriliser that’s widely available, well-supported and should do its job consistently over time – a lifesaver to an overloaded new parent and a worthy winner of this year’s Mumsnet Best Steriliser award.

In addition to bottles, pump parts, pacifiers and cutlery, parents can sterilise frequently-used toys as invariably these will go into your baby’s mouth. How do I choose which is the best steriliser for me? If you use powdered formula and mix it by shaking the bottle, liquid can get into the vent. The solution for this is to mix the formula by stirring it with a spoon rather than by shaking.

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. The system my own mother used (‘and nobody died’, she tells me), and still a favourite on maternity wards, the so-called ‘Milton method’ has been trusted for more than 70 years, and it doesn’t get much simpler. More expensive than some other electric models, like the Tommee Tippee Super-Steam Advanced Electric Steriliser or the Nuby Natural Touch Most of them are cup-shaped microwave sterilisers large enough for one bottle or one breast pump – though you might not always have access to a microwave when away from home so look out for ones that can be used with cold water solution as well. The disadvantages are the smell, the need to continually buy new tablets and the inconvenience of keeping a large container full of water in a corner of your kitchen – especially relevant if you have other small children. 2. Electric steriliser

With the unique design, this bottle can be used with or without the removable internal vent system, transforming it into a teat-vented bottle for more convenience. Use Dr Brown’s Options + bottles from birth – don’t wait until your baby develops colic! A. While there are age recommendations listed for each of our teat levels, there really is no right or wrong time to change your baby’s teat level. Your baby will let you know if and when the time comes to change levels. Below are some signs to look for from your baby. When you notice any of these signs, it usually means that the baby is not getting a fast enough flow and it is time to move up a level. Please remember, if these signs never occur then there is no need to change anything. The teat venting creates a controlled flow, offering babies an easy and convenient way to feed at their own pace.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. Can only sterilise two bottles per cycle – so if you’re getting through more than four bottles a day it’s fairly labour-intensive Milton do a travel steriliser that fits 1 bottle in. In theory any clean plastic container with a lid will do, but the travel sterilisers have the lines on so you put the correct amount of water in (as do the normal Milton sterilisers)." Recommended by Mumsnet user confused123456 Our verdict Parents can also sanitize bottles by boiling in a pot, or using bleach; use the CDC's instructions if that's your plan. And if you have any questions about when or whether to sanitize your baby's bottles, ask your pediatrician for guidance. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.