The Philips UV bulb inside lasts up to 6,000 hours, and - a bonus if you’re watching your electricity bills – it’s more energy efficient than using steam, microwave or boiling. 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. Capacity: Six bottles, plus breast pump parts | Materials: Plastic | Included: Container and weighted grid Good for parents who If you’re pregnant and unsure how you’ll be feeding, or you’re only an occasional bottle-user and don’t want to find space for a bulky appliance, Medela’s microwave steriliser pouches could be a great option. These would also be handy for days spent at a friend or relative’s home, since they’re so small and straightforward to use (add water, seal, start the microwave).

The length of a sterilisation cycle varies wildly between brands. If you’ve got a set-up where you intend to batch-sterilise once a day, a longer cycle won’t matter so much. But if you’re planning on sterilising more often, you won’t want to wait by the steriliser juggling a hungry baby. 4. Noise Rachel Jeffcoat has worked for 15 years as an editor and writer, after starting her career managing science and technology journals. Even if you’re planning to exclusively breastfeed, like I was, it’s important to be armed with the best steriliser. You’re going to require some sort of disinfecting method, especially in the early days. For formula feeders or pump-users, it’s even more essential to find the best bottle steriliser to suit your needs. Without a good system in place, cleaning and sorting bottles and accessories will feel like the bane of your existence. After the sterilisation cycle is complete, you can leave the items inside without opening the lid and they’ll remain sterile for a set period of time (often 24 hours, but it varies between products). Or you can take them out and use them once they’re cool.

Should you sterilise baby bottles every time?

Can easily be scaled up and down for different quantities of equipment and equipment in awkward shapes Cold water sterilisation involves adding a special fluid or tablet to water, then fully submerging your items for about 15 minutes, after which you can remove things at any time up to 24 hours and they’ll remain sterile. Its upsides are that you don’t need heat or electricity, though parents do complain that it leaves a chlorine smell on your equipment. Multiplicity of functions means a great deal of flexibility – whatever kind of sterilisation you need (except cold water), this product can cover it 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.

With midwife and One Born Every Minute star Lara Basini What’s the difference between steam sterilisers, cold water sterilisers, microwave sterilisers and UV sterilisers? I find the nuby natural touch steam steriliser really good - it dries the bottles too. It is tall and fits lots of different shaped bottles and other bits!" Tried and tested by Mumsnet user Sjh84 Our verdict You’ll only need to do this with an electric steriliser, and instructions will vary according to the manufacturer’s guidance, although a good rule of thumb is to descale it every 4 weeks, or every 14 days if you live in a hard water area. 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. Microwave sterilisers also use steam to sterilise their contents, which may appeal to you if you prefer to sterilise without chemicals.Transparency is really important to us and that's why we're always upfront about how we tested the products we recommend. We won't always recommend the cheapest products or the ones with the most extra features. We write about products that we feel offer the best value to most parents – the ones we'd recommend to our own friends and family.

This only applies to electric sterilisers but is worth bearing in mind nonetheless. Several make loud beeps at the beginning and end of their cycle and some even during, making a dishwasher-like hum. 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. 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 MAM’s contribution to the steriliser market is this all-singing, all-dancing multi-part steriliser with six functions: microwave sterilising, electric sterilising, express bottle warming, gentle bottle warming, a defrost and warming option for milk and food, and, finally, a keep-warm function.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. Both the Philips and Tommee Tippee unit have non-concealed heating plates meaning they can be easily cleaned however the Philips unit has a plate that has no real “grooves” where white or orange scale marks from water hardness can form so when descaling with white vinegar it wiped out easily. If you’re bottle-feeding or expressing full-time, you’re likely to get through a large pile of equipment in a 24-hour period and you don’t want to spend all of it refilling the steriliser.

We find it really easy and it just gets kept in the microwave when not in use. It does four bottles at once which stay sterilised for 24 hours if you keep the lid on."Loved by Mumsnet user OvertiredOverthinker. Our verdict She noted how many bottles or breast pump parts could fit comfortably into the steriliser, how long the cycle was, how loud the unit was in use (if appropriate), and how big the product’s footprint was on the kitchen counter. 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. She looked at whether each steriliser was available from a wide range of retailers, whether you’d need to buy any extras separately and whether it was possible to buy replacement parts. 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?On the downside, the heating plate will almost certainly attract limescale over time so the steriliser will need descaling once or twice a month. You can buy descaling liquid for this, though all steriliser brands now include instructions for natural descaling liquid from store cupboard ingredients which is a more eco-friendly option. Electric sterilisers are also the most expensive to buy. 3. Microwave steriliser Both units are BPA free and boast the same claims of 99.9% effectiveness at removing bacteria. The Philips unit has most customisation for a variety of needs and the holders for bottle caps and teats means no more caps being cascaded over the kitchen floor as you try to pull one out in the middle of the night while blurry eyed.