Philips Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer for Baby Bottles, Pacifiers, Cups and More (model SCF281/02)

Product Information

Babies and germs go together like peanut butter and jelly. But when it comes to bottles, pacifiers, and pump parts, germs are an unwelcome guest. That's where a bottle sterilizer can help. Although sterilizing bottles Opens a new window fell out of favor for some time, parents and doctors are reconsidering it due to increased concerns about contamination in water supplies and food, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Tommee Tippee has put a great deal of thought into the redesign of their electric steam steriliser and it really shows. The Tommee Tippee Super-Steam Advanced Electric Steriliser is made from tough BPA-free plastics and is exceptionally straightforward to use, with plenty of room for bottles and breast pump parts over two tiers. 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 Versatility: If you want to use your sterilizer to clean pump parts, children's toys, or pacifiers, you'll need to make sure it can do so. Our editors have highlighted these through research supported by the recommendations shared by our experienced parents in the BabyCentre Community.

Microwave sterilisers also use steam to sterilise their contents, which may appeal to you if you prefer to sterilise without chemicals. Items inside stay sterile for 24 hours and the lid is designed with a flat lip so it can be laid horizontally in a smaller microwave – a useful feature we didn’t find in any other travel steriliser. 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.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.

The one notable downside is that you can only sterilize or warm one bottle at a time. If you’re solely bottle feeding, then this may not be the right option for you. The vast Philips Avent ecosystem is a real advantage here – the Microwave Steam Steriliser is widely available, including in several larger supermarkets, and is supported by Philips’ responsive and detailed customer care system. It takes any brand of bottles, sterilises in five minutes but has a 20-minute cycle which half dries the bottles, or a 35-minute cycle that fully dries your bottles. I find this is a big help when you have to take bottles out."We're very happy with this steriliser. The bottom section holds Dr. Brown bottles easily and top section holds the teats and other bits."

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. If budget isn't a factor, this electric sterilizer and dryer combo does it all. According to the manufacturer, you can sterilize up to eight bottles, plus accessories, and kill 99.9% of harmful bacteria in 8-15 minutes. It offers three different functions with the simple touch of a button: Sterilizing in as little as eight minutes, drying that leaves bottles condensation-free and ready for use from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, and descaling to take care of hard water and calcium deposits, a common issue with steam bottle sterilizers. Not only do they make life on the go easy, they also mean you don't have to have another large appliance on your kitchen work surface, although you do need a microwave. The exact length of the sanitizing cycle depends on your microwave's wattage; it ranges from two to six minutes.

I’ve always opted for a microwave one. Very easy, no faff. We use avent bottles do have the avent microwave steriliser." Tried and tested by Mumsnetter Moominmiss Our verdict

Relatively new to the steriliser market are UV sterilisers, which use UV light to kill bacteria. Their versatility means that you can use them to pretty much sterilise anything, including mobile phones and keys, however some UV sterilisers may not be suitable for sterilising natural rubber and latex (think certain dummies and the ever-popular Sophie La Girafe). Can only sterilise two bottles per cycle – so if you’re getting through more than four bottles a day it’s fairly labour-intensive

2. Best budget steriliser: Medela Quick Clean Microwave Bags

This steriliser offers great value for money and does exactly what you need to sterilise up to four bottles in four minutes. If you keep the lid closed they'll remain sterile for 24 hours, too. 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.