Babies are most vulnerable to infections during their first year of life and as milk provides a perfect medium for the growth of bacteria, it is essential that bottle feeding equipment is sterilised for the first year

Before sterilising, all equipment should be washed in a dishwasher or in hot, soapy water, with bottles scrubbed inside and out with a bottle brush. Teats should be scrubbed and cleaned with a teat brush and water squirted through them to remove all traces of milk. For mums who are expressing breast milk, the parts of the breast pump that come into contact with milk (e.g. suction cup) will also need to be sterilised before use. All equipment should then be rinsed in water before sterilising.

Sterilisation methods

There are three main methods of sterilising: cold water, electric steam and microwave.

Cold water sterilising

1 Following the manufacturer’s instructions, fill the steriliser with water and add the sterilising liquid or tablets.

2 Completely immerse the equipment in the steriliser using the float tray to ensure it is totally submerged and there are no trapped air bubbles.

3 Replace the lid and leave for at least 30 minutes (or as per the manufacturer’s instructions).

4 Rinse items with cooled, boiled water before use, if necessary.

5 Change the sterilising solution every 24 hours.

Electric steam/microwave sterilising

These are the fastest methods of sterilising and require no tablets, liquid or rinsing of items. They are more expensive to buy and may require regular de-scaling. Some microwave sterilisers don’t hold as many bottles as electric versions.

1 Following the manufacturer’s instructions, add the required amount of water to the steriliser.

2 Ensure that all of the bottle and teat openings are facing downwards in the steriliser so that they do not fill with water.

3 Replace the lid.

4 For electric steam sterilisers, simply switch on. For microwave sterilisers, place in the microwave using the correct power setting for the required amount of time.

5 Allow the contents to cool slightly before opening the lid. Refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines to see how long equipment will be sterile for.

6 Steam sterilisers need de-scaling, on average once a month, depending on the hardness of the water. Microwave sterilisers may require occasional de-scaling.