How often do you sterilize (not just clean) your pump parts?
Also....can a bottle sterilizer be used instead of sterilizer bags?
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I boil my parts on the stove for a few minutes every week or so. I've been busy so it's been a while though.
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I did it weekly when he was a newborn (0-2 months) and not after that. I use the dishwasher and I think that's enough. The few times I've had to hand wash, I then follow up with a sterilizer bag because I don't trust hand washing.
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When I first used the parts I sterilized them on the stove. After that I've used a steam bag when I hand wash them.
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I sterilize everything but the tubing daily. We use a bottle sterilizer in the microwave.
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With preemie twins, they did it after every pump while in the NICU. After they left the NICU, I stored my pump parts in the fridge then used the sterilizer bags once a day. BFing and pumping didn't work out for me but my plans were to continue sterilizing until the twins were full term. I never had a sterilizer, just sterilizer bags. They were pretty easy to use.
I know the water is much cleaner nowadays so sterilizing isn't that crucial anymore.
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I sterilized parts before I used them the first time, and then maybe once more during the year that I pumped. Sooo... every 6 months?
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Pretty much just the first time. We washed ours in the dishwasher, which sterilizes fine if you have a full term, healthy baby.
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I sterilized pump parts except the tubes every day that I pumped and used a pump wipe or hand washed between pumps. Since I was a SAH for the first few months and didn't pump regularly, I felt weird about letting the pieces sit without being used if they weren't sterile. I bought a basket to put all the parts in the dishwasher this time so I don't have to use a bag or boil them for the baby I am about to have.
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DS was a preemie and the NICU nurses told me that hand washing in hot soapy water was sufficient, so I never sterilized. My dishwasher did a lousy job with pump parts, so a quick soak in hot water and dawn and a hand wash worked best.
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I sterilized them once in a while and never used the bags always a bottle sterilizer in the microwave.
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It was more of a convenience thing for me. I'd pump right before bed and since it was quicker than washing I'd sterilize in the microwave so I could go to sleep quickly.
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Before I used them the first time. Never again. I didn't think the dishwasher did a great job though with cleaning in general, all those little crevices. So I usually handwashed (or usually made my DH).
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After each day DH quickly hand washed and boiled for a few min. We don't run the dishwasher everyday, and with our 1st child and pumping during weekdays I just felt better doing it!
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I handwash every weekday evening, then sterilize ever Friday or Saturday.
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With DS, once a day at the end of the day.
With DD, once a week maybe?
We use a bottle sterilizer (Avent) for everything.
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I sterilize before the first use. After that they're washed in the dishwasher, which has a sterilize cycle, but I don't even really know what that means.
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Thanks!!!! Makes me feel more sane!!!
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I had no idea this was a thing. DH prepped the pump and did not read the instructions on first cleaning. So never. Once I found out this was a thing I sterilized nipples before first use. I was over at a friends who was boiling a huge pot of baby things. T must have been 6 months.
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I sterilized them before I used them and then after we had thrush (we had it three separate times, so nightly until her meds were up). Other than that, never.
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@youboots: Not quite as long for me but similar experience where I had been pumping for a little while before I actually read the instructions and realized I had been doing a lot less cleaning than recommended. I cannot imagine boiling everything on the stove though! I used the microwave bags, to me they're way more convenient than thoroughly cleaning by hand or organizing all the tiny parts in the dishwasher.
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