Breastfeeding Support Group

While breastfeeding is recommended by many doctors, it is not as simple as it seems. This is a community dedicated to parents who are choosing to breastfeed, providing a safe place to discuss everything from pumping, to questions of whether baby is getting enough, weaning, breast care, scheduling, supply, and more.

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Children's Health & Parenting
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storage question

truststhelord
truststhelord
I use the medela products--pumps, bottles, storage..

Do you ladies boil the the storage containers before each use? We've been washing them in hot soapy water--sperately from all other dishes and lettin them air dry seperate from the other dishes.

Recently my daughter has started spitting up a lot and having boughts of icky poos (not necessarily diarreaha--but she'll be very gasy and fussy and then have a large icky poo). This has somewhat correlated to me returning to work and her drinking more ebm that has been frozen and thawed. I was wondering if maybe we need to be steralizing the storeage containers between uses.

thanks!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Until my son was about 6 mos old I did sterilize everything after each use but I used the microwave bags instead of boiling. It was a lot easier. I have no idea if that made any difference. We also used the babyganics soap and not regular soap. But again, I have no idea if it made a difference. I was just super paranoid. Sorry I couldn't be much help.
deleted_user
deleted_user
We always just used the babyganics soap and hot water. My partner also used the medela cleaning wipes when she was at work.
truststhelord
truststhelord
I don't know about the babyganics soap...I've been using regular antibacterial soap....maybe I'll look into that. I do have the microwave bags at work, but I'd just been doing the pump pieces like every other day in them.
I'll start using the bag every use and boiling the bottles at home. I'll see if that makes a difference. I saw the wipes, but I thought they were a bit pricey.
Thanks :-)
deleted_user
deleted_user
Do you think that maybe she is more gassy just from the bottles? Babies do take in a lot more air with bottles then with BF. I have always used regular soap to wash my pumping supplies/bottles with and have never noticed anything. I think it should be fine if you are rinsing thoroughly. Also I learned from Kilmawife to just throw my pumping stuff in a ziploc and put it in the fridge between cleaning (I just rinse after pumping at work). Saves me LOADS of time. I dont always wash them every day either (soap). Every week or so I will steralize them in the microwave bag.
deleted_user
deleted_user
We use regular Ivory Soap and wash.. I sterilize in the medela bags once a month. I have not noticed any issues. I think Amber might be right with the bottle useage as a possible cause. Are you giving your DD rice or oatmeal cereal? Our DS had major gas issues with the rice so we switched to oatmeal.
deleted_user
deleted_user
The younger your baby is the more important to have good hygiene. She may be a bit more gassy from bottles, but I also do not think at her young age that warm water is enough. It should be piping hot, if not boiling. Alternatively, can you put the bottles in the dishwasher before use?
deleted_user
deleted_user
warm soapy water is fine but the microwave bags are even better- gassyness can be due to all sorts of things but more than likely due to having to take a bottle instead of exclussively breast or maybe a minor milk protein allergy that she will grow out of.