The Nursing Baby - Q&A

I would recommend boiling for 5 minutes before the first use. After the first use, your dishwasher should provide adequate sterilization. Sterilization is much more important for the baby fed artificial milk. Artificial baby milks lack important white blood cells and other immunological factors that help kill bacteria and other germs.

The idea of sterilization came about when doctors noted that bottle fed babies were becoming ill more frequently and more severely than their breastfed counterparts. Doctors may have been surprised to note that sterilization did not improve the bottlefed babies health as much as they expected. It was many years before they discovered that breastmilk had components that actively fought disease. By the time that was known, sterilization was considered so important that breastfeeding manuals even recommended that women wash their nipples with soap and water every time they nursed! Please be sure to ignore that piece of "junk science" advice. Frequent nipple washing can strip your nipples of the protective fluid output by the Montgomery's tubercles. It can also be drying and lead to nipple soreness.

These tips are not intended to be medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have questions.