HELP URGENT: STERILISING EQUIPMENT

[StressHead]

I bought a steam steriliser which is fantastic but the stuff you sterilise in it is only sterile for 6 hours so really I can only do the twon bottles and accessories that my twins are about to feed from.
I have tubs with Milton in because you can leave stuff in them for 24 hours and this is useful for the meds dummies and syringes I need for stuff.

My question is that if you can only sterilise equipment just before you use it and you can only make up formula before you use it and it only lasts an hour before it is unsafe.....how am I ever supposed to get out of the house with my babies???

I am having to top up with nutriprem 2 when I haven't enough expressed breast milk to feed my twins and I am trying to find ways to make things easier so that I can sleep instead of preparing bottles.
I am feeding my babies directly off of the breast once a day at the moment but they need to have thickened feeds for reflux so I have to feed them a thick paste of carobel before they breast feed which is a bit tricky with two and if I was out somewhere??

How do you all cope or is it that the sterilising guidelines in the UK are much stricter than the USA???

[StressHead]

I have one two but the stuff is only sterile for 6 hours and then it has to be done again!! After extensive research I have found that if you sterilise the bottles then assemble them and store them at the back of the fridge then they stay safe for 24 hours.
Formula can't be stored because the dried stuff is not sterile so storing it gives time for the bacteria to flourish.
So, you boil the kettle and leave it to cool for 30 mins, the water should still be 70C. Then you add the formula to the water and store it in the fridge. They recommend you make up each feed but my outreach sister said that off the record she would make up half the feeds for the day.
It does not work if you make up bottles with just the water and store them in the fridge and then add the powder because you haven't killed any of the bacteria in the milk then.

So I might actually get out of th house tomorrow to see my friend.....

[angelbabies]

i brought a electric one from toys r us it holds 12 bottles and sterilises in 3 mins so you can click it on whilst boiling the kettle and should be finished in time if that helps x

[StressHead]

It's only a guideline, you can do what you want but I am anxious about it with the twins being preemie. Their due date was the 12/01 which means even though they are now 10 weeks they are not supposed to be here yet and as a result they will not have the same developed immune system as they would have had in the womb and this is even though they have had heir first vaccinations.
I'm too scared not to......

[JoyRenee]

Oh wow, that is really strict. I don't really know what to say but that definitely must be a daunting task.

E Coli is commonly found in unpasteurized dairy and produce or undercooked beef so it's shocking to hear that their formula was contaminated and more heartbreaking to hear that they died. It is definitely a deadly foodborne illness.

We have the same information for storing breastmilk, actually. The proteins begin to breakdown after 24 hours and that's why you need to use it beforehand. But I don't remember being told to sterlize equipment before each use. Is this a government-regulated rule? Or just a guideline?

[StressHead]

All equipment must be sterilised prior to use until they are one year old here, years ago mums were allowed to make up formula feeds for the whole day and store them but a baby died in Sweden from E Coli and all the rules changed.

I am allowed to store breast milk in pre sterilised containers for 24 hours and three months in the freezer but due to lots of bad advice when I just spent three weeks in hospital with my boys, my breast milk supply is down so I am having to use a mixture of expressed milk and some feeds are formula. Either way I am not allow to store my made up baby bottle for this long.

[JoyRenee]

First, a couple questions- are your twins sick? Is there a specific reason all their stuff must be sterlized prior to use?

I sterlized my bottles when I first bought them and that was it. I just washed them in very hot, soapy water between feedings otherwise. When I went out I'd place however much water I needed into the bottle and I kept a container of properly measured out formula. When they needed a bottle, I'd have my items on-hand.

Some people also use insulated lunch bags with ice packs in them for prepared bottles. That only adds an hour or two onto how long the formula is safe to drink.