Steralization

[Ladybugbc]

My son will be 6months old in about 10days and I am preparing to introduce him solids.
At the moment I nurse him exclusively so he's never been bottlefed.
I was wondering if I should be steralizing the utensils I will be using for him to feed solids.
Today I caught him on 2 occasions.. once licking the carpet (or trying to scratch his itchy gums on the carpet) and the next moment trying to chew one of my slippers.
I spent a good part of today on my hands and knees trying to clean the carpet as much as I can..
And it made me wonder why even bother steralization...!!

When did you stop steralization for your babies..

[Ladybugbc]

Thanks Ammanda.. I was not a germophobe before my son was born.. but now I have become one. Another one of those "Joys of motherhood" i guess. lol!!
I just wish I had the energy like you to clean all the time :D

[ammanda]

I too used the dishwasher after rinsing them in hot boiling water everytime for the first 4 months. but I bottle feed so i had alot to do.  Now at 5 and half months, I just clean out the sinks with hot water when Im doing dishes.  then I fill it up with steamy hot water and soap and only put the bottles and nipples and stuff in alone, let them soak for a few then wash em up, rinse them with scolding hot water. then lay them out to dry and use that water to wash up the rest of the dishes.  Im a clean and germ freak!! everyone makes fun of me.. i run after cole if he tries to put anything in his mouth lol...  and im ALWAYS cleaning.  .. and I do agree to an extent with adgal, that they need alil of that in there lives or they wont build and immune system, and eventually ill stop being so psycho lol...   I started cole on cereal a few weeks ago, and he uses a lil baby bowl and a spoon, but im not as crazy with them as i am with his bottles, those i just wash with the rest of the dishes. so maybe thats my way of not being so psycho with things hahaha....  

[Ladybugbc]

As usual Thank you for your advise Amanda.. I am just going to stick to hot water and soap.
We have a dish washer in this condo. But it's a very old machine and since we are renting this place I am not sure how clean the dish washer it self is. I don't trust that...rather not take any chances.  :)

[adgal]

I have to be honest...I am not the best when it comes to steralization.  I wash everything in the dishwasher (rinse them well first) and that's pretty much it.  Never had a problem, and I attend some of those public health clinic classes, and it would seem that is what the majority do.  If you don't have a dishwasher, just use hot soapy water.  

I haven't really steralized beyond that since I started him on formula at 4 months.  Bad on me?  Maybe.  But I also had the same thought...everything goes in that childs mouth.  I told his pediatrician how I was doing things and she had no issue.  I do steralize in boiling water at least once a month, but that's pretty much it.  And I mean nipples, bottles, dishes, spoons, all of it. He is healthy as a horse.  Oh, and the pediatrician told me that there is a lot of evidence pointing towards more sickly children because some do steralize everything.  She say's they need a little dirt in their diet.