Maybe Im a Old School Parent?

I never boiled anything! My babies were never sick or had any problems. They're teenagers now and extremely healthy!! I think as long as everything is being washed either by hand or in the dishwasher, they're fine.

Good luck!!

Never sterilized anything and tap water was just fine. Did this 36 years ago!! All grew up healthy.

My daughter is 17 and in perfect health.

I never sterilized anything. I just used hot water and soap to clean everything.

Hun, you are not old school, I am 99.9% sure my kids are older than yours. I am old school. I did not sterilize bottles or nipples, I did not use sterile water nor did I know it existed. Never heard of nursery water, didn't do a lot of needless boiling.

My oldest is 24, it wasn't necessary then. I don't have well water, I don't live in a third world country.

yep! you're old school!

even with my 16yo son, no sterilization was required.....according to his pediatrician & the hospital staff.

LOL, LOL. I noticed that with the first baby, bottles are sterized as is just about everything else. The bottles are heated to just the right temperature. ETC

By the time the third child comes along, bottles are washed with the rest of the dishes and milk is put into the bottle straight out of the frig and given to the baby without any heating.

If the baby is not sick, don't worry about it.

Good luck to you and yours.

My mom's doctor asked if she sterilized her boobs everytime she fed a kid. After that she never sterilized another bottle again. It does make you think. Your boobs are more likely to be dirty than a non-sterilized but clean nipple. As for nursery water, that sounds more new school than old school. Generations never used bottled water. I do run mine through a filter pitcher.

I just used tap water with both of my girls. I did filter it, but that's just because the water tastes nasty. I did the initial sterilization of the nipples/pacifiers by boiling, but after that it was just dishwasher.

ETA: I think the nursery water is just somebody's way of making a WHOLE lot of money for an unnecessary reason. They tout it as being "better" when it really makes next to no difference.

It really depends on what kind of tap water you have. If you have well water, then I would be more inclined to sterilize etc... However, I have county water from the public drinking water supply. It is required by law to meet primary and secondary drinking water standards. I didn't sterilize anything by boiling with my two babies. I ran everything through the dishwasher and called it good.

I breastfed exclusively, but I had friends with bottles. Never once saw them sterilize a thing, saw a lot of tap water.

My kids are 11 & 14, so it has been a decade or more since I was using those things. But even then, I was told that once you sterilize a bottle/nipple/pacifier the first time, you can wash it normally after with no need to boil again. As for the formula, I think I still boiled the water before preparing it, but I can't remember...

Reading some of the responses here reminded me of my sister & her children. She's a nurse & a careful mom; her 4 kids are grown now & range in age from 23 to 34.

She says with her first child, everything was boiled. If a pacifier fell, she set it aside until she could sterilize it again. With her second if a pacifier fell, she picked it up & rinsed it under hot water.

Along came child #3. If the pacifier dropped, my sister would pick it up, lick it & stick it back in her son's mouth.

By the time her 4th child came along, if the pacifier hit the ground, K would pick it up & just give it back to her daughter, telling her she was fine.

Funny what a difference a few years can make... By the way, each of her four kids has grown up healthy & smart, with at least a bachelor's degree (3 have masters') and are easy-going, kind & thoughtful. Go figure.

Things are a lot more sanitizing now. The water quality is better since I was a teen and the detergents almost all have added anti germ stuff added.

They don't need to do anything more that simply wash these items. If they are cleaned all the way they are just as sanitary.

I think one of the main reasons I told my daughter to NOT do this is there are a lot more people who seem to have been diagnosed with MS in the past few years. There is a good correlation between kids being too clean when they are infants and them not developing the sheath that covers the synapses system in the brain. It seems that being too clean keeps them from developing this immunity part of their brain so they have MS as they age.

Basically, making the environment too clean for a baby is just as bad as one that is too dirty. They have to grown their immune system or they won't have one when they grow up.

Sterilizing an item the first time you touch it may not be too bad since you really don't know if that bunch was dropped on the floor where someone who stepped in dog pooh on their way to work that morning has been walking.

I breastfed and pumped for both my children. I never sterilized anything. I usually hand-washed with hot soap and water or I threw it in the dishwasher. Both my kids were fine.

Both my sister-in-laws formula fed and neither one sterilized bottles or used special water.

I did not sterilize. Sometimes I ran things through the dish washer, more often than not I just hand washed. I filtered through a Britta and thats all.

I tried to avoid all heat around plastics because that releases cancer-causing chemicals. I think only preemies or those with compromised immune systems would require it, according to the news recs. But perhaps there is a better way to do it than releasing those chemicals.

Hot soap and water has found to be fine. I breastfed so didn't need bottles except when I pumped. My niece was premature so they did sterilize for the first few weeks.

I never sterilized anything beyond the initial 'just bought it' sterilization.

I nursed my DD, so the tap water was a non-issue... but had I formula-fed my DD she would have gotten regular tap water. I might have run it through a filter first if I was on city water, but there is no way in heck I am going to PAY for 'special' water. lol.

I think the sterilization depends on whose research you read. Some will say that you need to keep germs away from your child's delicate immune system, and others say that allowing germs in small levels helps boost the immune system. (I am in the allowing germs camp... and my 2yo DD has NEVER been sick... EVER. Not even an ear infection. lol. that's probably mostly luck though...)

I never sterilized after the first sterilization (out of the package). I also never used Nursery water nor did I boil my water. We used a water filtration system or regular bottled water if we were out. I don't think you need to say anything, especially since her baby is doing fine!

It's not necessary to do all that. In fact, I think there was a recall a few years ago on the "nursery" water (which is just bottled water) and after that many people recommended NOT using it because of that risk.

I didn't sterilize anything for my daughter beyond what I would do for myself - which meant that nipples, pacifiers, etc. went thru the dishwasher along with my plates,pots, and pans, and I used tap water in water bottles for her.

I don't think it's old school to sterilize so much, I think it's very new school.

I wash and sterilize a bottle/nipple/paci when first out of the package, but never again after. I also use filtered tap water, just like I drink.

I initially sterilized all the bottles, nipples etc. But then in between feedings I would just wash in warm soapy water. Then throw them in DW now and again to re-sterilize.

I used nursery water, distilled water, or boiled tap water for bottles. My kids are 5 and 2 so it was not long ago (the old school days).

I mixed my formula with tap water and the only sterilization the bottles got was a run through the dishwasher. She's six now and hasn't had more than the cold or the flu during the season change, nor has she ever had a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics. I I think tap water and the dishwasher are just fine, from my perspective.

Why wouldn't tap water be fine? I've never sterilzed anything, and my girls are healthy. Germs are good for the immune system. It sounds like you are worrying too much.

I did not sterilize bottles or nipples. DD never took a pacifier. I used plain old tap water. She grew up very healthy and still is!

I would just wash the bottles in the dishwasher which would sterile them. For water, I would just use filtered water either through the fridge, bottled, or I even think I used a britta filter back then. I think as long as it's filtered, it's fine

I didn't do any of that. Just throw the bottles int he dish washer. As far as sterile water - anything out of the tap was good enough to me. Didn't warm the bottles either - just went for room temperature. Less work and the kids were all fine.

i steralized for a month, but that was it, i just washed in SUPER hot water and rinsed in SUPER hot water then rinsed again, and i used bottled water for my daughters formula

Some taps now have the feature that has boiling hot water. I too believe in using sterlaized items for baby and family. It just makes good sense (like washing one's hands regularly).

Since her baby seems to be doing well, I would MYOB unless asked.