Dr. Brown’s Bottle Steriliser and Dryer

Product Information

Price tends to be the first deciding factor, particularly if you aren’t yet sure how often you’ll be using your steriliser. After that, it’s worth considering what your priority is: speed, ease, capacity, portability? These are what they use at my local LC consultation place. I used them when I pumped for my DD for 9+ months & have been using them for almost 3 mo now w/ DS. I have never had any problems, and they are so convenient!" Not the most budget-friendly electric steriliser we tested, and a more expensive initial outlay than microwave or travel versions Lastly, will you be mainly breastfeeding, pumping or formula feeding? If it’s the former, you won’t need much in the way of equipment so can get away with something cheaper and more straightforward, whereas if you’re exclusively pumping or formula feeding, you’ll rely heavily on your steriliser and will need something more heavy-duty with a bigger capacity. How do I descale a steriliser? On the downside, the heating plate will almost certainly attract limescale over time so the steriliser will need descaling once or twice a month. You can buy descaling liquid for this, though all steriliser brands now include instructions for natural descaling liquid from store cupboard ingredients which is a more eco-friendly option. Electric sterilisers are also the most expensive to buy. 3. Microwave steriliser

Cold water sterilisers involve filling a container with water and adding sterilisation tablets or fluid to make a sterilisation solution. The active ingredient is sodium hypochlorite, which is a mild bleach that has been through a purification process to make it stable and non-toxic. It’s perfectly safe to use, but does smell vaguely of swimming pool. Like any electric steriliser, it attracts limescale on its heating plate so will need regular descaling. Our tester also didn’t like its short cable, which limits where it can be placed in the kitchen, and that it arrived wrapped in a lot of unnecessary plastic. Capacity: Make sure the sterilizer you choose is big enough for everything you want to sterilize daily. Other parents appreciate that the Baby Brezza has a large capacity, with enough room for six bottles. The orange prongs that hold bottles are well-spaced so you can hang anything on them, including pump parts or sippy cups. You can also nestle larger items in between them, which increases the multifunctionality of this machine.Transparency is really important to us and that's why we're always upfront about how we tested the products we recommend. We won't always recommend the cheapest products or the ones with the most extra features. We write about products that we feel offer the best value to most parents – the ones we'd recommend to our own friends and family.

Microwave sterilisers are smaller, but not exactly portable. They could sit on top of the fridge or stay in the microwave itself if you’d rather not keep them out. 3. Cycle timeThe disadvantages are the smell, the need to continually buy new tablets and the inconvenience of keeping a large container full of water in a corner of your kitchen – especially relevant if you have other small children. 2. Electric steriliser If you overheat the liquid in the bottle, the vapor will rise and condense in the vent. To prevent this, avoid warming the liquid beyond body temperature. Our tester, Maisie, is a mum of three with a six-year-old, four-year-old and an 11-month-old baby. She spent six months testing the shortlisted products with her own bottles and breast pump parts, each for a minimum of 10 days. Have multiple babies, use a lot of bottles per day or want to sterilise a variety of items including breast pumps, toys and dummies

Parents can also sanitize bottles by boiling in a pot, or using bleach; use the CDC's instructions if that's your plan. And if you have any questions about when or whether to sanitize your baby's bottles, ask your pediatrician for guidance. She investigated best practice safety recommendations from the NHS and sourced expert advice from Kate Bennett, a midwife of nine years and course teacher with antenatal education provider, New Life Classes. Bottle sterilizers kill bacteria on the surface of baby bottles or other items that you use to feed your baby. Though they do the same job, sterilizers have different capabilities. Here are some things to keep in mind.

8. Best large steriliser: Dr Brown’s Deluxe Electric Steam Steriliser

Guidance from the NHS recommends sterilising for at least the first 12 months. After your baby's first birthday, you can start phasing our sterilising as their immune system will be strong enough. However, it's important to continue cleaning all bottles, dummies and other feeding equipment thoroughly even after you've said goodbye to the sterilising tablets. What are the different types of steriliser? Last year’s Mumsnet Best winner is a spacious, professional-looking steriliser with a main compartment for six bottles and a top compartment for smaller items like dummies and teats. Multiplicity of functions means a great deal of flexibility – whatever kind of sterilisation you need (except cold water), this product can cover it

Can only sterilise two bottles per cycle – so if you’re getting through more than four bottles a day it’s fairly labour-intensive

Items inside stay sterile for 24 hours and the lid is designed with a flat lip so it can be laid horizontally in a smaller microwave – a useful feature we didn’t find in any other travel steriliser. Key methods include cold water sterilising (which requires a chemical to disinfect the water), steam sterilisers (electric appliances that generate hot vapour to clean items), microwave sterilisers (containers that also use steam, which you put in the microwave) and, more recently to the market, UV sterilisers (which use ultraviolet light; the only water-free method).” The teat venting creates a controlled flow, offering babies an easy and convenient way to feed at their own pace. Fans say that the Baby Brezza One Step is ridiculously easy to use, an important quality for tired new parents. "I did the boiling pot sterilizing for the first two weeks, but I was doing combo-feeding (pumping and formula) and it just became too much," says Melissa Bykofsky, Everyday Health's Executive Editor, Editorial Strategy & Growth. "I ran this sterilizer two to three times a day at the beginning and it just made everything so much easier. It gave me peace of mind knowing everything was sterilized and I didn't have a hot pot boiling in my sleep-deprived state." I find the nuby natural touch steam steriliser really good - it dries the bottles too. It is tall and fits lots of different shaped bottles and other bits!" Tried and tested by Mumsnet user Sjh84 Our verdict