When I found out I was pregnant, I was adamant that I was going to try and breast feed however in things didn't really go to plan so my other half ended up popping to Boots on New Years Eve to buy me a steriliser.

*Price and Availability:*

The RRP is around £40 but because I had joined Boots Parenting Club, I had received a £10 off voucher and at the time, it was also reduced to £30 so I ended up paying around £20. I would recommend joining Boots Parenting Club because as well as money off vouchers, you also get 10 point for every £1 spend on certain baby products for the first few years from when your little one is born.

The steriliser is widely available from most supermarkets, Amazon and specialist baby shops like Toys R Us, Mothercare etc. Although the RRP is £40, quite often this is included in supermarkets own baby events.

*What's included:*

In the box you get the steriliser, a pair of tongs, a small measuring jug, 2 x 260ml/9oz bottles, both with slow flow teats, a bottle brush and the instructions. (I also got around 4 sachets of de-scaling salts - It may have been more but I cannot actually remember, sorry)

*How to use:*

I always gave my bottles and accessories a quick wash in warm soapy water before sterilising, using the bottle brush to ensure no dries on milk etc was left in any of the hard to reach places. Once I had done this, I would just add 90ml of tap water into the base of the steriliser using the jug provided. Then place your teats onto the first tray provided, then your bottles upside down into the bottle tray of the steriliser, add your screw lids along the stem of the tray (the white bits on the bottles) and the next blue tray slots on top and you can place bottle lids and dummies there.

Place the lid on top and then depress the silver button on the front of the steriliser. An orange light will illuminate on the front to let you know that the steriliser is on.

It takes around 8 minutes for the steriliser to complete its cycle, once complete, the orange light to the front turns off to let you know it is done.

*The Product:*

When we first removed from the box, the steriliser seemed huge, it measures around 32cm x 23cm and to be honest, after a couple of weeks, it seemed to just blend into our kitchen and didn't really take up too much room on the worktop and I actually found it quite useful being left our all the time as it meant bottles were always on hand and it was always a reminder to me to collect up the dummies and bottles at the end of the night before bed.


Once used, the bottles stay sterile for 24 hours if the lids is kept on, once the lid is removed, they stay sterile for four hours. I must admit, when Lauren was newborn, I was quite strict with the 4 hours rule but to be honest, the rate she got through her bottles, it wasn't really a problem. As she got older, and the bottles became less frequent, I would sterilise just before I went to bed and use the bottles throughout the day.

*To clean:*

Included with the steriliser were a few packets of de-scaling salt for cleaning. Over time, I could see that lime scale was starting to build up on the base of the steriliser so these are provided to help you clean.

Mix the sachet with 200ml of water and pour into the base of the steriliser, turn the steriliser on but do not put the lid on and let it run for about half the cycle (to stop the cycle half way through just turn off at the wall). Let the water stand for around 25-30minutes and then pour out. As you tip the steriliser up, you can see the brown solution come out. I would then rinse a couple of times with warm water just to ensure all the lime scale was removed. Then add 90ml of water and let the steriliser run full cycle (with the lid on).

It is recommended that you perform this task every 4 weeks, or as required depending upon the water in your area.


*My Thoughts:*

I am really impressed with this steriliser; it was reliable, easy to use, easy to clean and was a handy place to keep all Laurens bottles and dummies. The fact that it formed part of my daily routine acted as a reminder to me should I be running low on any accessories or bottles.

Although I never had need to, you can also put your breast pump inside to sterilise.

My personal opinion is that using steam steriliser is the best as you are not putting any kind of chemicals near you baby. Lauren very rarely suffered from any stomach upsets or oral thrush. It is worth noting that should you have a case of thrush, it is not recommended to use a steam steriliser and you should use a cold water one.

I think the steriliser is excellent value for money, especially when on offer; the two bottles which are included can cost £5 to £10 so to get these free is a bonus.

Although the steriliser is recommended from 0 - 6 months, we actually used our for at least two years as Lauren used to love having her milk in a bottle in the morning. During this time, I didn't experience any problems and it still cleaned/sterilised the bottles like the first day I used it.

Again, I would say if you are looking to buy, always do a bit of research online before as this seem to be a product that is always to be on offer somewhere.

5 out of 5 from me!

Thanks for reading.