Best Value Simplicity (Lindam Universal Steam Steriliser)

Member Name: MagdaDH

Product:	Lindam Universal Steam Steriliser
Date:	14/08/06 (583 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fast, easy, efficient

Disadvantages: none as such

I was very, very determined to breast feed exclusively this time. As part of this determination, I had not bought any bottle feeding equipment nor formula before or around the time the baby was born. I did, for exactly 3 weeks; but with the baby failing to gain and then actually losing weight despite spending large part of the day and night latched on the breast we were advised to and decided to start expressing and also offer formula top-ups.

Thus I bought an Avent breast pump (which also contains two bottles). Then I promptly boiled it all away into a plastic pulp. This was an obvious sign that a more idiot and tiredness proof method of sterilisation was required.

Essentially, baby feeding equipment should be sterilised until baby starts to crawl and stick everything in their mouth anyway. This is especially crucial for babies fed exclusively on formula milk as they don't get breast-milk anybodies and rely on their own (undeveloped) immune system.

You can sterilise using chemicals (cold water plus type of bleach) or heat (by boiling or using steam). I was never very sure about chemical sterilisation, perhaps because it's unheard of in Poland where I come from or also it takes ages (30 minutes?). Boiling is cheap but in my case seems to invariably lead to melting mass of plastic and a burnt pan, sooner or later.
Microwave steam sterilisers are also relatively cheap and quick but I don't have a microwave and I don't see a point of buying one with the sole purpose of sterilising bottles (I had one once and the only thing I used it for was cooking rice). Thus, an electric steam steriliser comes to the fore.

I have a Lindam one, exactly like the one I had 5 years ago and I am very happy with it. The sole criterion that guided my initial purchase was price, but I found that this was a perfectly adequate product.

It's a simple cylinder with a heating element at the bottom, internal tray that takes bottles or larger elements of the breast pump and the top tray for rings, teats, dummies etc. The cover is a rounded cupola with a steam vent and there is a switch and an indicator light at the front. It will take 6 wide-necked bottles plus peripherals, or a breast pump and three bottles.

The whole cycle takes about 10 minutes which is nice and quick (in an emergency I would wash well and rinse a required item with boiling water, but overall it's better to follow guidelines).

Items apparently stay sterile in there for up to three hours, while an assembled bottle or a pump would stay sterile for 24 hours. I tend to just pour water in and switch the machine one every few hours just in case.

The steam vent provides a bit of a hazard: don't place the unit where you are likely to pass bare arms over it as steam can burn really badly.

When opening the unit the cover has often quite a bit of water from condensing steam so place it somewhere where it won't cause much damage.

The instructions suggest decaling the unit once a week with vinegar, to be honest it probably really depends where you live, I live in a soft-water area have not noticed any build-up of scale at all in the last 2 weeks.

All in all it's an excellent piece of kit and as far as I know the cheapest on the market as it's often available new at around £20 mark (Argos and Index catalogues are good places to look). I can't see any reason to buy an Avent one for about twice the price as I just can't see what else it could possibly do that this one doesn't!

Definitely recommended if you are buying a steam steriliser.

I bought mine off eBay of course, for £12 including next-day postage.

Summary: same design for quite a few years shows that simplicity works