Steamy (Lindam Universal Steam Steriliser)

Member Name: ButterBear

Product:	Lindam Universal Steam Steriliser
Date:	23/02/08 (512 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick, reliable, universal fitting for bottles

Disadvantages: Gets very hot

Pregnancy presents a couple with lots of choices, it can often be quite confusing and I'm not just talking about which products are better than others, naturally that's important but it's the decisions that have to be made before products even enter the frame that I'm talking about. One of the choices that was quickly solved for me was in regards to feeding my children, while I was well aware of the benefits of breast feeding it was something I was simply not able to do, so I knew it would be bottles and formula for my little ones, this is where the product problems came in though, knowing I'd need to sterilise the bottles I had to choose which method and which product was for me, would it be steam, boiling, microwave or traditional? After a little research we decided to vote for steam and decided our steamer of choice would be the Lindam Steam Sterilizer.

Lindam Steam Sterilizer-
The Lindam sterilizer is a steam sterilizer for ensuring that baby bottles and equipment are clean and free from nasty germs. Standing 34cm high, 24cm wide and 18cm deep, it is quite tall, a squat oval shape which takes up less space on kitchen units then many regular round sterilizers do.

The sterilizer comes in several sections, there is the main body of the sterilizer and of course the lid, as well as a small plastic measuring cup which allows you to measure the correct amount of water needed for steaming. There is also a plastic vented tray that slots into the bottom of the steamer which stops the bottles coming in contact with the heating element, this also allows the steam to properly distribute and subsequent condensation to drain into the bottom of the steamer, the steamer also has a vented accessory tray which slots onto the steamer above where the bottles are kept, the tray can hold teats, bottle caps, dummies, even cutlery if needed allowing them all to be sterilised at the same time. The Lindam sterilizer also now comes with a set of plastic tongs for removing the bottles from the unit. It can hold up to 8 regular shaped bottles (8 or 4 ml) 6 wide bottles or 5 gripper shape bottle.

The steam sterilizer is easy to operate, mains powered but with a good length power cable, all that is required to sterilise babies bottles is 75mls of water, you simply pour the water into the sterilizer, put in your bottles & teats (upside down to ensure proper sterilization) and replace the lid. Pressing the button on the front of the unit, much like a kettle would have, you set the steamer off on its cycle and after 8 minutes it automatically shuts itself off, it has an indicator light to let you know when it's finished.

Price & Availability-
The Lindam steam sterilizer can be found at Argos for £19.99, Toys R Us have an identical version but made by Bruin for £16.99.

Our Experience-
We received our first Lindam sterilizer 4 years ago when we were expecting Christopher and it still works to this day, we also used it for when Elsa was a baby but hubby has decided Baby Lumpy needs to have a few new things of his/her own and we decided that one of these things could be a new sterilizer, that way the old one could be kept at my parents house ready for when we visit them (which is quite frequently) I didn't mind his theory but I was insistent that if I was replacing the sterilizer it would be with the same design as it had always been so reliable, I was delighted to flick through the Argos catalogue and find the exact same steamer.

The steamer has always been perfect for our needs, it's unfussy, uncomplicated and easy enough for even my other half to operate. It is universal in regards to the bottles you can you, I tend to use basic shaped bottles for my babies but made use of the universal fit by being able to hold up to 8 regular bottles in the early milk only days and then 6 wide bottles when we moved onto the training bottle stage at 6 months. The accessory tray allows you to sterilize all the lids, teats (silicone and latex) even dummies and spoons etc and is great for storing all the bottles and bits when they aren't being used and shows that the steamer is even suitable during the weaning stages. Obviously you have to wash the bottles out before sterilizing them, the unit doesn't quite do that much but once they're clean you have the peace of mind that the Lindam sterilizer will give you safe, hygienic bottles.


I liked the steam sterilizing idea as it meant we wouldn't have to have extra bottles of sterilizing fluid hanging around, which would also save us money. It's a clean and tidy way of sterilizing the bottles it's only drawback being the heat it generates, much like you'd get when boiling a kettle, it's important when using the steamer to do it in advance of when you need the bottles, otherwise if you're reaching into the unit directly after steaming the bottles you could find yourself getting scolded fingers because it will still be very hot in there, the new addition of the tongs makes this slightly easier as you can access the bottles without actually having to physically touch them.

The steamer can take anywhere from 8 minutes to finish it's cycle, the indicator light is particularly helpful in letting you know when it's finished so you don't try and remove the lid before the steaming process has stopped. The cycle time will depend on how much you have in the steamer, providing you use the right level of water and do not overload the unit with excess bottles you should not have to wait longer than 8-10 minutes, which is much quicker then cold water sterilizing which takes a 30 minutes upwards. It is important to make sure you regularly clean the inside of the sterilizer, you will get a build up of water over time which if left in the unit will add to the steaming time and make it difficult for the machine to quickly reach its maximum heat.

This has been one of those "couldn't be without" purchases, obviously baby bottles need sterilising one way or another but I wouldn't switch to any other method after having such a good experience with this steamer. It's proved very reliable, never having any break downs or complications, it's simple to use and great value for money as it can be used continuously through the course of your childrens development. This had to be my ultimate in baby feeding equipment and I would recommend it to everyone (everyone who needs one of course)


For information on sterilizing methods and why it's important go to- http://www.babycenter.ca/baby/formula/sterilising/

Summary: A brilliant, effective and great value steam sterilizer