In the hazy days with a new baby, keeping them safe is the number one priority – and also likely to be the biggest source of anxiety for parents. A steriliser can be used to kill bacteria found on lots of different baby feeding equipment like baby bottles, teats and breast pump parts. But which is the best steriliser to make your feeding schedules easier to juggle? After our latest intensive round of testing, we’ve got all the information you’ll need about our favourites. Over the course of nine months, from when my son was a newborn to now, I tested every method for sterilising our gear, across best-selling products from the leading brands, on bottles, pump parts, pacifiers, teethers and tableware.

One method is to use a unit that plugs straight into the mains, while others can be placed in the microwave to heat up. Another clever and easy technique, which takes around 3-6 minutes, is to use microwave bags. This is perfect for those times you might be travelling (although you do have to find a microwave). How do I use a cold water system? Electric sterilisers are units set over a heating plate that heats up water and sterilises the contents with steam. They’re usually generously sized, so can handle up to a day’s worth of bottles all at once, and require almost no preparation and no further outlay to use them regularly. When: Do you plan to ditch the steriliser once your baby is 12 months? Or would you like to use it again? The 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 steriliserSpace: How much room do you have for a steriliser? Can you stretch to a larger one that will sterilise several bottles at once? Or do you need a more compact product?

Capacity: Six bottles, plus breast pump parts | Materials: Plastic | Included: Container and weighted grid Good for parents who Field study, Austria 2011, tested with 73 mothers of babies with colic / Market research, USA 2010, tested with 35 mothers of babies with colic. Don’t rinse equipment off again afterwards as the water won’t be sterile. You don’t need to dry them as the cloth likely isn’t sterile either – just shake off the excess moisture and make sure it’s cooled down completely. When can you stop sterilising baby bottles? To descale, you’ll need descaling solution which you can easily buy in supermarkets – though most brands now give instructions for an eco-friendly version using vinegar. Pour in the solution over the heating plate and leave to soak for between 30 minutes and 24 hours, depending on the extent of the limescale. Pour out, rinse with cool water, wipe with a damp cloth, then run an empty cycle before using the steriliser as normal. They are essentially a large, round, plastic box with a screw-on lid, usually with an internal basket to hold the bottles. Water is poured into the bottom (under the basket) and in the microwave it boils to create steam.

What makes a steriliser safe?

So as not to cheat, I banned my fiancé from helping me figure out the appliances; relying on the instruction manuals alone. I took into account how long each one actually took to do its job (including cooldown and drying time, often not mentioned by brands in their flashy ads), the capacity, the number of functions, how easy they were to clean and how economical to buy and run. I’m aware this makes me tragic, but I found this unit so fun to use that after I’d finished with the bottles, I was looking around the house for more things to sterilise - baby bowls, scissors, toys, you name it. There’s just something so space age and satisfying about it. Most of them are cup-shaped microwave sterilisers large enough for one bottle or one breast pump – though you might not always have access to a microwave when away from home so look out for ones that can be used with cold water solution as well. Accessibility: Is everyone that needs to use it able to use it? Will it work for a family with multiple children? 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

The device starts to cool down, all the LEDs are lit. Allow the steriliser to cool before removing the lid. This stops after 4 minutes with 2 long beeps. When using steam sterilisers, once the lid has been opened, the bottles are no longer sterile. However, unlike steam sterilisers, when using cold water methods, you'll need to wait up to 15 minutes.She noted how many bottles or breast pump parts could fit comfortably into the steriliser, how long the cycle was, how loud the unit was in use (if appropriate), and how big the product’s footprint was on the kitchen counter.

We tried electric and microwave and ended up using cold water Milton - it’s so easy just keep adding bottles after washing them and they’re sterile in 15 min."Tried and tested by Mumsnetter CharlieB93 Our verdict 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 box contains five capacious, well-designed bags that can fit two bottles apiece and each bag can be reused 20 times, so they’re much more economical than they might first appear.

There are four main sterilisation units on the market: cold water sterilisers, microwave sterilisers, electric sterilisers and travel sterilisers. They all have their own pros and cons. 1. Cold water steriliser Supplied in a practical sterilizing and carry box for convenient and time-saving sterilizing in the microwave The sterilisation cycle is just five minutes, one of the shortest from an electric steriliser we tested. If the lid isn’t removed, everything inside stays sterile for 24 hours after running a cycle. While the initial outlay is more than a microwave steriliser, it’s considerably cheaper to run. Altogether, the Tommee Tippee Super-Steam is a reliable, thoughtfully-designed steriliser that’s widely available, well-supported and should do its job consistently over time – a lifesaver to an overloaded new parent and a worthy winner of this year’s Mumsnet Best Steriliser award. A UV steriliser is a popular and efficient sterilising method that’s adopted in hospitals and dental practices across the UK. It uses an ultraviolet light to sterilise equipment and doesn’t require water. Ultraviolet models are usually more expensive than other types of steriliser, but they don’t use any chemicals, nor do they require descaling, which can be a huge bonus. Sterilises up to 6 bottles in 4 minutes. Products stay sterile for up to 24 hours if stored in the closed steriliser.