Starsan and baby bottles

[spareparts]

Not sure if this is the right place. We had our first baby 7 weeks ago. The pediatrician said it was ok to use Starsan and/or Idophor to sanitize baby bottles and other stuff. What does the brewing community think?

 

[bob1852]

At the right concentrations, it's approved by the FDA for food stuffs. Why would there be a concern?

 

[northernlad]

It is imperative that your child be introduced to bacteria, etc to form a proper immune system. Sanitizing everything into oblivion will only present problems in the future. Hear me now and believe me later.

 

[spareparts]

It is imperative that your child be introduced to bacteria, etc to form a proper immune system. Sanitizing everything into oblivion will only present problems in the future. Hear me now and believe me later.

We're only being anal on the sanitizing until she gets her shots in about a week. After that we'll change the game.

 

[pernox]

It is imperative that your child be introduced to bacteria, etc to form a proper immune system. Sanitizing everything into oblivion will only present problems in the future. Hear me now and believe me later.

Quoted for truth. Hot soapy water, bottle brush, rinse and repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and...

 

[JetSmooth]

We use Starsan all over our kitchen. Spritz the counter after cooking with raw chicken. Drop something on the floor? spritz with Starsan. So, it's good and fine for around the house use (in the correct concentration).

That said, I agree that you don't need to be paranoid and put your baby in a bubble. Maybe use Starsan when starting out a new bottle from the store. Though we just boiled for a few minutes. No need to go all crazy.

What's the saying? You have to eat a cup of dirt before you die.

 

[Benthic]

I think you should go with the opinion of your pediatrician, rather that the opinions of a bunch of random dudes on the internet.

Brian

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I think you should go with the opinion of your pediatrician, rather that the opinions of a bunch of random dudes on the internet.

Brian

+1. Making beer and making healthy babies are two different things. I don't think you have to be anal with sanitization around babies like you do beer.

 

[spareparts]

I think you should go with the opinion of your pediatrician, rather that the opinions of a bunch of random dudes on the internet.

Brian

Trust me, the comments made here will not affect my decision making. This is utterly and completely for curiosity.

 

[Northcalais40]

Please, please, please, just this once, err on the side of caution. A lot of clean water to rinse with is a real good idea. Maybe a no rinse chemical is going to be harmless. Do you want your baby to be the test subject?

Oh and I know, "I've been doing blah, blah, blah for thousands of batches and blahhhhh!"

 

[Ravenshead]

Sounds like a great idea.

I remember having to boil everything when my kids were that small. Starsan would be way faster and just as effective. I wish I had known about it back then.

 

[brewmasterorr]

I used starsan on my sons bottles until he got a little older....not sure when you are supposed to stop worrying about sanitizing the bottles but I think we stopped after a couple of months.

Jeff

 

[ScubaSteve]

It's okay to use, but seriously....just use a good surfactant like dishsoap. You just need to physically loosen up the milk crud with a bottle brush, then put it in the dishwasher....it'll take over from there. Babie's R Us or even Target have these little cages you put the nipples in when using the dishwasher.

Unless your child has special needs, don't worry about sterility....stomach acid kills most organisms. Just keep it clean. Trust me, the world is a very dirty place...but somehow we all still survive...unless your kid NEEDS to live in an isolated environment for health reasons...you're not doing yourself any favors. Remember, antibodies are given to the child by their mother when breastfeeding. It's called passive immunity. Vaccination is active immunity, which requires that the child produce their own antibodies. So if you're breastfeeding you're already protecting your child before the first checkup.

Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Bottle of Breast Milk. RDWHABBM!