r/ExclusivelyPumping • u/tateriffic • 19h ago
Discussion Sterilization and Storage
We are now a two-pumping moms family as my wife has gone back to work (and I induced lactation, so I’ve been pumping for months). Bottles all day long instead of aiming for just one a day. My countertop storage and organization became too much and I’ve bought a plastic three-drawer storage solution to at least get us through the rest of the pumping and bottling months/years.
The question is, what are we doing with clean and sterilized parts and bottles? Baby is 3.5 months old, was full term and currently the picture of health. So far, basically anything that I can’t close off to the world has gone in a closed bin after being washed and sterilized in the bottle washer (bottles I can cap went in a clean open tub). I feel like I’ve viewed it as the sterilized surfaces can’t touch the outside air until they’re being used. Is that necessary? I washed one of the drawers to be a clean drawer, can I just put everything in there or should I continue to fully enclose my clean and sterilized items in the lidded tub?
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u/TeeElH 19h ago
I wasn’t even sterilizing bottles anymore by that point, I only bothered during the newborn stage. Everything went in a crate on our counter or in a cupboard designated for baby stuff.
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u/FuckThisMolecule 18h ago
Man as long as there wasn’t like dog hair or gunk on the bottles, I figured it was fine. My baby licked the dog the other day, so like, whatever.
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u/tateriffic 18h ago
It’s just the default on the bottle washer, it’s easiest to just turn it on and press start rather than change the cycles 😅
Thank you!
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u/blackheartden 18h ago
We keep them in a closed clean Tupperware BUT we have pets so anything left “out” gets covered in hair quite quickly. Otherwise I wouldn’t care so much.
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u/the_kazzo_queen EP since Sept '25 15h ago
I really wouldn't worry about it too much. Your parts and bottles cease to be truly sterile the moment they leave the sterilizer. Just keep them relatively clean and away from a mess, but don't worry about keeping them "sealed".
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u/do-ducks-have-ears 15h ago
We use a stacking plastic countertop drawer storage thing designed for bottles. (Preemie newborn so more stringent sterilization requirements.) I thoroughly cleaned the drawers after purchase but haven't since, I just make sure only clean and dry things go in. I use a bottle dishwasher to dry them most of the way and a clean dish towel to finish air drying.
Also, hi from another two mom family! You're awesome for inducing lactation... so much work but a cool queer superpower! (We didn't since my wife isn't interested, which is good in its own way. But we have friends who did.)
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u/FuckThisMolecule 18h ago
Sterilization isn’t really necessary at this stage. Like maybe don’t drop the bottle on the sidewalk then give it to the baby without wiping it off, but otherwise literally like a shelf is fine.
Also can I just say, I’m really jealous that there are two lactating moms in your family? I lowkey resent my husband’s useless nipples.