When do you stop sterilising baby's utensils?

[temmy99]

It may be pretty obvious but to me I am pretty clueless. I still sterilise my ds's utensils but as he is due to start nursery next week when he will be about 5.5mths old I'm not sure if I will be embarrassing myself if I request that they do this or worse still take him to nursery armed with his sterilising unit. I have begun offering him baby rice and pureed food as he is not keen on the bottle even with ebm and he takes this well. I have requested that the nursery continues to offer him this but the idea of them picking a plate off the shelf and plonking his food on fills me with dread not to talk of the no frills squash also offered. I remember with my dd now 4, even though I instructed that she should only be offered cooled previously boiled water (she started the same nursery at 8 mths) she was given the same drink as the other children in the nursery's own cup rather than the one I provided. Help!

[SoupDragon]

He'll be fine. He will get far more germs being sneezed on, coughed on and poked and prodded by the other children at the nursery and then when he's crawling from stuff he finds on the floor.

[SoupDragon]

I've never sterilised anything for DD - besides, if it's been through a dishwasher (which at nursery it will have) it's been sterilised.

[Pinkmazza]

Nurseries have to be careful with issues such as this.. the nurseries I have used have always sterilised for children up to about 6 months and also use a dishwasher so he will fine.

As for the squash, I would tell them you don't want him to have it if you feel it is inappropriate.

[DizzyBint]

i don't sterilise anything for dd, never have, it all goes in the dishwasher.

as for the squash...if you say she's not to have it then they shouldn't give it..full stop. my nursery doesn't provide juice or squash at all, if parents want their baby to have it they have to take it in as they do the milk.

normal everyday germs are normally a good thing for a baby to be exposed to, helps build up their immune system. i imagine your ds is going to be chewing on toys at nursery that then another baby will pick up and chew.

[fruitful]

My answer to the thread title is "I never started".

Soupdragon is right - he'll get plenty of germs from the other kids long before lunchtime.

[Glassofwine]

I sterilised everything for dd1 - she has many allergies

I didn't sterise anything just dishwasher for dd2 and ds - no allergies.

I'm not suggesting that's the whole reason, but a friend in the US told me they don't sterilise because it inhibits the immune system, which is why I didn't do it for the younger two.

However I'd be very clear about he squash.