Today I thought I would review a product that is used in our house daily, our electric bottle steriliser!
Made by Closer to Nature and purchased from Big W here in Australia for $199.00. The steriliser came in a set that included a bottle warmer, a dummy (pacifier for our USA friends), insulated bags for a single bottle and formula containers that hold enough powder for one bottle.
The “extras” I could have lived without and I don’t feel like we needed to spend the extra money on the set and instead should have purchased the steriliser on it’s own. A single insulated bag is a waste and so are the formula containers. I use a lunch bag which holds multiple bottles and a third party formula container which holds three lots of powder.
We do not need a bottle warmer! I don’t know about you, but have you ever been heating a bottle at 2am and have a screaming baby who does not care for the 4min wait for the water to be warm? I’m sure a lot of you have, and a lot of you probably have more patience than me! We were done with the warmer after a week and instead use the microwave to warm up her bottles! We heat the water first, add the formula and then shake well to minimise hot spots!
I did my research and there was nothing that showed me enough evidence to say I shouldn’t use it! (Waiting for comments to say otherwise) So I did and I have to say 15-20 seconds has been a much more reasonable wait for little miss!
Back to the steriliser, it has been a great buy and one I do not regret making. I did a lot of research before buying (can you sense a trend?) and wanted an electric one rather than a microwave one.
Let’s start with the pros: I like that we have the steriliser set up all the time and that it is easily accessible while being out of the way (we have a lot of unused bench space).
It holds 6 bottles and uses minimal water (80ml) a cycle and takes about 4 minutes to sterilise the bottles. We only use 6 bottles in a 24 hour period, and because Rhemy was EBF for the first 3 months we have never needed more. It’s easy to clean out, simple to use and even to move around, if required.
Now we will move on the cons: first and foremost, it is expensive! It is not a purchase every one can make or justify. Without the bench space we are lucky to have, it could be in the way and a pain to put away and get out as needed. You also need a spare power point which we know can be difficult to find. It is a steam steriliser so can be a hazard if you have older children and they must be aware of not opening the steriliser straight after cycles have finished.
At the end of the day, you know if you want a steriliser, you know if you want it to be electric and you know what you can afford to spend. But if you are looking at the Closer To Nature one you will not be sorry.
I have included a link for purchase if you are interested. https://www.bigw.com.au/product/closer-to-nature-electric-steam-steriliser/p/WCC100000000005675/ (please note it is also available from Target)
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me and I will endeavour to help you as best I can!
Feature image credit to Big W online