Our tester did say that it would be helpful to have the water level marked on the unit itself in case the instructions were lost. As the steriliser didn’t come with a measuring jug, you’ll need to measure that accurately yourself. Price tends to be the first deciding factor, particularly if you aren’t yet sure how often you’ll be using your steriliser. After that, it’s worth considering what your priority is: speed, ease, capacity, portability? I liked the tall, slimline design of this machine, which takes up less counter space than most comparable models, and the accessories tray that sits above (rather than around) the bottle grid. The tray is roomy enough for lots of pacifiers, teethers and other smaller items. The steriliser is also very light, with a nice digital interface, and comes with a handy measuring cup that takes the guesswork out of how much water to use. Versatility: If you want to use your sterilizer to clean pump parts, children's toys, or pacifiers, you'll need to make sure it can do so. After cleaning, rinse off each item in cold, clean water and then you’re ready to sterilise. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly, especially when positioning items in the steriliser and adding the correct amount of water or sterilisation solution.

Karen adds that the Hauture fits comfortably on her counter, and likes that the machine can be used to sterilize, dry, and store bottles. The instructions are quite specific about how to arrange bottles and breast pump parts on the steriliser’s inner tray, but our tester found it easy enough to do (and also to ignore when she wanted to sterilise non-standard parts). There’s plenty of room inside for large bottles, small toys, dummies and breast pump paraphernalia. I recommend Mam bottles, so easy to sterilise in the microwave!" Recommended by Mumsnetter Isababybel Capacity: Two bottles | Materials: BPA-free plastics and metal electrical components | Included: Sterilisation unit, measuring jug and tongs Good for parents who 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.

How we tested and chose our recommendations

While they tend to take longer to sterilise things than a steam steriliser, the advantage of a UV steriliser is that you don't have to contend with equipment that's hot to the touch after sterilisation, making them a safer option for most households. You also won't need to do any descaling after use. What makes a steriliser safe?

According to the NHS, sterilising feeding equipment is necessary for the first 12 months to keep your baby free from bacteria that could harm their brand-new immune systems. If you’re planning on expressing breast milk, combination feeding or using a dummy during your baby’s first year, you’ll need to sterilise all the relevant baby equipment after every use. The kit consists of five BPA-free plastic bags, each one reusable up to 20 times, allowing 100 cycles in total which is plenty if you mostly breastfeed. I love Medela’s products (they make the best pump I’ve tried) and even these bags are intuitively designed. Watch out if you have a small microwave though. Our tester struggled to fit the steriliser into hers, which, of course, impacted ease of use. For reference, the Philips is 16.6 × 28 × 28cm.Cold water steriliser: A cold-water steriliser uses a sterilising tablet or liquid and cold water to sterilise bottles or feeding equipment submerged in it. It's a silent sterilising option if you're up in the middle of the night, and a huge plus of using a cold-water option is that your equipment will stay sterilised as long as they are submerged in water. The items are sterile after a manufacturer-recommended 15-minute cycle – the NHS recommends 30 minutes – and remain so for as long as they’re in the solution. Plus, they don’t need rinsing off when they’re needed. Items can continue to be added and removed as necessary over 24 hours when the solution will need to be remade.

CDC. 2023. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How to Clean, Sanitize, and Store Infant Feeding Items. https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/childcare/clean-sanitize.html Opens a new window [Accessed April 2023] Guidance from the NHS recommends sterilising for at least the first 12 months. After your baby's first birthday, you can start phasing our sterilising as their immune system will be strong enough. However, it's important to continue cleaning all bottles, dummies and other feeding equipment thoroughly even after you've said goodbye to the sterilising tablets. What are the different types of steriliser? 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. While it is a personal choice for your family, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends sterilizing bottles and parts once a day, especially for babies younger than three months, born prematurely, or have a weakened immune system. Although not mandatory, it is recommended to always sterilize new bottles before using them and if your doctor has recommended sterilizing bottles between feedings, you might like the convenience of being able to load and run a sterilizer without needing to boil water every time, especially if you have multiple babies.Have multiple babies, use a lot of bottles per day or want to sterilise a variety of items including breast pumps, toys and dummies To keep everything sterile, we would recommend keeping the bottles and their teats/lids in the steriliser until you need to use them. If that's not possible, make sure the teats/lids and bottles are stored away somewhere clean, with teats/lids put on the bottles as soon as they're removed from the steriliser. How long do bottles stay sterile for once out of steriliser?