Philips Avent 3-in-1 Electric Steam Steriliser - SCF284/01 1 Count (Pack of 1)

Product Information

Lara Basini, a midwife and One Born Every Minute star, who runs a popular TikTok channel on all-things pregnancy and birth, explains: “The NHS recommends sterilising bottles and other feeding equipment for the first 12 months of a baby’s life, when their immune systems are still fragile.

Can only sterilise two bottles per cycle – so if you’re getting through more than four bottles a day it’s fairly labour-intensive

Best sterilisers - at a glance:

Both units are BPA free and boast the same claims of 99.9% effectiveness at removing bacteria. The Philips unit has most customisation for a variety of needs and the holders for bottle caps and teats means no more caps being cascaded over the kitchen floor as you try to pull one out in the middle of the night while blurry eyed.

Like any electric steriliser, it attracts limescale on its heating plate so will need regular descaling. Our tester also didn’t like its short cable, which limits where it can be placed in the kitchen, and that it arrived wrapped in a lot of unnecessary plastic.Aside from the steriliser functions, I love that this product comes with a MAM anti-colic bottle and pacifier and that it takes the worrisome calculations out of preparing bottles by keeping milk (or food) at the perfect temperature for 45 minutes. 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. If you buy the mam bottles they can just go in the microwave by themselves, would highly recommend!"Loved by Mumsnet user Roboticcarrot Our verdict

They are essentially a large, round, plastic box with a screw-on lid, usually with an internal basket to hold the bottles. Water is poured into the bottom (under the basket) and in the microwave it boils to create steam. The NHS recommends sterilisation for the first 12 months of a baby’s life. It’s important to note that whatever method you choose to use, everything needs to be washed in hot soapy water as soon as possible following feeds, and rinsed in cold running water, prior to sterilisation. What can I use a steriliser for? It's been Mumsnet's mission to make parents' lives easier for over 20 years, so we know how much difference choosing the right product can make. That's why we obsessively research, review and vet everything we recommend - from the best breast pumps to the best changing bags.

6. Best self-sterilising bottles: MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic Bottles

The caveat is that you’ll need a microwave to use them, which might not always be available – and, more importantly, sterilising just two bottles at a time won’t be feasible if you’re bottle-feeding full-time.