Re-using bottles

[@llli*twaku]

I will be returning to work next week and my DH will be bottle feeding DS three times a day during the 10 hours I will be gone. I plan to pump at work, combine all the milk from one day in a single large container and leave it at home for the next days use. We want to try to avoid having to wash so many bottles and nipples each day. Is it ok to bottle feed, put the empty bottle back in the fridge and then refill the same bottle for the next feeding in 3-4 hours?

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

I've done it. I do limit how many times I reuse it that way, and say, if we are out and I can't refrigerate it, I won't refill a bottle because mouth bacteria and salivia can backwash into the bottle and then be sitting there breaking down the milk. But I fell into that actually because sometimes baby would finish a bottle and want more and it was faster to refill the already put together cleft feeder -- which had a lot of parts -- than to put a new one together. Once he started using regular bottles, I quit with that, as bottles aren't that bad to wash after washing cleft feeders and all their little parts. And now with cups, if he doesnt finish, I put it in the fridge until he wants it again.

[@llli*veronicamars]

This is probably awful, but I do a total slacker bottle-washing job. I just soak in hot soapy water, rinse, and get on with my life. Every couple of days I put everything through the dishwasher on high-heat.

If I had a preemie or other health issues I was concerned about I'd do more, but this seems to be working fine.

[@llli*auderey]

i don't even do the dishwasher/high heat step - just hot & soapy, air dry. no problems at 9 months.