This only applies to electric sterilisers but is worth bearing in mind nonetheless. Several make loud beeps at the beginning and end of their cycle and some even during, making a dishwasher-like hum. The advantage of microwave sterilisers is that they’re more capacious than travel models but smaller than electric ones, so they can be stored out of sight. The length of the cycle is almost always shorter than using an electric steriliser, too, which might come in handy with a very hungry baby.

It’s best to use sterile tongs to handle teats afterwards to prevent contamination, and the majority of sterilisers come with a pair – put the tongs in with the cycle and you know they’re OK to use. UV sterilisers are expensive but effective against the widest range of microorganisms, and the equipment comes out not needing to be rinsed, cooled or dried. Because they use ultraviolet light to kill germs, there’s no water, steam or chemicals to contend with either, though the cycles tend to take longer than with other methods, and they’re not really suitable for thin breast pump tubing as the UV rays won’t penetrate them. When should I use a steriliser? If you have a recent addition to your family, by the way, you may want to read my guides to the best prams, baby carriers and baby bouncers, Cat Hufton’s guides to the best high chairs, travel cots and running buggies and Nicola Cutcher’s guide to the best reusable nappies. As a steam steriliser, it’s a spacious model that does its job in just over 10 minutes (seven minutes to sterilise, four minutes cooling time) and in microwave mode – useful if you’re travelling – it takes about the same time, depending on your wattage. It also keeps items bacteria-free for up to 48 hours, twice the usual duration, and stores all your kit out of sight.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. Key methods include cold water sterilising (which requires a chemical to disinfect the water), steam sterilisers (electric appliances that generate hot vapour to clean items), microwave sterilisers (containers that also use steam, which you put in the microwave) and, more recently to the market, UV sterilisers (which use ultraviolet light; the only water-free method).”

Rachel Jeffcoat has worked for 15 years as an editor and writer, after starting her career managing science and technology journals. The Philips unit boasted a six minute cycle with auto shut off, for us this varied between 6-8 minutes. We’d like to say it was down to variations in the amount of water add manually by us, but we monitored it with the same liquid quantity and it still varied by up to a minute. Although, this variation doesn’t make too much difference the kwh’s do add up on an energy bill. It’s not as roomy as the microwave steriliser bags like the ones made by Philips or Medela, which can usually fit two bottles or a bottle and a breast pump – this fits one or the otherLast year’s Mumsnet Best winner is a spacious, professional-looking steriliser with a main compartment for six bottles and a top compartment for smaller items like dummies and teats.