#MPBTurns2 Giveaway #4: Milton Travel Sterilising Kit

A few months ago, you may remember that I did a few reviews for sterilising experts Milton. I tried out their Combi Cold Water/Microwave Steriliser (which I still use daily when making E's bottles), the Mini Portable Soother Steriliser and the Travel Steriliser.

Today, as part of my blog birthday celebrations, Milton have offered my readers the chance to win a fantastic Milton Sterilising Travel Kit.

Milton has been a leading name in sterilising baby feeding equipment in the home for over 65 years (my mum used Milton when my sister and I were babies!) and in this time the 'Milton Method' of cold water sterilising was used and it is still used today.

This pack has everything you need to keep your child clean, tidy and germ-free wherever you are headed. The prize includes:

• A Milton Solo Travel Steriliser
• A Milton Portable Soother Steriliser
• Antibacterial handgel
• Antibacterial surface wipes
• Standard Sterilising Tablets
• Mini Sterilising Tablets

The Solo Travel Steriliser is a 2-in-1 microwave or cold water steriliser and it is ideal for sterilising when you are travelling or away from home. It cleans and sterilises breastfeeding equipment, bottles, teethers, plastic toys and other small baby equipment from as little as 2 minutes in the microwave or 15 minutes in cold water.

The award-winning Portable Soother Steriliser is a totally unique method to safetly sterilise soothers in or out of the home. It cleans and sterilises soothers in less than 15 minutes and it can be used as a sterile place to store a spare soother. 

The antibacterial handgel and surface wipes are great for ensuring that all germs are killed on your hands or on surfaces when you are out and about ensuring your baby's safety.

To be in with a chance of winning this bundle all you need to do is fill in the Rafflecopter widget below. This competition will run from January 5th until January 19th and it is open to UK residents only. The prize will be supplied by the company. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com - See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/milton-travel-sterilising-kit#sthash.g459DLnU.dpuf

Milton Travel Steriliser - Review

Last week, you may remember that I posted reviews of Milton's Combi steriliser and Portable Soother steriliser. In addition to these, we also received their Travel Steriliser to try out.

My parents live a 2 hour walk away (I don't drive) and we go to visit them every Saturday. As the journey is so long, we stay all day so it gave me the perfect opportunity to give the Travel Steriliser a go. Similarly to the Combi steriliser, it can be used in the microwave or using the cold water method.

I did the microwave method first. All you need to do is wash all of your bottle parts in warm, soapy water (rinsing in cold water) then pour 60ml of water into the steriliser and insert the parts (bottle facing down) and put the safety vent down. The safety vent increases the temperature inside which in turn leads to better sterilisation. The steriliser should be placed inside your microwave upright but can be put in sideways if your microwave is too small. Mine is a compact microwave so therefore had to go in sideways. Our microwaves highest wattage is 700W so it had to go in for 6 mins. Alternatively, it goes in for 4 minutes at a wattage of 850-1000 or 2 minutes at 1100-1850W. 

I really love that this steriliser can be used with the cold water method too so you don't need to panic if you are staying at an accommodation without microwave access. This method, like the microwave one, is so easy. Wash your bottle and parts in warm, soapy water then rinse in cold water. Place everything inside the steriliser but with the bottle facing upwards this time. Pour water into the bottle so that it overflows and hits the 1.25L fill line. Then, add ONE QUARTER of a Milton sterilising tablet (or you can add 7.5ml of Milton sterilising fluid). Close the lid, put the safety vent down and gently shake it. Wait for 15 minutes and your bottle will be sterile. I love that the sterilising tablets have little crosses on them which make them easy to break. 

Both ways left my bottle looking clean and ready to use. The steriliser is watertight, BPA free and you can keep your bottle inside for 24 hours and it will be kept sterile. I will definitely be taking it everywhere we go!

You can purchase your own Milton Travel Steriliser from Amazon for £10.95. You can also find out more about Milton at their website, Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: We received this item free of charge in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own).

Milton Combi Microwave or Cold Water Steriliser & Sterilising Tablets - Review

With the new baby's arrival imminent and us having got rid of all of C's old things, we have been trying to repurchase everything. I am planning on breastfeeding initially but then hoping to express so that Chris can join in with feeding times.

Milton have very kindly sent us out one of their Combi Microwave or Cold Water sterilisers. This steriliser, as you have probably worked out by its name, is a 2-in-1 device. You can either use it in the microwave or just using cold water.

Firstly, I tried it out in the microwave. We have three different brands of bottle to try out with the baby as we want to see which ones she will prefer. This gave me a good opportunity to see how well each brand/size of bottle would fit. Our microwave isn't the largest but this steriliser does fit in but only with the turntable removed. It also, surprisingly, fits a lot of bottles and accessories so it makes my life easier! All I had to do wash pre-wash the bottles, pour exactly 200ml of water into the base, place the bottles in, screw the lid on and press the safety vent down. The safety vent was a completely new concept to me. This aim is to increase the temperature inside for better sterilisation. The highest wattage on my microwave is 800 so it took 6 minutes to sterilise the items fully. This time can vary. It can take 2 minutes at 1100W-1850W or 4 minutes at 850W-1000W.

When I retrieved it and opened the items out, it was clear to see that the bottles were thoroughly clean and sterile. I had no worries whatsoever. I love that it comes with tongs to remove the items too. 

Next, I tried cold water sterilising. Milton also sent us a pack of their Sterilising Tablets (which are clinically proven to kill 99.9% of germs) to use alongside this method (the steriliser does actually come with a pack of 28 tablets already). I've never tried this method before so I was a little sceptical about how clean they could be in just cold water and a little tablet. Again, I filled my steriliser with cold tap water (up to the 5L line this time), added in 1 tablet then submerged my items and closed the lid. I left it for just 15 minutes and upon opening, I was really surprised at how well it worked! You don't need to rinse the items after they have been in the solution and you can even keep the items in the solution until you need them. You just need to make sure that you renew the solution after 24 hours.

I have to say, I don't think I have a method preference. I felt safe in the knowledge that the germs had been throughly killed during both the microwave and cold water methods. I love that it comes with an easy carry handle too as that's something that I felt was missing with C's old steriliser. 

You can purchase your own Combi steriliser for £24.99 on Amazon and the Sterilising Tablets for £3.79 for a pack of 28 also from Amazon.

Are you a fan of microwave or cold water sterilising? I'd love to know your thoughts!

(Disclaimer: I received these items free of charge in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)