Travelling

Many holiday destinations provide good facilities for babies and young children, but there is also a higher risk of contracting gastroenteritis. Taking extra precautions will avoid any holiday disasters.

• Take Milton Sterilising Tablets and a portable sterilising unit. Milton Tablets are ideal for holidays or using out of home because they are easy to pop into your bag and carry around with you.
• Keep all baby's feeding utensils, cups and bowls in a Milton solution until you need to use them.
• Wipe down surfaces, high chairs, changing mats, cots and toilet seats with a Milton solution or for convenience Milton Antibacterial Surface Wipes or Surface Spray.
• Soak fruit in a solution of Milton to remove surface bacteria.
• In exotic countries, avoid ice and drink water from unopened bottles.
• Wash hands thoroughly - particularly before feeding baby and after going to the toilet.

Tip - if you don't have access to soap and water, keep a bottle of Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel nearby. This is an easy way to ensure your hands are germ free.

Sterilising out of home

If you are visiting friends and family and plan to be away for more than a few hours, you will need to think about how you are going to sterilise feeding utensils while you are away.

Milton Sterilising Tablets are easy to store and use - just add one tablet to five litres of water for an instant sterilising solution.

Use any five litre container, such as a storage container or a Milton Sterilising Unit.

Sooner or later you will also need to leave your baby, either for occasional outings, or to return to work. In this case you may want to express your milk and leave it for the baby sitter or child minder.

Expressing milk is an easy way to continue to feed your baby without your milk supply diminishing, but you must ensure that the milk is kept in a sterile container until your baby needs it.

Ensure breast pumps are dismantled and washed after use and that parts are fully submerged in the Milton solution.

Keep small screw top bottles sterile, then fill them with freshly expressed milk.

Write the date and time on each bottle then transfer immediately to the fridge or the freezer until you need to use them.

There are many places which cater for babies and young children, but not all are as clean as others! Most bacteria can live on surfaces for up to 24 hours (even longer in the presence of moisture or protein), so take care around hot spots such as public food areas and toilets;

• When using public toilets, always wash your child's hands well and avoid touching the door handles afterwards. These carry the germs of people who haven't washed their hands!
• Picnic well away from animals and their droppings.
• On days out, always wash your child's hands well, particularly after handling animals on farms and ALWAYS before eating.
• You can keep thermos flasks and lunch boxes extra clean by sterilising overnight in Milton.
• If your baby is less than twelve months, pre-sterilise utensils and take pre-prepared meals where possible.
• Always wash your hands before and after feeding and changing your baby.

Tip - Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel is ideal to carry and kills harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi on your hands, particularly useful when there is no access to water.