Best Sterilisers UK

Sterilisers split mainly on method — electricity, steam via microwave, cold water, or UV — and that choice matters more for day-to-day convenience than any of the small capacity differences between them. Tommee Tippee's Steri Express (£45) and Philips Avent's 3-in-1 (£50) are the two standard electric steam sterilisers here, both finishing a cycle in five to six minutes and holding five to six bottles; the Avent adds a microwave mode as a backup and fits its own bottle range most precisely, while the Tommee Tippee is built to fit a wider range of bottle brands and shapes.

Milton's Cold Water steriliser (£22) needs no electricity at all, using tablets or fluid instead of heat — slower at 15 minutes, and bottles come out wet rather than dry, but the made-up solution stays effective for 24 hours and it works anywhere there's tap water. NUK's Micro Express Plus (£15) and Medela's Quick Clean bags (£6) are both microwave-based and genuinely portable, the NUK a compact rigid unit for 3 bottles, the Medela a flat reusable bag good for around 20 cycles — both suit travel or a second steriliser more than daily home use.

Vital Baby's NURTURE Pro (£117, the priciest by some distance) is the only UV option: no water, steam or chemicals, and it dries the load using a HEPA-filtered fan rather than leaving bottles wet, then doubles as sealed storage until you need them.