Philips Avent Express Microwave Sterilizer

No More Pots and Pans and Boiling Water
The Avent Express is simplicity itself once you get the hang of it. After reading the detailed instructions with great care (assembly and loading are not completely intuitive, and there are important details that can make all the difference in safety and effectiveness of the sterilizer), pour the correct amount of water into the base. Load the pre-washed bottles and feeding components into the appropriate spots in the plastic rack, position the lid over the sterilizer base and lock the clips into place. (You'll hear a click.) Place the sterilizer in the center of the microwave, and select microwave wattage and timings (a chart is included to determine proper wattage and time). Allow the unit to cool for at least two minutes before removing the sterilizer from the microwave. Use the safety grips on the base—they stay cooler to ensure safer handling. If you don't remove the lid, the contents will stay sterile for up to 24 hours.

Care and Cleaning
The all-plastic sterilizer is dishwasher safe. Always drain the excess water from the unit and rinse to prevent the build-up of limescale. Always store when the unit is completely dry.

What's in the Box
The Avent Express II Microwave Sterilizer consists of a sturdy plastic base (11 inches in diameter) with safety grips; a bottle/accessory rack with dome cap stem, bottle cavity, nipple cavity, and Isis Breast Pump slots; and a lid with locking clips. It can be used with most standard microwaves with wattage range from 500 to 1,850 watts. The box also contains two nine-ounce Avent bottles with their rings, nipples, and dome caps, as well as a detailed and illustrated instruction manual.

Note: When taking the sterilizer out of the microwave, use great caution! It will still be hot, as will be the contents. When removing the lid, point it away from you to allow the steam to escape. Follow loading, assembling, and care instructions meticulously. --Emilie Coulter

Whatever you think of Avent bottles, this is a great sterilizer that works for *all* bottles, pacifiers, teething toys, breast pump attachments, and anything that can be steam sterilized. The only difficult thing was figuring out the wattage on our microwave (it was on the back panel) which determines how long you have to "nuke" the sterilizer.

It is small enough to make it fairly simple to travel with, and large enough to hold four small (8 oz) bottles or two bigger ones (16 oz).

The standard filling-out-the-registry question:
Do you *need* a sterilizer? Not always. Our doctor said it was necessary for pre-term babies, but in other cases a dishwasher will go a long way towards keeping things clean; especially if you have well water and enough bottles to keep you while your washer goes through the cycle. [If cost is a factor], then there are probably other things you should be spending money on. But we found that it was well worth the money in terms of time and convenience.


Not really necessary   July 21, 2002
Cafreen (Temecula, CA)
230 out of 238 found this review helpful

The steam sterilizer is definitely easy and convenient. Just pour 200 mls of water, add your microwaveable bottles, nipples, breast-pump parts, etc...place in the microwave and a few short minutes later, you've got sterile supplies. This is excellent if you don't own a dishwasher, as stated by a previous reviewer. However, if you have access to a dishwasher, this gadget is just a gadget. I find it takes more time and effort to retrieve the sterilizer, set up the bottles, nipples etc... than to just pop it into the dishwasher. (This is especially true when you have you're a first-time mother overwhelmed with a new baby ~TRUST ME on this one.) If you have a healthy full-term baby, it's not really necessary to sterilize items everytime, a run through the hot water cycle in the dishwasher is sufficient. If you don't have a dishwasher, then by all means I recommend it. If you do, skip it. I've only used this once, and since then I've simply used the dishwasher.


One of the best baby products I own!   July 2, 2001
Sue Bee (Allison Park, PA USA)
83 out of 83 found this review helpful

After nearly burning myself while sterilizing bottles on the stove, I decided it was time to find a better way! This product is it! One of the best things about it is you can put any brand of bottles in it, not just Avent. I've had no trouble with larger bottles--I can fit four 9-ounce Gerber bottles, along with four pacifiers. And it's very easy to use: I just rinse out the bottles/nipples, put all the parts in, pour in the water, microwave on high for 5 minutes, let it cool down, and you've got bottles ready to use. I also like that I can put the stuff in late at night, and go to sleep, without worrying about staying up to watch stuff on the stove. I use it constantly, so it was worth every penny!


Quick, cheap, and durable   June 1, 2003
66 out of 66 found this review helpful

If you want to sterilize bottles and pacifiers this is the product to have. It is very quick - 5 minutes in our microwave and you are done. Yes, you can put these items in the dishwasher but I hate to run the DW for just a load of bottles. You also need to have a special basket to keep the various bottle parts from falling to the bottom of the dishwasher.

Yes, there is condensation, but we keep a bottle rack next to the sink and let them air dry for a few hours. If you hand washed you would also have to let them air dry so I really don't see the point of this complaint.

Avent is very durable - we have had ours over 3 years now and have been doing bottles daily and it has not cracked or broken. Child #3 is on the way so we will be using it for at least another two years.


You need this item!!!   June 17, 2002
Theresa A. Dore (Chester, Virginia United States)
52 out of 52 found this review helpful

I agree with everyone else... I love this sterilizer!!! I registered for this based on the reviews I saw here on Amazon.com and was not disappointed!!! This is fast and easy to use... takes only 5 minutes and you have clean, sterile pacifiers, bottles, brest pump parts, etc. Some of my friends told me not to bother registering for a sterilizer because they get just as clean in a dishwasher, but I don't always run the dishwasher daily. This is much easier to use and I can use it several times a day without running my dishwasher. I would highly recommend it.