Vital Baby Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer review

This steriliser doesn’t use any of the traditional at-home sterilising methods, such as steam or cold water, but UV light instead. This method has been used for years in hospitals, dental practices, and even beauty salons as a way of sterilising items and this stylish box brings that to your home.

It claims to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria in just 11 minutes, using UV light from LEDs which bounces around the stainless-steel interior, sterilising everything in it. You can also put teething and bath toys, make-up brushes and, apparently, even your mobile phone in there!

Tested by:

Carla has been a journalist for over 15 years, working on fashion, beauty and lifestyle titles. She lives in Hertfordshire with her boyfriend, dog and nine-month old baby, with whom she tested the Vital Baby Nurture Steriliser.

What were your first impressions of the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

Upon opening it, I was immediately impressed with how sleek this looked. A light-grey box, it doesn’t look like a baby product.

How does the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer compare to other sterilisers you have looked at or used?

With its UV technology, this steriliser seems miles ahead of other sterilisers; I currently use a Philips Avent microwave steam steriliser (£22.74 on Amazon), which is very quick and basic (it does the job in four minutes).

This was as easy to use, takes a bit longer to sterilise (11 minutes) and has an added option of drying your bottles for you, too (which can take the whole process up to 41 minutes and above). It’s obviously a lot slower than say, a microwave steriliser, but once I had done a round of bottles, they seemed cleaner and fresher than they do coming out of the microwave – an opinion shared by our home tester who said “The bottles look new again!”.

Was it easy to set up?

The set-up was very straight forward: after wiping the steriliser and its components down with hot soapy water, you’re advised to run a full 61-minute ‘auto’ cycle followed by an 11-minute ‘sterilise’ cycle before using it for sterilisation. That’s it for the set-up, and after a quick skim of the instructions it was easy to learn how to use it.

How do you use the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

• Wash bottles and teats (and wipe down inside of steriliser and basket with hot soapy water before each use)
• Remove excess water from items
• Place into steriliser (the instructions have a handy diagram of which way to put the items in – you can’t stack or have anything touching, though, which was a bit annoying)
• Choose your programme: Auto – dries bottles, then sterilises them (41 minutes or more, depending on how much you’re sterilising); Sterilise – sterilises bottles in 11 minutes; Drying – dries them for you before you sterilise (choice of three cycles, starting at 31 minutes); Store – the unit acts as a store for bottles too, keeping them completely sterile for 72 hours as long as you don’t open the lid (it runs a two-minute top-up cycle every two hours during this time).

The whole thing is very easy to use – a view shared by our home tester and more than a quarter of John Lewis parents.

For the most part, the instructions are straightforward and clear. However, they lack key information on bottle capacity and how much you can sterilise on different cycles.

What are the biggest advantages of the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

The biggest advantage is the way it sterilises – using UV light. It is very effective, seems to do a great job and it’s easy, to boot – a view shared by our home tester, who said “Place items in the box, close the lid and press the button. It's as simple as that!”

Another big plus is that it doesn’t use any chemicals, which will give parents peace of mind, and it uses little electricity, which makes it better for the planet, too. The lack of water means there’s no need to descale it, either.

Most importantly, it also dries the bottles, which I loved as bottles that come out of a steam steriliser are extremely hot as well as wet. In fact, a fifth of John Lewis parents bought this machine after becoming unhappy with steam sterilisation.

Another bonus is the storage function; it can keep bottles sterile for up to 72 hours – something loved by a fair number of John Lewis parents – rather than 24 hours with other sterilising methods.

Lastly, it doesn’t just sterilise bottles. A fair number of Amazon customers and more than a third of John Lewis parents are also using it to clean items including dummies, teethers, mobile phones, remote controls and more, as is our home tester. She said, “When my son had a cold I was able to sterilise all his toys and things to help kill all the germs. Great for peace of mind!”

This extra function means it potentially has a much longer lifespan than other sterilisers.

How long does each cycle take on the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

To sterilise the bottles, it takes 11 minutes and it lets you know how much time is left. It also beeps six times once it’s finished (it’s VERY loud, and I couldn’t seem to work out how to turn it down!).

You can also use the auto function, which I only used when I had loads of time as it takes 41 minutes to dry and sterilise the bottles. They advise you to use cycles of 51 or 61 minutes if you are putting more items in, but as mentioned above, the instructions lack guidance on how many items would require a longer cycle, so I stuck to the 41-minute cycle.

What capacity does the steriliser have?

I could comfortably fit four bottles in there, but a fifth of John Lewis parents felt that the bottle capacity was disappointing and that it would need to be run a couple times a day to have enough bottles for an exclusively bottle-fed baby.

It tells you that items should not touch, which of course limits how much you can get in there in one go. It is a bit confusing as a photograph used to sell the product shows teethers and teats bundled into the steriliser all touching each other…

How easy is it to stack items in the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

You’re not supposed to stack items in there.

Does it have removable trays/accessory trays?

It has a wire basket but it didn’t seem removable.

How portable is the steriliser & dryer?

It is quite large, so wouldn’t be the easiest thing to transport – if I was going away for a few days, I would probably take it with me. But obviously not out and about as it’s way too bulky.

Is it easy to clean?

It’s very easy to clean – it should be wiped down with hot, soapy water before each use.

How large is the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

It measures 28 x 28 x 23.5cm, which is on the larger side, compared to some sterilisers. It is definitely not one for people with limited counter space. Having said that, though, a quarter of John Lewis parents felt that it was compact.

What’s in the box?

The steriliser, two bottles and teats.

Is the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer easy to put together?

It comes ready to use. Just be warned that there’s some cardboard inside the box which of course you need to remove, but I missed a few bits so had to redo the initial sterilisation!

What did you think of the look of the steriliser?

It’s really sleek and stylish – a view shared by nearly all John Lewis parents.

What would you have wanted to know before buying the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

It really, really is very straightforward, but I wish it was clear on how many bottles it should take in one cycle as I was worried I was overfilling it and that the sterilisation wouldn’t be as effective. I erred on the side of caution and generally sterilised three to four bottles at a time.

Although you don’t need to descale it as you would a steam steriliser, you do have to replace the filter every 6-12 months. It’s also not clear whether it alerts you that the filter needs changing or that you should simply change it after six months. I also couldn’t find any filters for sale – even on the vital baby website – so I would want to know the price of these, too, and where I could buy them.

Are there any design elements you find particularly successful?

It’s a very well thought-out product, and it really is so easy to use.

Is the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer value for money?

At £119.99, it’s definitely one of the more expensive on the market. Granted, it offers one of the safest, most effective ways to sterilise and is ridiculously easy to use, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price.

However, our home tester disagrees, saying “It is rather expensive, but for those that would like peace of mind knowing that their items are completely sterile, this is worth it.” What’s more, the majority of John Lewis parents share this view, saying that it was good and even excellent value for money, with a few saying that while it wasn’t cheap, it was worth the price.

Where can I buy the Vital Baby Nurture Pro UV Steriliser & Dryer?

It’s available to buy from Amazon and John Lewis.

MadeForMums verdict:

I can’t fault this product, but I also can’t recommend spending such a large amount on it. If it had a lower price tag, I would recommend it over and over again, but even with its 72-hour sterile storage and drying functions, for a steriliser, it seems steep. If you would also use it to clean other items as some parents are doing, then it becomes better value and would be used past the bottle-feeding stage.

I think it’s a great buy for anyone who sterilises 4/5 bottles a day, and wants something fuss-free. I’m used to a quick sterilise in the microwave, so it did feel like it took a long time especially with the drying element on, so that’s something to bear in mind. However, it’s also worth knowing that 84 per cent of John Lewis parents gave it 4 or 5 stars.

Read More ...

• 10 of the best baby sterilisers
• Best breast pumps for mums and babies
• Baby bottles tried and tested