Karen, Learning how to breastfeed without help is like giving someone a book and putting them in the pilots seat of a plane. Most of us haven't seen a plane being flown - at least we have seen someone drive a car! But I use the driving the car analogy a lot, because moms often expect to feel comfortable immediately, and if they don't, or the baby doesn't perform to expectation, then they want to give up. If we gave up driving because we didn't feel comfortable, we wouldn't get ANYWHERE! Pardee, I haven't worried about cleaning the syringe - just wash in hot soapy water and rinse in hot clear - just like we instruct the mom to do with her pump parts, shells, etc. etc. I know I've handled the syringe (and so has my cutco knife), but I think a good washing will be OK. Jan