Best Bottles for Breastfed Babies?
Have you mamas had great experiences with bottles for baby? Jenny is wondering:
I'm going back to work in August and am planning ahead for feeding my baby pumped breastmilk while I'm at work. He'll be 4 months old. I had to pump a lot for his first month in order to supplement the nursing, but we finger fed him instead of using a bottle. I'm nervous about introducing a bottle because of the potential of nipple confusion. I'd appreciate suggestions for specific bottles and nipples that imitate the nursing experience and work well. I've done a bit of research but the options are overwhelming and it's always helpful to see what has actually worked for mamas and their babies.
We used Avent for my (now 4-year old) son and they worked fine until he boycotted them so we had to switch. I chose the Playtex Nurser (the ones with those drop-in disaosable bags, which I resisted b/c they're disposable...) b/c the nipple looked like mine - and that seemed to make some sense (dark, big, flat with pretty raised, flat-top). And, for whatever reason (that or 5 others), it worked and that was the end of that. For my now 1-year old daughter, we used the Avent again (husband's choice b/c he's the boss of the bottles), and it's been smooth sailing. Not that there weren't plenty of days when she didn't want one at "school" in the beginnning, but luckily I work close enough by to fill in in such emergencies. Good luck.
Posted by: Lisa | June 25, 2007 at 07:29 AM
wow, I never thought I'd be able to comment on this but just in the last 2 months I've cared for 2 very small babies, both exclusively breastfed & I can tell you a lot about their experience with the bottle.
Baby #1 had no problem whatsoever. He had a huuuuuge mouth & latched onto his AVENT bottles no problem & ate every last drop I ever offered him. (He's just a big, ravenous guy) Another thing that made feeding him so easy was that by the time he came to me his mom had already been working for at least a month & he'd been with dad or grandma & so he wasn't going through the transition of a.) strange place, b.) oh my god where's mom & c.) what's this rubber thing in my mouth? all at the same time. He'd already got B & C.
Baby # 2 is a different story. He was only 7 weeks when he started with me, I was his first daycare provider & he'd only had a few practice sessions with the bottle. His mom also had AVENT bottles, which for his mouth really didn't work in the beginning. I had more luck with the tiny rubber Gerber nipples. The NUK nipples were absolutely useless for him. The thing is that a breastfeeding baby is used to having to work for that milk flow so you need to get something with a very low flow, especially in the beginning.
The things I learned with him were:
1. I am a breastfeeding mom & he won't take the bottle if he's in my arms (let's call it milk interference).
2. It just takes time for babies to learn to use the bottle. Only 4 weeks into daycare would he reliably take a bottle without choking or just making a face of disgust when I put that rubber in his mouth.
3. Some babies don't eat ravenously. I also learned this with my own babies--my first ate whenever I offered, my second only eats when she wants. This little guy just isn't hungry sometimes.
I was also a working mom & I can tell you that babies can have very strong preferences. It also took my oldest 1 month to accept the bottle. She didn't care what nipple type it was. My second refused the brown, rubber nipples & would only take the clear silicone nipples (in her case NUK worked well). She also took about 3 weeks to accept the bottle.
Soooo, the long & short of it is, if your baby is doing well in the breastfeeding at this point & is over 2 months old, I wouldn't worry to much about nipple confusion. And, why not let your baby tell you which nipple works best?
Posted by: capella | June 25, 2007 at 07:37 AM
Unfortunately, I had to supplement my first son due to low supply starting at six weeks. I used Avent bottles, and he switched back and forth between them and the breast with no trouble at all (in fact, he nursed till 2.5!)
I'd say that if your baby is 4 months old and a good nurser, there should be no problem with nipple confusion at this point.
(Also, in case anyone reading this has had to supplement for the same reason I did, I'm here to say that with baby #2 my milk supply was just fine. Go figure.)
Posted by: Zinemama | June 25, 2007 at 08:37 AM
My son used Avent too. If I were you, I'd try to get him familiar with the bottle for a bit before you go back to work. Starting the month before I went back, I'd leave a pumped bottle with my husband once a week and leave the house for a few hours (hello movie theater!) That way he was used to the bottle before the whole daycare transition and it was smooth as can be.
Posted by: christinadw | June 25, 2007 at 09:08 AM
My first started out with Avent, then we changed to Dr.Brown's. My second went directly to Dr. Brown's with no problem. They never had nipple confusion because I was never the one to feed them with the bottle until I stopped breastfeeding. Good Luck.
Posted by: ruby | June 25, 2007 at 11:16 AM
We had great luck with Avent. I used the white screw-on converter thing so I could pump directly from my Medela into the Avent bottle. That bottle would go directly into freezer/fridge so all we had to do was switch the storage top for a nipple and it was as easy as it could be. We started early (7 weeks?) with introducing a bottle every day for months before I went back to work (5 months). At first I couldn't be around during bottle time but later on I could even give her a bottle. Our first was hooked on a bottle at bedtime even if I nursed her so I would do both when I put her to bed. Dad put her to bed at least 3 days/week and it worked great. The transition back to work was made so much easier because we were prepared. We knew she would eat, we knew she could sleep without me. We also had anyone/everyone that came over give the daily bottle so that she was flexible since at daycare it wouldn't always be the same provider. We now also have an infant. She loved her first bottle and we plan to do things the same way this time. We were also very happy with how well the Avent bottles held up to wear and tear and will re-use most of the bottles for our second child. When caring for other children I've also preferred Avent. I had to use Dr. Browns for one child and hated it. It's great that you are thinking ahead, it will make the transition easier for all. Good luck and have fun! p.s. The few times that I heard negative comments about Avent it was because the bottles leaked. I learned from a rep that they only leak when screwed on too tightly!
Posted by: Nic | June 25, 2007 at 11:25 AM
I tried Dr. Brown's and they were a pain in the butt to clean. My baby couldn't suck (as a preemie) through the Advent bottles. The Born Free bottles have been really great. They really do have an excellent flow system, are easy to clean, there is minimum dribble out of the bottle and they are sold at Whole Foods and now New Seasons. The down side is that they are quite expensive. However, I had a ring melted in the dishwasher and they company sent me 3 replacements for free in the mail.
http://www.newbornfree.com
Check 'em out!
Posted by: kirsten | June 25, 2007 at 11:48 AM
Forgot to mention that as long as you are breastfeeding you should stick with the lowest flow nipple (Avent nipples are marked with one drop) so that baby still has to work relatively hard for the milk. You don't want the bottle to be too much easier than the breast or baby will prefer the lazy way to eat.
Posted by: Nic | June 25, 2007 at 12:03 PM
We used AVENT but had major problems with them leaking. The white screw on cap part. Maybe it's because we used the dishwasher to clean them? I have another friend who had the same problem.
My child had no problems taking the bottle but I would recommend starting your baby NOW on using the bottle. Your child care provider will like you a lot more if your baby is used to the bottle. Try to give your baby 1 bottle per day if you can hack it.
My friend had a hard time bottle feeding her baby when she first went back to work. They finally figured out that NO ONE could hold the baby. They had to lay her down on the couch and feed her the bottle. It didn't last too long but babies like strange things sometimes. Good luck! And remember, there are the advantages to having a baby that takes a bottle as well as the breast. It is called: INDEPENDENCE! You will actually be able to have a break for more than 2 hours! YAY!
Posted by: Melissa | June 25, 2007 at 12:19 PM
We just stuck our Dr. Brown's in the dishwasher or handwashed...took a few extra minutes but it was worth it. They completely "cured" his bubble in his belly.
Posted by: ruby | June 25, 2007 at 01:42 PM
Avent, all the way. My 3 year old still uses them with the yellow nipple and no valve. I love the whole system. I agree about babies being so different when it comes to this. My oldest ate whatever was offered, whenever it was offered, and hot or cold didn't matter. My second, only small amounts, warmed please. The first was done nursing at 13 months and the little guy is still going strong at 18, although I'm ready to stop! I can say that with the second, I started giving him a little cereal at about 5 months because he really wasn't a fan of the bottle yet and my husband/babysitter needed an option for him when he didn't want the milk. I wanted to wait until the 6 month mark, but I hated the idea of him being hungry and unhappy. Good to know about the leaking happening when bottles are closed too tight. That is my only complaint. I'll try loosening them up.
Posted by: Tracy | June 25, 2007 at 02:20 PM
Something to think about--if you use plastic, review best plastic bottles on tinyfootprints.org. Really, glass is best, but I settled for the Gerber plastics.
http://www.tinyfootprints.org/expecting/Plastics
Posted by: lauralye | June 25, 2007 at 03:09 PM
We tried Avent and they leaked horribly, no matter how we adjusted the tightness of the cap. We have used the Playtex Nurser system, which has the downside of the disposable plastic - BUT, the plastic liners are on the "safer" list, whereas Avent plastic is not (if the Bisphenol A thing is a concern of yours). We use the silicone nipples, lowest flow. I think your best bet is to buy just one or two of a specific kind, and let your baby try them out. You may have to switch - but don't panic - your baby will figure it out and show you a preference eventually!
Posted by: Amy | June 25, 2007 at 05:09 PM
I used the Adiri breastbottle for several reasons. This nurser is shaped like the breast and worked miricles when my daughter would not take the bottle for the life of her. It's soft and feels like the breast and it's made out of silicon, definately no nipple confusion there! Check it out http://www.adiri.com I know Avent is functional and a great design, but as the previous poster pointed out, that the clear plastic bottles when heated may leach dangerous chemicals.(http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/consumerbaby.htm)
We tried to stay clear of the plastic bottles just in case.
Hope this helps.
Posted by: Diana | June 25, 2007 at 08:11 PM
I can totally relate to this! I've pumped, finger fed, cup fed, done S&S...pretty much everything to avoid nipple confusion when my milk supply was low. However, my milk never really got up to a sufficient supply (seems to be genetic, my mom had the same problem) and we had to resort to bottle feeding. We tried the adiri bottle, but the baby just didn't like it...great concept but it didn't work for her. The Born Free bottles work great (we got the glass ones, although I plan to pick up some plastic ones soon) and she's never had nipple confusion! I suggest just going with what bottle appeals to you and then moving onto another model if that doesn't work. Good luck!!
Posted by: Jillian | June 26, 2007 at 08:29 AM
We tried at least 3 nipples before we found the right one for my daughter. I went back to work when my daughter was about 3 months. I had the avent pump and the bases could then be used as bottles so we used those "nurser" nipples at first, but she wasn't latching on to them - I think the rubber was too hard. She was sort of just biting on it to get the milk out and it was wasting a lot of the milk, etc. So we tried one of the fancy-shaped nipples that are supposed to be good, but that didn't work either. So my mom suggested that we use the old school brown square playtex nipples...and oila, she latched right on and we've been using them for the past 4 months - no problem
Posted by: Lo | June 27, 2007 at 07:33 PM
My first is due in 6 wks, I but have done plenty of infant nannying to worry about this topic! I picked up a single bottle of 4 different brands/styles from Target. They had a sign posted stating that none of the bottles contain BPA. One of the packages also noted no phltates (sp?). Since I will be a SAHM, very commited to breastfeeding, bottles figure minimally into the plan (with the best of luck). I've had multi-baby moms tell me that NUK is no good, but reading the packaging, it all makes sense to me, and I am intrigued by what they say about the hole being in the top of the nipple so that milk mixes with saliva and digests easier. For months, I've been sold on the concept of the Breastflow nipple system which requires suction and compression, like nursing (http://thefirstyears.com/wps/portal/breastflow), and I bought one of each of these aforementioned. Then, a Playtex Ventaire (WIDE), as I've had good recommendations from folks using vented bottles that allow air to release and not vacuum. Finally, although I can't believe a product like this is still on the market, without having innovated into something re-usable, I bought a Playtex Drop-In with a silicone nipple, and additionally, I bought a latex nipple. Bear with me. If we are going to hopefully be bottlefeeding only occasionally, and it'll be my "no extra steps" husband, then the disposable might be conscionable. I like the wide base and shape of the nipples, and the silicone is dishwashable, adding to ease. The latex, however, is more pliable, and, more similar in color to me, as an earlier poster pointed out. I've friends who will loan me Medela, Avent and Dr Brown's to try, if needed. I guess reading this whole post got me confused about nipple confusion -- is breast/bottle hybriding easier if the bottle nipple looks/acts/feels more like mom, or less?
Posted by: Dawn | June 08, 2011 at 06:05 PM
Avent leaks! It leaks leaks leaks. IT LEAKS. You can go through all these somersaults to try to keep it from leaking, but really - just buy a different brand. Why did we not switch earlier? You and your baby do not have to constantly wear milk. Pick another one. I was afraid to switch but when I tried Born Free she thought it was just fine. And it didn't leak.
Posted by: anon | June 08, 2011 at 11:54 PM
I suggest you use Eco Baba stainless steel baby bottles (www.eco-baba.com). They are free of BPA, are durable, are easy to clean and are super easy to heat. My sister's baby loves hers!
Posted by: Angie Earwood | October 25, 2011 at 06:41 PM
Has anyone heard of bare air-free bottles? Those truly look like the best option, nipple extends like the mom's --most amazing feature-- air-free feeding for gassy babies, etc. http://www.bittylab.com
Posted by: Gio | April 03, 2012 at 08:41 PM
"The Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottle Single Pack is highly recommended.
It gets great reviews on the web.
Read more: http://www.istumbledupon.com/comotomo-natural-feel-baby-bottle-single-pack-green-250ml/"
Posted by: Alexander Grate | November 12, 2012 at 01:41 AM