Do not Buy Too Many Bottles for Newborns
Before your baby arrives, it is necessary for you to buy his feeding bottles. Breastfeeding is still best for babies! However, if milk supply is lacking and your baby's demands are high, you may need to feed him on bottles. So, better be prepared than sorry. Buying a couple of bottles per brand is better than buying in bulk. Babies have exact preferences right from the start, especially items that touch their mouth. Let your baby try some bottles and see how he responds. If you think your baby likes a certain brand, you can always purchase more bottles later on. If your baby is not happy with the bottles you chose, try out new brand available in the market.
Bottle Nipple Shape May Be Important
If you are a breastfeeding mother, you might want to consider bottles with wide-base nipples that resemble a mother's breast and nipple. There are babies that have difficulties switching from the mother's breast to bottle nipples. However, if you are formula-feeding your baby, the shape of the nipple of his bottle is not that important as long as he is happily eating from it.
Nipple Flow Rate Matters, Too
It is also important to look at the flow rate of the feeding bottles you purchase. Different brands offer a variation of bottles which have different speed of nipple flow rate. There are brands that sell nipples designed for slow or fast flow. Newborns usually need slower flow nipples at first. It is important to that that they do not have to gulp away their dinner. Fast flow nipples can cause tummy troubles for newborns. However, some newborns may not like slow newborn flow nipples. You might need to try a bit to find the best for your babies. And also, you should plan to purchase nipples which have faster flow rate as your baby grows.
Bottle Materials – Glass or Plastic
Plastic bottles are easier to hold, considering the tiny hands of babies. Unfortunately, recent news say that chemicals are found in some plastics and because of this, a lot of parents choose to let their babies use the classic glass feeding bottles. These glass bottles are easy to clean and can last a long time. But it is risky to cuts if it breaks so we should handle it with extra care. There are several cloth covers for these glass bottles. On the other hand, plastic bottles are economical and can be easily found in stores. However, these plastic bottles may not last longer than the glass bottles. It is very important to look for BPA – free plastic bottles. Also, avoid putting plastic bottles in microwaves. There are liquid baby cleaning soaps to clean these bottles. Once a bottle gets scratched, cloudy or damaged, you should dispose it right away.
Bottle Shapes and Vent Systems
Babies are very fragile. Parents should know the abilities of their babies to be able to give them the best care they need. As for drinking milk and eating, some babies swallow more air than other babies as they eat. Other babies are more prone to tummy discomforts compared to others. For babies that tend to be irritable and uneasy after meals, bottles with an air vent system or those angled shape bottles are recommended. These can help prevent so much air from going inside baby's tummy. This may reduce post-meal fussiness. Always remember to buy bottles that can be easily cleaned. Check if a special bottle brush can fit inside. It is important that your baby's bottles are clean.
Drop-In Bottle Liners
Bottle liners are available in the market nowdays. If you do not like washing the bottles, consider the drop-in bottle liners. These adjustable plastic bags fit inside the bottles and can be disposed after your baby's meals. Only the nipple needs to be washed carefully and rinse the other parts in running water. This type of bottle is also good because there will be no chemicals leaching into your baby's meals. The downside of this is that you are adding more trash to your local landfill.
Nipple Materials – Preference and Safety
Clear silicone nipples are more popular than the dark-colored latex bottle nipples. Unlike those latex nipples, these clear silicone nipples do not pick up tastes or smells even after many uses. They do not also carry the implicit for allergies that latex can. Babies find it harder to chew the holes of silicone nipple that's why there is much less risk of choking on a material from this kind of nipples. However, you should still be careful and watch your babies when eating / drinking milk especially when baby sprouts new teeth.
Size Matters for Baby Bottles
Newborn babies usually feels full with 4-ounce of milk. They do not eat much in one sitting. Although you also need to change the size of your baby's bottles quickly because they require more food per meal as they grow. Babies grow fast! Try to look for bottles that have easy-to-read measurements on them, even if it is full with milk.