Bottle Nipple Question

I had this same problem with my son. I used Avent bottles, with these I could buy the nipples that had like one or two holes, whatever worked for me. My son did much better with these bottles/nipples. Good luck!

I didn't read through all the responses but I did read Melissa's and she's right on. I found some bottles by First Years (I think) called Breastflow at Babies R us (I have not seen them at Wal Mart or Target) and they work wonderfully. They are the most 'breast' like bottles I've found. They have two nipples, a firmer inner nipple and then a softer outer nipple and there aren't 'flow stages' or whatever. The baby controls the amount of milk coming out. I love them

P., make sure you are still using Slow Flow nipples. It could be that you got a medium or fast flow nipple and she's just not ready for it yet. If they are still slow flow nipples and she's still making a mess you could try adding just a little bit of cereal to her bottle to thicken it slightly. Most doctors recommend starting cereal between 4 and 6 months, so she's a good age to begin.

Good luck!

Check the packaging of the bottle nipples you buy. They have different stages to them. I don't have any Gerber ones to look at, but with the Playtex nipples, it is stamped on the inside of the ring what size it is and/or the flow rate. They also say on the packaging when you buy them. While it is normal for them to "leak" milk out of their mouth with bottles, it may help to make sure that the flow isn't too fast with the bottle nipple. It will also help prevent the choking that happens with some babies when they get too much milk all at once.

Like mentioned, check the stage of the nipple. The "younger" nipples have smaller openning which slows down the flow of milk. Other than that, yep, babies are messy eaters and you'll always have some dribble. We always just tucked a receiving blanket under his chin when we fed.

Hi P.:

I think it has to do with the bottle. When they nurse they have to work harder to get the milk while bottle feed is easier and so she is probably sucking hard when she doesn't have to. I know you said you tried different nipples. Try one with a smaller hole if you haven't already. Or have her take more breaks and burb more often and see if that helps.

C.

make sure you're not using cereal nipples and she's not getting the milk too fast. I had one just like her, called her Miss Piggy. She just wanted it too bad and it ran everywhere

evenflo makes nipples in stages. I don't remember exactly what they are called but something like slow flow, medium. Check that out. Good luck

Yes. This is very common. Especially with babies who are also breastfed. It is much easier to get milk out of a bottle than it is to get it out of mommies breast. Breastfed babies are used to having to suck hard in order to get the milk out. It is also common for them to choke a little on the bottled milk because it comes out faster than they are able to keep up with. Try to find a nipple with one hole. I used the platex nurser with the rounded nipple. Even with those we still made messes, just not as a big of a mess.

How long has she been bottle feeding? If she's more acostomed to nursing, she may just not have gotten used to the bottle yet. It's much easier for a baby to bottle feed, than to nurse, the milk comes out faster. Hope this helps. I would continue to try different types of nipples. Avent worked well for my youngest when we went from breast to bottle feeding. It's available at Babies R Us and Target. I don't think Walmart has it yet, but it's been a couple of years since I've been bottle shopping. Good luck!