Chosing a Bottle for a Breastfed Baby

I have tried all different types of bottles for both my girls and i always come back to the avent bottles. I loved those, but i also like the nuk bottles. They are the same shape as their pacifiers so its easy to get them to take them. Some things i couldn't live without were my boppy, my double stroller, formula container for diaper bag ( holds 3 seperate bottles worth) boudreauxs butt paste for diaper rash ( works better than any other ive tried) stinky diaper bags ( great for when you are at someones home or in public places. You can get a generic brand at the dollar tree store), & mylicon gas drops. I cant think of anything else right now. Good luck, hope this helps.

My daughter could only take Dr.Brown bottles..she would choke and gag on any other. I suggest getting one of a few different types to see what the baby will take to.

I have always stuck with the Playtex nursers with the drop in liners. I also could not live without my boppy and Angel Care moneter (sp).

I just use the old school nipples and standard bottles. lol. My DD has been using them since she was born (she would NOT latch for anything... even with the help of 3 different lactation consultants and nipple shields...) When she hit 2 1/2 weeks she finally got the concept of latching on, so now I put her to breast when I'm home during the day and at night, but she gets a bottle right before bed, and while I'm at work. She has never had nipple confusion, and the nipples/bottles are sooo much cheaper than the "special" ones. :)

I used the Playtex premium nurser with my son and he transitioned back and forth very well. Playtex also has a system you can use that attaches to a pump (I used medela) and you pump directly into the drop in and freeze it that way. It made it so easy and less clean up! It is also easy to "thaw" the milk that way - just screw it into the bottle and let it sit in a bowl of warm water. It doesn't have to penetrate such a thick bottle to thaw it out and works much quicker!
This bottle was also recommended by LaLeche Legue (when my son was born almost four years ago).

Wait a full month before introducing the bottle to avoid nipple confusion. I've always used glass Evenflo bottles with Gerber stage 1 nipples and never had any trouble. I also don't have to worry about the next plastic "issue" to come about. Just be careful with your glass bottles. They do sell silicone covers to go over them now, or you can buy glass bottles covered in silicone to help prevent breaks. Most of us were raised with glass bottles. They really are the healthiest choice.

Good luck to you! :)

T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com

I used Dr Brown's bottles for both my babies from the start for supplementing with formula. I breastfed both babies for a year and there was never any confusion. I went back to work after my first and stayed home with my second. They worked great for both.

I couldn't live without my video monitor. And if you get Dr. Browns bottles be sure to get the great dishwashing and drying racks specifically for Dr Browns. Much easier after those came out!!

I also used to Playtex dropins and they worked great for us. If you are using the Lansinoh milk storage bags they can be used in the Playtex bottles without the added expense of the liners.

Both mine had a really easy time switching back and forth using the Playtex nurser with the latex (brown) nipple. It is super soft just like the breast. It was the life-saver for me when I was trying to get my preemie off the hospital bottles and to the breast. It was my transition bottle and it really helped him get a feel for softer and it made it much easier for him to take the breast.

And always use a slow flow nipple. I say that because breastfeeding is more work for baby than bottle feeding so by always using a slow flow nipple it keeps things more consistent for baby.

Congratulations on the new baby!

I breastfed my son and when I switched him to milk in the bottle I used the NUK brand bottle. He accepted them very well, and I think they are pretty similar to a breast. They are kinda pricey though. I think its $4 bucks for one or a 3 pack for $12. The nipples also come in assorted sizes by age, so that is a nice feature.

I have worked in a infant room at a daycare center for over 15 years. I see the avent all the time, but in very close second I see the medela bottle. If I were to pick it would be hands down the medela. Almost all the babies who use this use it very well and the ones that were having problems I would suggest this bottle and it always had good results. Hope this info helps you and all goes well. I respect your decision and think its a wise one. I have seen my share of babies who did not get on the bottle soon enough and its hard for everyone involved.

My little girl is doing great with both breast and bottle we use the playtex with inserts. I happen to really like them and so do my kids all three of them have used them from day one. Congrats and best of luck on finding the right bottle for you and yours.

Avent bottles are now BPA free. I just bought one. My daughter preferred those with her other babies.

Bottles are a wonderful thing and dont let anyone tell you other wise!!!! just think daddy can get up in the middle of the night :) the bottles we used and i loved were dr browns bottles. i loved them! we had no gassy tearful babies with them hope this helps! (i breastfed too and no problem with these bottles)

I use Avent:) They are definitely now BPA free and I find the stage 2 nipples work best for my baby. Avent is good because it requires a much stronger sucking reflex than most which is similar to actual nursing.
Also I recommend the Avent Isis duo breast pump...awesome.

I had 2 lactation consultants recommend Breastflow bottles from the First Years. That's what we've used and they've been great. I found the 5oz ones at Target, but I think there are bigger ones also available.

I use the Playtex Drop-ins. I think they work really well. No leaking and my DD switches back and forth between the bottle and breast easily. There is the additional expense of having to buy the inserts though.

I am/was in the same boat. 6.5yo DS and a 8 month old. I have breastfed both, but also work outside the home.

My son DID NOT like the bottles I had so painstaking chosen 7 years ago. We wasted alot of money trying to find ones he would take and ended up using Playtex Nurser (drop-ins). It was a horrible experience and looking back on it, I think one of my big problems was assuming since he took a bottle around 1 month that I could offer it again at 3 months and he would still accept it. He did not and it was a horrible transition.

I started my daughter on the Playtex b/c I already had a bunch of bottles and she had less trouble with the transition. I think it varies from baby to baby. now that she is 8 month, she will take pretty much any bottle nipple...even the cheap 'dollar store' bottles.

My recommendation would be to exclusively breastfeed for 1 month. After that, I would do a bottle every couple of days. IMHO, once a day is overkill if you're just trying to keep her used to the bottle.

PS- The new Avent bottles are BPA-free should you chose them as are all bottles.

Good luck! I am in the trenches with you!!!

Born Free bottles. Wonderful!

With my son, I used Breastflow, but found that they collapsed alot. I planned to get fresh nipples with my daughter, but BRU didn't have them, and I wasn't in the mood to drive all around, so I went to Tommee Tippee. My daughter does great with them, and they are designed for breastfed babies. She has had no problem with confusion, but I would wait before starting the bottle. My daughter had her first at 8 weeks when she went to daycare, and never had a problem.