question for parent's ... re:bottles

[lynetteSC]

UGH! I had no idea there were so many choices for bottles.

I had registered for certain bottles (Avent), then I had to buy a baby gift this past week. The girl had registered for disposable bottles with "drop-in" liners. Those look pretty neat too! Then, I saw the new things called, "Dr. Brown" bottles ... totally confused now!

How did you choose and any suggestions for a totally confused mom to be?

I know that there are pros and cons to both disposable and non disposables. (easy to clean, less air in the bottles, etc)
Just looking for other opinions.
Thanks bunches!

 

[mommytotwo]

I have never used the disposible ones-I had them, but they just seem like to much to hassle with. I have tried using several different ones, but the one that I like best is the Evenflo Ventair. I highly recommend that one as it keeps the air bubbles out. My baby was fussy because of all the air and also cause the regular milk was giving her gas, so we switched her to soy milk. Good luck on your pregnancy.

 

[Desnik]

My son made the choice for me! He had severe reflux so Dr. Brown was the bottle for us, still is! My DD used the angled bottles, forgot which ones! What I have learned from formula feeding is that it makes the baby very gassy and sometimes hard to digest. I'm not sure about breast milk. The reason I bring that up is because I would definately suggest the Dr. Brown bottles for formula feeding. My son did so much better with these bottles. I found this about them:
http://www.handi-craft.com/

 

[ebaynut31]

I used the disposable and regular ones. I got a few different ones and bought more of what worked for me.

 

[chell]

Hey Lynette! I don't know a thing about bottles, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still keeping you and the little one in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[Pooh93]

I used the playtex nursers with the disposable liners. Worked great for us. I remember trying to make those kind of decisions and it can be overwhelming! Good luck.

 

[skuttle]

I've always used Avent w/ DS (he's almost 8 months). He's never had a problem with them at all. Sometimes the baby makes the decision for you, so don't buy too many to start off with. Good luck!

 

[Kimberle]

I STRONGLY recommed you just buy 1 bottle of 3-4 different brands. The baby will choose.

I threw out several hundred dollars worth of Advent bottles because my dd did not like them.

After the baby "chooses", you can buy more.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I used the Playtex disposables with DS. DD was breastfed and NEVER took a bottle. She would starve before she would accept one. LOL!

I agree that you should buy a variety and decide after the baby arrives.

 

[Aristocath]

Well, when DS#1 was born, I tried several different bottles. I breast-fed so he didn't use them very much for the first several months, and when he did, they were filled with breast milk. He showed a preference for Avent bottles and wouldn't even try the Playtex again after a few tries.

With DS#2 and DS#3, I just went straight to Avent. They seemed pretty compatible with breastfeeding. However, regular Avent and the Avent disposables require different nipples. I found that to be a hassle so I gave up on the diposable sytem and just used the regular Avent bottles.

I would not open any feeding sets you get as gifts. Hold on to them and just try a single bottle first to see if baby likes it. Then you can open the set or return them to the store for a different set if need be.

Good luck to you and your precious little one.

 

[crz4mm2]

I used the Breast with DD.

DS had Playtex disposable bottles. THey seemed to work very well and were easy to use. Just throw away the liner when done with it and clean the nipple.

Breast was WAY easier!

Best of luck whichever bottle you choose.

Cathy

 

[Lisa L from MI]

I always used the platex drop ins.....they were WONDERFUL!!! I think it is much easier than having to clean bottles!! And actually, I don't think they had the "drop in" ones when DD#1 had a bottle.....they came out after her.......but they were still great

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

I used the platex disposible bottles and they were great. You didn't have to wash the bottle, just the nipple and it was a time saver. I do agree it is all going to depend on the baby, but I don't think it is so much the actual bottle type, but the nipple type the baby prefers. The platex nursers now come with a pretty large variety of nipple types and you can get a starter kit that has a couple of "bottles" (liner holders) and several different type of nipples to try. The only thing that I thought at first I would like with the disposibles that I ended up hating, was the ones that had the built in "burper". It is a piece of plastic that slides up the side of the bottle that helps burp the bottle. It was very difficult if you needed to burp a bottle that is not full. The best thing I found for that was one of the "wisk" beaters from a mixer.

 

[lynetteSC]

Originally posted by crz4mm2
I used the Breast with DD.

DS had Playtex disposable bottles. THey seemed to work very well and were easy to use. Just throw away the liner when done with it and clean the nipple.

Breast was WAY easier!

Best of luck whichever bottle you choose.

Cathy

Cathy ~ We are adopting, so I can breastfeed (Thanks to modern medicine!). But our dr told me that I would have to supplement with formula even if I did breastfeed. So, that is why we are probably not going that route.

Thanks guys for all the advice. I guess I will just make sure I have a few different types. Great idea about not opening the gift packs until after baby decides.
Thanks!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

If you are going to breastfeed and pump milk - those disposable liner bottles (Playtex) are great. You can just pump right into a sealable bag which will fit into the Playtex bottle.

More important than the bottles themselves are the types of nipples. Have you checked all those out yet? My youngest baby started out with a Medium flow and by the time he was 4 months old or so nothing but a fast flow (usually made even bigger by us to try and satify him) would do.

Anyway, I agree with the others. Don't make a huge investment until you see what the baby wants.

 

[huey duey & luey]

I used the playtex drop ins. LOVED THEM. So easy, so many less bottles to clean. I would clean the nipples and every couple of days throw the bottle into the dishwasher. Great way to save time instead of cleaning a million bottles a day.
tara

 

[browneyes]

My kids made their own choices. My dd loved any kind of bottle, just as long as there wasn't a silicon nipple on it. My ds would gag with regular bottles and I used the playtex nursers with him. I loved the convenience of those nursers. With my dd, I was sterilizing bottles, rings, nipples all the time. With my ds, I just had to sterilize his rings and nipples.

Good luck.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I use the Dr. Brown bottles with my DD. She decided which ones she liked. With DS I used the Playtex and the angled bottles. Good Luck!

 

[kadaten]

I used the NUK nipple on a regular bottle on the advice of my pediatrician and lactation consultant when we started supplementing at 4 months with DD and 6 months with DS.

I was happy with the mainstream bottle/nipple combo for several reasons.....first and foremost, both babies liked them (although DS wouldn't take a silicone nipple). After that important fact, they were less expensive than some of the designer bottles and nipples on the market, and are easier to replace if you need one!! For instance...forgot the bottle one day while traveling on an overnighter. DS is on regular milk so that's easy to get anywhere, but some of the designer bottles you have to find a BabiesRUs to get them! Was able to go to the local grocery store, get a bottle and nipple, and take back to the hotel, clean it and use it!!

I always try them out on the mainstream stuff first, unless there's a medical reason not to. If they don't like the regular stuff, you can try something else!

Great tip earlier about not opening gift sets until the baby has decided what she'll take!!

 

[Kermit]

You probably would have to supplement some if you breastfed. However, it may not be as much as your doctor thinks. Most doctors know very little about breastfeeding. (That's not surprising, since they have lots of other things they need to learn about.) If you really want to know what it would be like, contact a LLL leader in your area. She can at least give you pamphlets and books, and she may be able to get you in contact with someone in your area who has done it.

Since you have a relatively good idea of when the baby will arrive, and since you'll get the baby right away, you could possibly be pretty successful. You'd want to start pumping a few months ahead of time, and you'd want to drink Mother's Milk tea and take some herbal supplements to boost your supply. The acid reflux medication Reglan can also boost your supply. If the birth mom gives the hospital instructions to only feed the baby by cup or syringe, the baby would probably have a really good latch. You might need some supplemental milk (either formula or donated breastmilk), but you could feed that with a supplemental nursing system on your breast until the baby was at least 6 weeks old, so that the baby's latch wouldn't be affected.

I'm just giving you information in case you want it and maybe haven't heard it yet. I think you're giving the baby the best possible start in life by adopting. How you choose to feed is going to have relatively little impact compared to the huge advantage you're offering already. Breastfeeding would be a lot more work in the months leading up to the delivery and in the first month or two while you got your supply established. If you stay at home, breastfeeding would ultimately be more convenient, but it certainly may not be worth all the headaches it could take to get it started.

As for the bottles, call the hospital and see what they use, especially the nipples. You may have to try several types, but the ones they use at the hospital are fairly likely to be well-received.