Finding the right kind of baby bottles and nipples for your baby should be simple right? If you believe so then think again. For most parents, it’s a challenging search hunt that involves the elimination of different types of bottles till you find the one which your baby approves.
Ultimately, it will be the choice of your baby, so be ready to try different ones as you won’t know which your baby will like until he tries it. Here we are providing some important information that will help you in selecting the right kind of baby bottles and nipples for your baby.
In This Article
How To Select The Right Nipple For My Baby?
Please keep in mind that in the majority of the cases regarding nipples and bottles –the baby is the decision maker, it’s your baby who will decide the right kind of nipple and bottle for him, you are just a buyer, so it’s best to buy different types of bottles such as angled top or drop in insert belonging to different brand names.
The first step in buying the right nipple is to see which nipple your baby can adapt to most easily. Once it’s decided, you can go ahead with the selection of the bottles and bottle accessories you need. While buying the nipple – shape, size, and speed of flow are the most important things to match with your baby’s suckling, so it’s vital to try out the different types to find the right one.
1. Material Of The Nipple
Nipples are usually made of latex or silicone.
Latex nipples
Latex nipples are soft, good for embracing the stench of milk and are more supple but they have one drawback as well- they are likely to wear our more quickly. Also in some cases, babies are found to be allergic to them.
Silicone nipples
Silicon nipples are stronger instead of soft due to which their life is much longer as compared to the latex nipple. They are easier to clean as they tend to hold their shape and makes it possible for us to clean them properly
2. Sizes Of Nipples
It’s important to determine the right size of hole for your baby’s nipple as securing a wrong size may cause too rapid or too sluggish flow of milk. The baby can also swallow too much air while sucking and this can make him a colicky. The size of the hole is the important factor which decides the flow of milk for your baby and nipples usually come with labeled sizes.
- Size one For newborns up to the age of 6 months. They usually have very small hole particularly designed for the need of your baby
- Size two For babies who are older than months and have larger holes in it to suit their needs
3. Special Nipples
There are a few special nipples designed for preterm babies so if your baby was born early, then manufacturers have also taken care of it.
4. Disposable Nipples
If you are travelling and know you would not be able to clean the nipples, your best pick would be to stock on disposable nipples. You can discard them after one use
5. Shape of Nipple
The perfect nipple will let the few drops of milk to fall out when the bottle is turned upside down and after that flow should stop. Make sure that the flow of milk for your baby is appropriate. If you think that your baby is sucking too hard or the flow is too much that he is spluttering the milk out then it means you should change the size of nipple from what you have already chosen for your baby.
Dome Shaped Nipple
Usually, most of the nipples are of dome shape and are easily available. They are also known as standard nipples or traditional nipples.
Orthodontic Nipples
They are asymmetrical in shape and are specially designed according to shape of your baby’s mouth- arched top, rounded lip rest in middle, and wider at the bottom. The special design of this nipple is famous for reducing the amount of air your baby takes in while he is taking his feeding.
Flat Topped Nipples
If you intend to alternate between the breast and the bottle, then flat-topped nipples may be a good choice as they feel more like a mother’s breasts
Though babies largely decide which bottle and nipple they would like to drink from, you will have to check for the cleaning and small parts that they are comprised of.
How To Select The Right Bottle For My Baby?
You will find plenty of bottles in the market with different designs and styles like right-angled bottles – for less air; standard straight design, streamlined bottles, plastic bottles, and glass bottles. Before you decide to buy one for your baby, it’s important to understand what each option has to offer you or your baby.
1. Shapes Of Bottles
The shape of the bottle is one of the main criteria to consider:
Standard Baby Bottles
They are the most commonly used and readily available bottles in the market which either come with a narrow neck or wider neck. The narrow-neck bottles can be more difficult to clean and more problematic to fill than the wide-necked versions. These types of bottles are the most economical and can easily fit into your budget.
Right Angled or Bent Bottles
These types of bottles are usually designed to reduce the amount of air a baby takes in during his feeding time. These bottles can also be difficult to clean and it’s not essential that its anti-colic effect will work for your baby
2. Bottles With Disposable Liners
These kind of bottles are costlier but are easy to clean as they come in a flexible plastic bag which is discarded after one use
3. Self-Sterilizing Baby Bottles
As suggested by their name, they don’t require any additional equipment for sterilizing but yes for sterilizing them you do need a microwave at home. If you have one, then go for it else please add up the cost of the microwave as well for cleaning purposes.
4. Material Of The Bottle
Long ago one had only glass bottles to choose from, and that too in not many shapes or sizes. However, with plastics taking on our lives, there are now a variety of bottles to choose from.
Glass Bottles
They are heavy, non-travel friendly, can get easily shattered. But they are easy to clean and most importantly, are chemical free, also they can have a long life if handled with care, so can be cost-effective in the long run
Plastic Bottles
Plastic bottles come in varied shapes and sizes, and you will have plenty of options to choose from. Plastic bottles are unbreakable, lightweight, and travel-friendly, but it’s important to replace them regularly and they should be free of harmful chemical BPA. Stick to the ones that are ‘BPA Free’ and replace them regularly.
Are plastics safe for your baby? Find out here.
Size Of The Bottle
Buy smaller bottles when your baby is small but you have to replace them with the larger bottle as your baby grows older and he needs more feeding. And while choosing the bottle you can also look for bottles, which are easy to carry for traveling purposes, just make sure whether they will fit in your baby bag or not.
If in case you are thinking about using a breast pump then it’s advisable to buy bottles of the same brand as your breast pump. It can make your life easier and you can directly express your milk into the bottle. One less thing to wash! The number of bottles that you will need should be from 4 bottles to about 10-12, depending on whether you are exclusively bottle feeding or are alternating between the bottle and the breast.
Before starting bottle feeding, please remember feeding from baby bottles and nipples will be a learning process for your baby too, so please don’t force the baby to take the nipple or bottle. Babies most of the time respond to such types of baby bottles and nipples which gives them the feel of nursing so that they can find same the contentment in bottle feeding.
