What Bottles Should I Buy For My Newborn

Can Baby Bottles Be Reused Or Donated

Baby bottles are safe and easy to reuse or donate as long as they dont have any cracks or missing parts. All you have to do is sterilize them thoroughly.

If you dont have another child you can save the bottles for, consider contacting your local womens or refugee shelter to see if they are in need of bottles.

Bottles For The Formula Fed Baby

If your baby is on formula from birth, it can really vary how many bottles youll use. Youll need to take two things into consideration when deciding how many bottles youll need:-

How often you plan to wash and sterilise bottles AND whether you will be making up a lot of bottles in advance or simply making one immediately prior to feeds.

• For the stay at home baby: As a mimimum its a good idea to have three, although the above factors will probably influence how many you need. If you do plan to make bottles ahead, buy one for every two and a half hours.
• For the baby that goes to day care or sitters: Youll need at least one for every two and a half hours, plus some spares at home if youre too busy or not in the mood to clean and sterilise some. Most carers require bottles to be premade.

How Long Do Baby Bottles Last

Stainless steel, silicone, and glass baby bottles last for a very long time and only really need to be replaced if they are damaged. You will have to pay close attention to glass bottles because they are more prone to chipping.

Plastic baby bottles should be replaced about every 2-3 months. If they get damaged, discolored, or start to smell bad, you should replace them immediately. Check all your bottle-feeding equipment regularly to make sure everything is in a good shape and works properly.

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How To Clean Baby Bottles

Here is some happy news! You dont need to sterilize baby bottles every time you use them. You can do this for the first few months, but as your baby grows, you only need to sanitize every few days. However, according to CDC if your baby was born prematurely, has some medical condition or is less than 3 months old, you may need to sanitize bottles daily or more often3. Consult this with your pediatrician, depending on your babys health condition.

When cleaning your babys bottles and nipples, or anything in the feeding process, use a separate tub or basin using a specific baby bottle brush. Rinse them thoroughly in warm water and let them completely air dry, do not use a towel to wipe them. The other way is to use the dishwasher with the special basket for all bottle parts.

What If They Wont Take The Bottle

Generally, feeding via bottle comes very easily to infants, says Gary Reschak, M.D., a pediatrician at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. The vast majority of babies will take bottles without much difficulty. If you plan to formula feed or give baby pumped breast milk from the start, Reschak says it should be relatively easy. But, if you were to switch to bottle feeding after having previously been breastfeeding, babies will sometimes be more hesitant to take the bottle but will usually come around without significant difficulty, he says.

If your baby is pushing back on bottle feeding, Lussier recommends that you keep trying. She adds, Many breastfeed babies dont take it the first time. She also advises against doing back-to-back bottle feedings, but to continue to try again in a day or two if youre not successful at first. Some babies try, and then theyll acquiesce, she says.

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When Will My Baby Need A Bottle

The truth is, there is no right or wrong answer. Every mom and baby is different.

You can breastfeed exclusively for the first six months before introducing solid foods. You can also use formula in a bottle from the day they are born. What you choose is up to your health, what your baby needs, and your personal preferences.

Bottles provide freedom to a new mom, especially after breastfeeding has been established. Being able to leave your milk for your baby with a different caregiver allows you to go back to work, go shopping, or simply have a break.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, its best to try and have your child weaned from the bottle by the time they turn one. The older your child gets, the harder it will be for them to give up the bottle.

When Baby Doesnt Finish The Bottle Or Goes To Sleep While Feeding

Dont worry if your baby doesnt finish the bottle. Babies are very good at judging how much they need, so you can let your baby decide when theyve had enough infant formula or breastmilk.

If your baby goes to sleep during a feed, put baby over your shoulder, rub their back, and stroke their head, legs and tummy. This can help to wake your baby up. A nappy change is a good way to wake your baby up if that doesnt work.

Wait until your baby is properly awake before offering the rest of the formula or breastmilk.

Always throw away any leftover infant formula or breastmilk after one hour. Storing half-empty bottles for future use is risky because they get contaminated quickly once theyve been sucked on.

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When Should I Throw Away My Babys Bottle

If you notice that your babys bottle is damaged, scratched or cracked, its a good idea to replace it.

Its also recommended that babies stop drinking from bottles with teats by the time they are one year old as drinking through a teat leaves the teeth coated in milk and can lead to tooth decay . Read more about this here.

This page was last reviewed in December 2021

Nuk Simply Natural Baby Bottle Best Cheap Bottle For Baby

NUK bottle has a simple design, and a unique nipple with multiple tiny holes, instead of just one. Destined to mimic the flow of milk from the breast, it offers the natural feeding experience. The best part is that NUK Simply Natural bottles are inexpensive, and if you decide to get them as a bulk, the price will be even more pocket-friendly.

The nipple is soft and flexes just like moms breast majority of babies find it simple to adapt, with the risk of nipple confusion being minimized.

The flexible nipple helps the baby latch on easily, not to mention the tongue can move as it would do at the breast. There is a slow flow nipple with three holes, recommended for newborns. For older babies, there are other nipples available, with six and nine holes.

The advanced anti-colic air vent protects against air ingestion. This baby bottles works great for both formula and breast milk.

NUK bottle and its nipple are also easy to clean. Its made of BPA-free plastic, and according to many parents it feels very durable, thick and sturdy not cheap at all!

Make sure to get the right nipple flow some parents say the slow flow with 3 holes may be too fast for a newborn baby.

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Why Trust Verywell Family

Rachel Sokol is a freelance journalist and an NYC-based mom.

Lainey Younkin, MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian and toddler mom who breastfed both of her babies for more than one year. She contributed to some of the product copy, as well as What to Look For. She interviewed her trusted colleague, Cindy Scott, RD, CLC, registered dietitian and certified lactation consultant, who specializes in feeding babies, for the most up-to-date, evidence-based feeding recommendations for babies who are breastfed and also taking bottles.

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Recommended Buy: Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Bottle

I like the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles. – Mumsnet user

This entry-level crowd-pleaser continues to be a bestseller. Widely available, brilliantly inexpensive and supported by the vast Tommee Tippee ecosystem.

The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature isnt trying to reinvent the wheel, just provide a decent bottle experience at a price affordable for most families. On those terms, it continues to succeed very well its available at a huge variety of retailers, including most supermarkets, and six medium-sized bottles will set you back no more than your fortnightly nappy bill.

More good news the wide bottle neck and built-in collar and teat make it easy to assemble and make up a feed. Its dishwasher-safe, it’s compatible with the Tommee Tippee range of breast pumps and sterilisers also widely available and relatively inexpensive and its curved shape makes it equally easy to hold and to hand wash.

Its available in three sizes and four teat flows, making it easy to personalise. The teat has an anti-colic vent and is designed to help the transition between breast and bottle.

Its not as sturdy as its more expensive rivals, including the Lansinoh and the Hegen. Volume markings started to come off during our sponge scrubbing test and the drop test made a large mess on our testers kitchen floor. The BPA-free plastic also feels a little thinner than other bottles, which makes it hard to hold when very hot.

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How To Transition To A Bottle

It is common practice for a mom to start off breastfeeding and then slowly transition to a bottle as their child grows. This process can be tricky!

Here are five tips to help you make the transition:

• Use breast milk inside the bottle. If youre transitioning to formula starting off with your milk in the bottle helps the baby use the bottle because its milk they are used to.
• Find a bottle with a slow-flow nipple. These are designed to imitate the suckling effect during breastfeeding and prevent nipple confusion.
• Find a bottle with a wider base. It will feel more like your breast and be easier to latch on to.
• Choose a bottle made of soft silicone or one that has a silicone cover. Your baby is used to your soft skin and silicone can help replicate that experience.
• Choose relaxed feedings to try a bottle. If your baby is super fussy and upset, they may be more likely to reject a bottle. Choose a time when theyre more relaxed and happy.

If your baby constantly rejects bottles, try looking at both the bottle itself and whats inside it. You may have to try a few different bottles to find one your baby likes.

Something to consider for your registry is a baby bottle sample pack.

The Best Baby Bottles For Breastfed Babies 2022

Whichever way you choose to feed your baby, at some point you’re likely to feed them using a bottle. Whether you’re sharing the night feeds, or that back-to-workdate is looming, sticking with breast milk or moving on to a formula, introducing a baby bottle successfully is important.

Making sure we choose the right bottle for our babies is vital, but with so many different baby bottles to choose from, finding the right one is often troublesome. We’ve made a list of our top baby bottles on the market, and answered some key questions about bottle-feeding.

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Best Overall: Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Baby Bottle

• Three-in-one design

• Measurements on bottle may diminish over time

• Glass may shatter if placed in freezer

• Some bottles may leak on baby during feeding

What do buyers say? 90% of 1,600+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.

With a combination of flexibility, affordability, and ease, the Tommee Tippee bottles earned our top pick and are some of the best on the market for bottle feeding. Theyre BPA-free and ergonomically designed, making for an easy clean for parents and an easy latch for babies.

Tommee Tippee bottles are also curved, allowing babies to hold onto them easily on their own, while their rims are small enough that brushes dont get caught on the sides. They come in either a 5-ounce or 9-ounce size so you can choose an option that works for your feeding needs. And because they only have a few parts, cleanup is low-maintenance and straightforward.

Material: Glass | Capacity: 5 or 9 ounces | Age Range: Newborn and up

What People Think About It

Ashley B!

Our little one ended up preferring the Herobility bottle which I wouldnt have found without this Bottle Box. However, the numbers wore off as another user said and the bottles are from Sweden. I just ordered bottles to be shipped internationally which seemsodd? Its inconvenient that they arent sold in the US but Babylist includes them.

Kayla T!

We LOVED this sample box. It had several bottles that we were interested in trying for our breastfed baby, but didn’t want to invest in until we knew he liked them. Since we were very rarely using a bottle for the first six months, the sample box worked perfectly for our needs and helped us find the bottle that worked best for our family. HIGHLY recommend.

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Can Baby Bottles Cause Ear Infections

Bottles themselves dont cause ear infections. However, your baby may get one if they use a bottle while theyre flat on their backs. This is because the milk may enter the eustachian tube, a canal that connects the ear and the throat, increasing your babys risk of infection .

Prevent ear infections by keeping your baby as upright as possible when they use a bottle, especially if theyre self-feeding.

How Do I Make Up A Bottle

If youre expressing breastmilk into a bottle, it can be used to feed your baby immediately or stored for later use. The NHS mandates that breastmilk can be kept in a fridge at 4°C or lower for four days . It can also be frozen and kept for up to six months.

When defrosting breastmilk, its best to do it slowly in a fridge though, if you cant wait, you can hold it under warm running water or put it in a jug of warm water. You can warm up fridge-cold milk the same way if your baby prefers it warm. Once defrosted, any leftovers cant be kept for later or refrozen.

If you’re formula feeding, boil fresh tap water and leave it to cool a little before pouring into the clean, sterilised bottle. Follow the manufacturers instructions exactly to add the right amount of powder, then put on the teat and lid and shake to combine. You can cool the bottle so its safe to drink by standing it in cold water or holding it under cold running water with the lid on. Dont use bottled or reboiled water and dont make up more than one feed at once.

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How To Choose Which Baby Bottle To Use

Are you trying to work out which bottle you should use for your bottle-fed baby? Baby nurse expert Rowena Bennett explores the different types of bottles available and the difference they can make to feeding your baby.

My mum snuck cereal into my babys bottle

Are you trying to work out which bottle you should use for your bottle-fed baby? Baby nurse expert Rowena Bennett explores the different types of bottles available and the difference they can make to feeding your baby.

A generation ago, parents got to choose between glass or plastic bottles, and whether they wanted these in the large or small size. That was about as far as their options extended. As a parent of a bottle-fed baby today, you get to choose from a smorgasbord of different infant feeding bottles. You undoubtedly want to make the best choice for your baby, but deciding what that might be is no easy task.

Baby bottles come in many materials, shapes, designs, features, colours and sizes with price tags that vary significantly. Lets take a look at the options available.

Best Baby Bottles Of 2022

No two moms are the same, and neither are their babies. We all have different needs when it comes to feeding our little ones, but wherever you are, theres a bottle to make your life easier.

Whether you plan to breastfeed, stick to formula, or use a combination of both, baby bottles are sure to become an essential part of your everyday life and theres a whole world of choice out there!

Will you go with glass, plastic, silicone, or even stainless steel? What nipple size will work best for your babys stage of development? How can you clean and store baby bottles properly?

If these questions feel overwhelming, I get it. Well answer all these and more, plus show you the 11 best baby bottles we could find to keep your little one happy, healthy, and strong.

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How Many Baby Bottles Should I Buy Before My Baby Is Born

The general rule for the number of baby bottles you will need ranges from 4 to 12, depending on whether you will use formula, or you will breast feed. It will be best to have at least 8-10 bottles on hand before your baby is born.

You will want to start with five-ounce bottles and then move to eight-ounce bottles until the baby is about four months old.

Once the baby reaches four months, you will need to buy larger bottles to accommodate the childs growing appetite.

Formula or Breast Feeding If you plan to use formula for your baby, you will need to consider how often you plan to wash and sterilize the bottles.

You will also want to determine if you will prepare bottles in advance or make them as you need them.

Even if you plan to breastfeed, you will need bottles on hand, especially if you plan to return to work while you are still breastfeeding.

The First Months

In the first few months, you should plan to feed your baby every two to three hours if you are breastfeeding, including the overnight hours.

If you are breastfeeding, you may find that the child eats more often than a child who is formula-fed.

As your baby grows, the nutrients in your breast milk changes to ensure that the child is getting what they need to grow.

If you are not able to breastfeed, use a breast pump to maintain your breast supply. Store it at the appropriate temperature in bottles.

Bottles Needed for First Few Months

This means you may need larger bottles.