How Many Bottles Should I Have for Baby
When I was expecting my first infant I felt overwhelmed with the choice of infant strollers, baby carriers, play mats, baby swings… But the pick of babe bottles made me dizzy! In that location are then many types: wide neck, small neck, for colic, for gas, for upright feeding, made from drinking glass or silicone and and so on! "How to choose the best ane and actually how many bottles exercise I need?!" – I nonetheless remember how concerned I felt.
If you feel this way too – this article is for you! I'm going to share with you the results of my LONG research. I will requite y'all the answers y'all demand to choose the right baby bottle for your child!
This article is Not a substitute for medical advice or care
When it comes to feeding your baby, using a bottle can be a vital part of the routine. Although some mommies want to breastfeed exclusively, information technology is non always possible. The reason for that may be a decorated work schedule, or the need for formula supplementation.
Making certain your baby has the right bottles is very important since not all bottles are created equal, and you may need more than 1. Besides, each baby has dissimilar preferences and may be even picky almost specific bottles!
When you're searching for infant bottles for your little package of joy, there are many factors to consider, such as different sizes, variety of styles and shapes, type of fabric they are made of, the shape of the nipple, and of course, the cost.
In this post I volition share virtually of import information virtually babe bottles and nipples: how many bottles you actually demand to buy, what types of bottles you should choose and what additional gear yous volition need for bottle-feeding at home and on-the-get.
Keep on reading and yous'll larn everything!
How Many Infant Bottles Do I Need?
How many bottles you buy volition depend on just two factors: if y'all intend to breastfeed your baby and only occasionally need bottles, or if you are going exclusively use bottles. If you lot are breastfeeding, you will probably need just 3 or 4 baby bottles.
If you are going the canteen-feeding route, eight to x baby bottles should do the play tricks. Go on in heed that yous won't need all of them right away – baby bottles need regular replacement (more than on that after) and you will need to change the bottles and nipples every bit the babe grows and his/her needs and appetite change.
Now proverb that yous will need those item amounts, yous might demand to buy a few bottles at the offset as testers, before yous detect the i your baby prefers. Babies that are breastfed tend to be a little more picky when it comes fourth dimension to utilise a canteen, so you may have to endeavour a couple more with exclusively bottle-fed babies.
Babe bottles come in two bones sizes:
- small (4- or v-ounces)
- large (8- or ix-ounces)
If you want to canteen-feed your newborn baby start with the small bottles (4oz.) and become 3 or 4 of them. They are easier for the baby'southward little hands to grip. Besides, newborns eat less than older babies.
After near iv months switch to 8- or ix-ounces bottles. Depending on how long y'all plan on bottle feeding, you lot may need iv-7 bigger bottles.
Types Of Baby Bottle
There are 5 unlike types of material that bottles are made from. Most commonly used are drinking glass and plastic, followed by silicone, disposable and stainless, which are not as standard and tin be harder to discover.
Glass Infant Bottle
Drinking glass bottles are more pop again and many baby canteen brands offer their top-selling models not but in plastic, but as well in glass now.
Parents who worry virtually chemicals independent in plastic, often choose glass bottle for their babies.
They last longer, don't stain or warp with repeated heating and cooling, and they are better to become a deeper cleaning.
However, glass bottles are usually more expensive and heavier for your baby to hold. You likewise have to exist conscientious about a glass canteen chipping or shattering if dropped (*there are silicone sleeves you can purchase to help reduce the risk of breaking and harming the baby or you).
LittleBabyGear Choice: The best glass babe canteen is Philips Avent Natural
Plastic Baby Bottles
Plastic is probably the most popular material for babe bottles. Even though in that location has been controversy around plastic baby bottles, majority of brands offering this type of bottles and they are easiest to find at low toll.
Plastic bottles are more lightweight, won't shatter if dropped, and costs less than bottles fabricated of other materials.
The downside is that plastic bottles can warp and breakup with repeated heating, so you volition take to supervene upon them more than oftentimes.
On top of that, people tend to worry about BPA, the chemical that had to be used to harden plastics, which turned out to disrupt the natural balance of baby'south endocrine organizationone. Recall that in 2012 FDA banned using BPA in baby bottles, also as sippy cupsii. You should always make sure the bottle (and other stuff) you're buying for your baby is BPA-free and BPS-complimentary.
LittleBabyGear Pick: The best plastic baby bottle (BPA-free) is Nanobebe
Are glass baby bottles better than plastic?
The answer is that one is non necessarily better than the other. Both types have some advantages and limitations, which I've mentioned above.
Some parents prefer glass bottles for being chemical-free and for their longer usability, fifty-fifty though they are heavier and prone to breaking. Others choose BPA-costless plastic bottles because they are lighter for infant to concord, usually more than affordable, even though you demand to replace them frequently considering they crack from regular heating.
Silicone Babe Bottles
Silicone bottles are a not bad option equally they are lightweight, don't pause, chemic-free, easy for your baby to grip, and they are see through.
The unfortunate part is the price, and at present the choice is express.
Nevertheless, in the last few years silicone baby bottles are getting actually popular equally a lighter culling to glass bottles, and more healthy alternative to plastic bottles.
LittleBabyGear Choice: The best silicone baby bottle is Olababy GentleBottle
Disposable Baby Bottles
Disposable bottles are really plastic bottles with a disposable sterilized liner. These liners work great for preventing gas and colic because they plummet equally your baby drinks which reduces gassiness.
They are quick and easy to use if you are on-the-go. Merely they are non eco-friendly, and replacing them after each use is not pocket-friendly in the long run.
LittleBabyGear Selection: The best disposable babe bottle is Playtex Babe Nurser with Drop-ins Liners
Stainless Steel Baby Bottles
Stainless steel bottles last forever, are lightweight, don't intermission, and are chemical-free.
Unfortunately, stainless steel bottles are more expensive and harder to detect, at least right now. Besides, yous cannot see into them, then you don't know how much your infant has had.
Stainless steel can hold heat, therefore make sure to choose a silicone sleeve for the bottle for infant's and your safety.
LittleBabyGear Choice: The best stainless steel babe bottle is Pura Kiki Infant Bottle
How To Choose The Right Infant Bottle In 2022?
Many important factors will become into your choice of which baby bottle volition exist the right one for your baby.
ane. Textile
Whether information technology will exist glass, plastic, stainless, or silicone, always make sure they are BPA-costless and phthalates-free.
As you could encounter in the previous paragraph, the material of the canteen is a crucial thing, only there are likewise other important factors that you lot should consider when picking the bottle for your baby.
2. Size
It is always a expert thought to kickoff with a smaller 4oz or 5oz bottle. As your infant grows and starts to need more than milk/formula, switch to a larger size. Every infant is different, so it volition depend not only on their age, but also on their tummy, and their preferences.
iii. Shape
On the marketplace there are two types of bottles when information technology comes to their shape: standard and angled bottles. Standard bottles are for feeding your baby in a more than laying down position, such every bit cradled in your arms. Keep in mind that yous should never feed your baby in fully flat position!
On the other mitt, angled bottles are designed for semi-upright position when feeding, and they tend t work well in reducing gas and colic, also equally preventing ear infection.
Information technology'due south noteworthy, that there are also bottles shaped like a breast ( Nanobebe bottles ). They are best for breastfed babies, as they facilitate the transition from breast to bottle.
4. Bottle Neck
There are wide and narrow necked bottles. Narrow neck bottles are the standard and tend to work fine for most bottle-fed babies. Commonly they have up less space in your diaper bag.
Wide cervix bottles are meant to simulate the natural shape of mommy'south breast and tend to adapt breastfed or fussy babies improve. Plus they are easier to clean.
5. Venting System
These are special systems designed to help reduce the chances of your baby swallowing air equally they feed which will in plow reduce the chances of wind, colic, and acid reflux.
The venting systems tin can be designed as part of the bottle or in the nipple.
Dr. Brown's Canteen is in my stance the all-time brand when information technology comes to anti-colic baby bottles. The Natural Catamenia Options+ with built-in venting system is probably the best anti-colic bottle , that besides reduces the hazard of gassiness in babies. Unfortunately, the venting system inside the bottle makes it a bit harder to make clean.
Moreover, having a venting system in your bottle may crusade your bottle to leak if not cleaned or put together properly.
Despite that, it is still recommended to have one for the benefit and comfort of your infant to aid prevent current of air and colic (not to mention you may get more hours of sleep).
vi. Ease Of Cleaning
The shape is not only important for the ease of holding the canteen in modest hands, simply also for the ease of cleaning. Wide cervix bottles are in general easier to make clean.
Thanks to broad opening, you can fit a standard brush in them. The narrow-neck and oddly shaped bottles might require their ain special cleaning castor. Hence, the cost may add up.
Moreover, the fewer parts the canteen has, the easier it is to clean.
7. Compatibility With Chest Pump
This is something you only realize when you kickoff pumping your milk. It is so convenient to be able to limited the milk straight into the bottle and then give it to your hungry baby or store in the fridge. It's a time-saver and makes mom life so much easier!
If yous can't breastfeed your infant, simply still want to serve them the breast milk, using the chest pump is your solution.
In that instance making sure the baby bottle is compatible with your breast pump should be on height of your listing.
Some canteen brands only work with that particular make of pump, while other bottles are compatible with a multifariousness of other chest pump brands (for example, Nanobebe offers adapter for all standard and popular breast pumps like Spectra, Ameda, Lansinoh etc.)
8. Nipples
Only like the bottles vary, nipples also come up in different sizes, menses rates, materials, and designs. Bottle nipples are an integral part of the feeding process, and your baby will permit yous know whether he/she is happy or not with your choice.
Material
Most nipples are made of silicone that can withstand oestrus. Silicone bottle nipples are firmer but flexible. There are also softer latex nipples merely these may cause allergic reactions.
Flow
It is recommended to kickoff with a dull menses nipple since it mimics the flow rate of your breast. It's best for newborns and immature infants as information technology is adapted to their swallow capabilities, and can aid avoid choking from too much milk. Diverse brands have different names for the menstruation rate, but usually the deadening flow is called stage 1.
If you lot are finding your babe fussy, because they are not getting enough milk, endeavor a medium flow nipple (stage 2). As your baby'south appetite grows, move on to fast flow nipple (stage 3-4).
By the way, some brands too offering special nipples for preemies.
Keep in mind that each brand has their ain drove of nipples with different flow rates and the age recommendations may vary. Here are Nanobebe canteen nipples as an example:
Ever make sure the nipple flow is proper non only for your baby's age, but also preferences. As well fast flow may lead to choking, overeating, acid reflux, wind and colic. If the flow is as well slow, baby volition get frustrated and lots of air bubbles will get into their tummy (leading to colic or other tummy pains).
Size
Nipples come up in different sizes, depending on the canteen neck. If you take a wide-cervix bottle, you will need broad nipples. If your bottles has narrow neck, you will need narrow nipples.
Shape
You will find 3 unlike choices in the shapes. These include:
- Orthodontic – narrow in the heart but wider at the tip and base, so they fit in the oral cavity amend.
- Standard – tall and dome-shaped.
- Ergonomic – designed to mimic the shape of a breast.
In that location are too dissimilar nipples specially designed for preemies, as well as babies with crack palate.
Nipples will wear out in time, especially once the teeth outset coming. Y'all should replace them ofttimes as they crack, start to leak, discolor, or effectually every 2-3 months (although some experts recommend to change them even every 2-3 weeks).
Always replace bottles/nipples that show signs of wear, are cracked, don't work properly and / or aroma bad.
How Long Exercise Baby Bottles Final?
Stainless steel, silicone, and glass baby bottles final for a very long time and only really need to exist replaced if they are damaged. You lot volition have to pay close attending to drinking glass bottles because they are more prone to chipping.
Plastic infant bottles should exist replaced virtually every two-three months. If they get damaged, discolored, or outset to smell bad, you should replace them immediately. Cheque all your bottle-feeding equipment regularly to make sure everything is in a good shape and works properly.
How To Make clean Baby Bottles?
Here is some happy news! Y'all don't need to sterilize baby bottles every time you use them. Y'all can practice this for the first few months, but as your infant 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 quondam, you may need to sanitize bottles daily or more ofttimes3. Consult this with your pediatrician, depending on your babe's health condition.
When cleaning your baby's bottles and nipples, or annihilation in the feeding procedure, use a separate tub or basin (so they don't touch the sink) using a specific infant bottle brush. Rinse them thoroughly in warm water and let them completely air dry, practice not utilise a towel to wipe them. The other way is to utilize the dishwasher with the special basket for all bottle parts.
Gear That Y'all Will Need For Bottle-Feeding At Home
So at present that y'all take your bottles and nipples picked out, what volition you need to maintain them? Here is a list of items that will assist you take care of your baby bottles and save you time as well.
Canteen Warmer
These are very helpful in that it takes less time to warm the bottle. They can have timers to let you know when the bottle is gear up. Some even have an machine turn off, which is a great rubber feature.
Bottle Sterilizer
Simply put, bottle sterilizers work better and faster (specially microwave sterilizers) than using boiling water. The steam gets hotter than humid water and kills more than bacteria and mold. Humid a bottle can make bottles breakdown faster or warp, and some are merely unsafe to boil (east.g plastic bottles may cook down).
Bottle & Nipple Brushes
Getting yourself a set of brushes will make the cleaning process a lot easier and more thorough. Some bottles and nipples require specific brushes that you tin can buy as a set with your bottles.
Drying Racks
These specialized racks are designed to brand sure all your bottles and accessories dry properly. It is considered a good practice non to mix your normal dishes with your baby'due south, and normal dish racks are non designed to hold baby bottles and nipples properly.
Dishwasher Basket
Using a dishwasher to clean your baby's bottles and nipples is fine as long as they are marked as "dishwasher safe" and it is best to put all parts in a baby bottle basket. The baskets are designed to maximize cleaning and drying, and they proceed all the parts together. You lot should as well try to apply natural detergent instead of your regular i.
Burp Cloths
Information technology'due south all-time to burp the baby after or even mid-feed, to avert wind and colic. If you worry almost spit-up stains on your clothes, go a few burp cloths. They are especially useful when feeding on-the-go.
And just in example, here are some tips for removing tough baby stains from dress .
Nursing Pillow Or Comfortable Chair
Information technology is of import not just for your babe simply for you as well to be every bit comfortable equally possible when feeding your baby. Nursing pillows are designed to keep your baby in a better position for feeding while maintaining a proficient condolement level.
Comfortable chairs are sometimes overlooked, but they can make all the difference in the earth, whether yous're exclusively bottle-feeding or mixing breast and canteen. Some things to look at are: rocking function, supportive and padded armrests (baby will get heavier soon), footrest, stain-resistant fabric.
Bottle Gear For Canteen-Feeding On The Go
Of class, y'all can't stay home all the time, so make sure your bottles tin can stay cold, and exist warmed upward when needed.
Insulated Canteen Bags
To go along them common cold, use a infant canteen insulator bag, one that keeps them cold for at least 3 hours.
Travel Bottle Warmer
For warming your bottles, in that location are portable canteen warmers that work with a USB, car adapter, or rechargeable batteries similar The Infant's Brew.
Bones Information Almost Canteen-Feeding
It's a practiced idea to start introducing a bottle to your baby between 3 and vi weeks of age. Afterward that, it may exist a little more than difficult to get your baby into using a bottle. Recall that your babe gets to decide the right bottle for him/her. If your lilliputian one is fussy because he/she is trying besides hard to suck, or fifty-fifty worse, is choking considering the milk flows as well fast, you should consider trying a different bottle or nipple.
You don't accept to warm milk before feeding, equally some babies like lukewarm milk too, but most volition want it most the same temperature as mommy's breast milk.
And so if you give baby freshly expressed milk, y'all don't demand to warm it, but if you take stored it in the refrigerator, warming it up to 98°
Well-nigh newborns will want to feed every 2 to iii hours or 8 to 12 times a day. Every bit your infant grows (1+ months), this volition commonly lessen to seven to 9 times a day.
Finally, remember you but get to choose how many bottles and what other items to use, only your baby gets the terminal decision on which bottles they desire.
>> Read more about bottle-feeding and how to bargain with canteen refusal
The purpose of this article is informative. It'due south non a substitute for medical consultation or medical intendance. Remember: safety first! Consult your doctor/pediatrician in case of any doubts. The author of this commodity does not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or take chances, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence, straight or indirectly, from whatever information or advice independent here.
Source of pictures:
Pictures of baby bottles and bottle gear vest to specific brands. Sources: Nuk, Philips Avent, Nanobebe, Comotomo, Olababy, Dr. Brown'due south , Medela, PopYum, Playtex Infant, Tommee Tippee, Pura, Oxo, The Baby's Mash.
Howdy Moms! I am Zooey. I am a wife and a mother of three amazing kids: almost 5-year-old Haley and 2-year-quondam twins Jesse and Matthew. I am a jogger, cooker and blogger.
If you have a question or a comment, do not hesitate to write to me! 🙂
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