Choosing bottles and nipples
Experiment to find out what is best for your baby
-Bottles
- Bottles with disposable liners are designed to collapse as a baby sucks, cutting down on air-swallowing that can creates gas.
- Angled bottles help a baby feed in a more upright position to cut down the chance of ear infections and air-swallowing.
- Some baby bottles have a powdered formula space on top of the water compartment; a twist and a shake creates instant formula.
Nipples come in latex or silicone. Latex are more natural and silicone more durable; both last about 3 months.
- A hole that's too small makes a baby work harder which can cause him to tire and give up.
- A hole that's too big can choke a baby if the formula comes out too fast.
- Formula should feel warm, not hot, and flow at one drop per second when the bottle is held upside down over the inside of your wrist.
- Some brands offer newborn nipples, 1 month plus, and 3 months plus sizes.
- Other brands use size 1 for ages 0 to 6 months, size 2 for ages 6 months plus, and size 3 for older babies.
- There are orthodontic nipples with slow, medium, and fast flow nipples in almost every size.
- Experiment, but always use clean bottles and nipples
Adapted from Nurturing with Nutrition by Dr. Melanie Bezarte and Lucille Beseler, RDN
