We are due with our second baby girl in June 2010, and can't wait to meet her! :) I breastfed our first child, Emma Kate, mostly exclusively, but she had to have bottles while I was at work (I went back when she was 8 weeks). Our new little one, Rylie, will be about the same age when I'll have to go back to work... I know... breaks my heart.
Anyway, we used Avent bottles with Emma, and she did ok with them, but we had a few bouts of nipple confusion along the way, which I think contributed to having to quit breastfeeding before I wanted to - I think because of stress, I lost my milk supply around 7 months. My nipples are pretty flat, which made it tough, but she finally got it... and then the bottles made her not want to work for it. I am researching other bottles for little Rylie, and becoming overwhelmed by all of the options!
I am wondering if the Avent bottles' nipples are too long to be compatible with me. I am finding Nuby's Natural Touch and The First Years' Breastflow bottles to have shorter nipples and a breast-like shape... and they are both BPA free - which is important (wasn't a known issue when Emma was born in 2006).
Has anyone had experience with either of these bottles, or have any suggestions? I would love your advice! :)
Thank you!
Emma (and Rylie)'s Mommy
My son is 6 weeks old, and exclusively breast fed, however, we introduced a bottle at 4 weeks so we could have an occasional night out eventually. We tried a couple, and he'd only take the Dr.Browns bottles. I also have a 2.5 year old son, who was the same way. I don't know how much they "resemble the breast", but they both seemed to like them.
I had good luck with the Playtex drop ins. But I wanted to tell you that what your nipple looks like on the outside is nothing like what it looks like while in the baby's mouth. My nipples are very small, and I wondered about this too. But one time when my son let go suddenly, I saw it before it had a chance to shrink back to normal, and I was amazed at how large it was. I never would have thought it could look like the nipples on bottles or pacifiers, since mine are very very small. But they do somehow. So I would not worry too much about that. Definitely it gives you a good starting place, but you might have better luck with a different brand than the ones you are looking at, so don't discount them. I liked that the Playtex Dropins had the BPA free liners too. I did not like the Avent, they seemed to choke my son. I also introduced a bottle at 4 weeks, I would not wait too long if you will be back at work at 8 weeks. My pediatrician said 6 weeks, but I had several friends who had problems waiting that long,so I just gave it a shot at 4. Good luck, and congratulations!
I happen to be sitting at my desk with an Adiri "natural nurser' bottle next to me. Years ago when we were trying to get our infant to take a bottle we tried every type (including this one). The kids happened to find this one lately, and have been playing with it - which is why its been floating around the house. The nipple is very short, and not shaped like any other nipple/bottle on the market. Worth taking a look? PS. my son didn't go for this bottle as an infant - we ended up using Playtex drop-ins and didn't have a problem with combining the bottle and breast feeding. Good luck
I am due in a few weeks with #2 and will be BF until i go back to work when she is 8 weeks for about 5 weeks (i'm a teacher and will finish up the remainder of the school year). During the summer i will continue to BF so nipple confusion is a big issue here!!
I'm actually trying Tommee Tippee sold exclusively from BrU. They are BPA free and help prevent nipple confusion. I have heard the work wonderfully and got rave reviews from europe/london where they originated from
Good luck and congrats on your new addition
Someone already mentioned them, but I also had good results with the MAM bottles.
Good luck!
I'm not familiar with the Nuby's or The First Years bottles. We have used Dr. Brown's without an issue.
There is a great bottle - Adiri, that definitely has a smaller nipple and is more breast-like. I really liked them a lot, but we ended up switching to dr. brown's. (I think the nipples may have been a little too short for me.) The Adiri's are made to be more like nursing from a breast. They are more expensive though (about $10 or $12 a bottle). They are definitely bpa-free, and were bpa-free long before the other bottles switched.
Good luck!
Nuby's worked really well for my daughter. I have flat nipples as well.
I LOVE the "MAM" brand bottles and nipples. Natural shaped nipples...not all round and bulbous.
It is BPA free.
You can get them on www.amazon.com and see it and the reviews there.
My son also loved these bottles.
It accumulates no air bubbles in the bottle as the baby drinks.
All the best,
Susan
My youngest is 27mo so I haven't used either of those bottles. We used Playtex with the natural feel nipple...I was a SAHM but needed to use bottles when my kids were at the babysitter for other reasons. I had the same problem with my oldest. My babysitter even almost had to take her to a breastfeeding friends one time cause she refused the bottle for so long!! Anyways, with my 2nd we gave him a bottle the 2nd day we were home. We made sure he got at least one bottle a week from then on. He never had nipple confusion and always took a bottle fine.
Updated
My youngest is 27mo so I haven't used either of those bottles. We used Playtex with the natural feel nipple...I was a SAHM but needed to use bottles when my kids were at the babysitter for other reasons. I had the same problem with my oldest. My babysitter even almost had to take her to a breastfeeding friends one time cause she refused the bottle for so long!! Anyways, with my 2nd we gave him a bottle the 2nd day we were home. We made sure he got at least one bottle a week from then on. He never had nipple confusion and always took a bottle fine.
