Need Advice on Bottles for 4 Month Old

Updated on January 08, 2010
T.S. asks from Grand Junction, CO
9 answers

My daughter is 4 1/2 months old and has been bottle fed for the last 2 1/2 months. We went through the testing of many different bottles to find the right ones for her. I have discovered that she does best with narrow neck bottles because with the wide neck, her mouth doesn't seal around the nipple properly, and she ends up shooting milk from the corners of her mouth. Now I have a new problem. She is getting frustrated and taking a long time to finish a bottle because the nipple flow is too slow. I have tried using the next stage nipple, but the problem she has with them is that they are too fast!! I think the issue is the size of the hole. The faster flowing nipple just has a bigger hole, which causes the milk to flow out and she doesn't swallow it fast enough and it ends up running down her chin. I used the Avent bottles with my older daughter, and liked them because the faster flowing nipples had more holes, rather than one bigger hole. But, like I said before, my baby doesn't do well with wide neck bottles. I have thought about trying a Breastflow bottle by First Years or Nuby non drip nipples. Does anyone have any advice on either of those, or something totally different??

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M.R.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Please try Avent!!! they are the only bottles that worked for me. I had the same problem and these bottles are the best. Don't buy the baggie one, just get the regular one. The flow one them is perfect cause they allow air back in the bottle as she drinks. They are perfect, once I tried one it was the only thing she liked.

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S.M.

answers from Albany on

We stopped using plastic bottles (Avent brand in our case) with our second baby because they contain BPA, and there are concerns that this might pose a risk to baby's development. We purchased some small glass bottles (First Years) instead and they offer various sizes of nipples, and they worked well enough, although the rings cracked because we tightened them too much.

B.S.

answers from Denver on

T.
I breastfeed and had to go back to work, so we had to get our daughter on a bottle. The Avent didn't work for me, Nuby didn't work, Adiri bottles didn't work. The bottle that I found that worked was the Wee Go Bottles. They are a glass bottle and we love them. They have stage 1, stage 2 and Y cut nipples.
We have had great success.
Good luck!
B.

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M.N.

answers from Pocatello on

This may sound silly, but have you checked the nipples? I gave my daughter a bottle and she wouldn't drink, just cried and cried. After a few hours we realized, she was getting nothing out of the bottle, the nipple's hole wasn't cut right. We fixed the problem (I think we just used a sterilized pin) and checked any and all nipples from then on. Perhaps you could just widen the hole in those nipples a little?

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A.P.

answers from Pocatello on

T.,
Good job choosing a nipple shape that doesn't leak. What shape are you using now? The Nuby no drip variable flow might be a good choice, because the milk flows in response to the strength of the suck. However, it also relies a lot on compression, so depending on what nipple you were using before, it may or may not work. If you'd like to email me privately with the brand you are currently using, I'd be happy to give brand suggestions.
A.
www.breastandbottlefeeding.com

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M.M.

answers from Salt Lake City on

When my daughter needed a little more flow, I just made the hole a little bigger using a pin. At first I was so careful because I didn't want to make it too big, but I realized the pin just made it barely bigger. I ended up using the tip of a toothpick to make a little bigger and that was perfect.

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J.H.

answers from Denver on

I primarily breastfed my son, but did have the occasion to use bottles now and then. We used the Breastflow brand and loved it. It was a little more work on the cleaning end because of the two nipples, but the flow was just right and they have two different levels.

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A.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Poke some small holes in the nipple's end-start with 2 small pricks & if that doesn't work, make a couple more. Mom nipples have several spots milk comes from, why can't her bottle nipple? With more small holes, hopefully she'll be able to get more w/o getting flooded. Clean a pin w/rubbing alcohol, let it dry & start poking holes.

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J.P.

answers from Boise on

My son loved the Breastflow, and did great with the two speeds. I have heard of success with using a pin to make the holes a little bigger in others, but haven't done it myself. Can't hurt to try another brand though.

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