On a Bottle Quest
One of the unforeseen challenges about being a new mom, has been feeding my child. I started all bright-eyed and bushy tailed thinking I would exclusively breast-feed X only to find that route riddled with problems, including but not exclusive to his lack of ability to suck and swallow properly, my low milk supply, his latch, and what seems like both of our overall dislikes for the activity. Enter: the bottle. X has taken a bottle ever since being in the NICU but finding one that really works for both him and I so far has proven to be elusive.
The first bottle X tried at home was the Playtex Drop-In system. Ryan and I had registered for these bottles with the thought that we weren’t going to use them too much so the Drop-In idea would be convenient when needed. Well, here’s the problem… when you are feeding your child 8 times a day that adds up to a lot on drop-in liners, and I still had to wash all the bottle pieces! Needless to say I grew tired of this.
On to bottle number 2: the Playtex Vent-Aire. Besides the inconvenience and wastefulness of the liners both X and I were satisfied with our choice of Playtex so I decided to try the Vent-Aires. Unfortunately the nipple shape of the Vent-Aire is completely different than the nipple of the Drop-In and X’s lips kept folding under when he sucked, which just wouldn’t do. So that meant both Playtex choices were out.
Our next bottle was the Avent. I thought this one looked promising. The nipple shape was the same as the Playtex Drop-In, and there was no extra pieces, plus it claimed to release the air so the baby didn’t suck it in. What Avent doesn’t tell you is that in their quest to release the said air, the bottle is the leakiest thing ever! Every time the bottle was turn rightside up milk would dribble out the sides, not okay. So Avent was out.
This brings us to today, the bottle quest. X and I headed to Babies-R-Us to find our perfect bottle. We came home with two choices the Born Free bottles and the Medela bottles. We decided to start with the Born Free. So far X has had three feedings from these bottles and both of us have been happy! The flow is great for him not too fast which is important, it doesn’t leak, the nipple shape is perfect, and no waste (drop-ins). So we feel satisfied so far. I am keeping the packaging and the receipt as well as the Medela bottles on hand in case the Born Frees end up in disaster all of a sudden. As for the all the others, well they will be finding a good home at a women and baby center near my house, so in the end everyone wins: X and I can proceed into bottle bliss, and hopefully we can help a few other moms and babies do the same.
~Cheers!
| Playtex Drop-Ins: 3/5 – I just can’t get over the fact that the waste is ridiculous on those bottles. |   |
| Playtex Vent-Aire: 3/5 – Although we didn’t try these more than a few times, the nipple size just didn’t fit X’s mouth. |   |
| Avent: 1/5 – Pretty much because they made X screech. Also, they leaked everywhere. |   |
| BornFree: 4.5/5 – Works great! My only issue is with the two additional bottle pieces to wash. |   |