bottles & breastfeeding

Greggory & Kimberly · July 2012

Ok I know its early but I was looking online to egt ideas for our registry and there are so many different brands. Is is safe to say to stick with the brand of the breast pump you plan to buy? any thoughts on what works best?

MelissaRae1525 · July 2012

From what I've read, it depends on what works best for your baby. Buy one or two of a certain kind and see how they like it, that way you aren't out too much money if they won't use it. But I am a FTM so I really have no idea.

Kate504 · July 2012

My sister and cousins have used medela brand bottles and pump. My sister only pumps b/c her baby had a problem getting milk at first and she still uses hers at 6 months. It has a car adapter and AC adapter. I think there are more expensive ones that can run without being plugged in.

Titts McGeee · July 2012

I wouldnt buy too many until you figure out what works best for you and baby. I EBFed the first and ended up using one of my 9 million bottles maybe 5 times ever.

kelly321 · July 2012

Titts McGeee:
I wouldnt buy too many until you figure out what works best for you and baby. I EBFed the first and ended up using one of my 9 million bottles maybe 5 times ever.

This. I pumped for 2 months and used Medela, which DD did fine with, but we had bought Nuk wide bottles and never really used them. Some babies are picky about that, and if you end up EBF you may never need them at all, so I recommend getting a small supply just in case you need to pump or supplement formula at the beginning and then go from there. There's no way to know in advance what your baby will like, so one brand is as good as the next.

Goldsgirl9 · July 2012

Agreed, with so much to choose from it can be overwhelming. I personally spent 2 hours researching what brand to get, plastic vs glass, etc. This is my first and i feel clueless! At least the ladies offer some great and practical suggestions.

hpuckett · July 2012

I agree with a lot of the early responses, it really depends on what your baby prefers. Also keep in mind that sometimes Nipple confusion can occur. I know with my son, I was given quite a few of the cheap Parent's Choice bottles from Wal-Mart but after he used them, he had a harder time latching on to the breast. I found that for him the Nuk bottles worked best, but we were going to Breastflow bottles towards the end of the bottle stage but decided to just take him to sippy cups instead. But like I said it really just depends on baby.

Also when it comes to Breast pumps I would recommend spending more for the electric. I tried a manual first and while it worked okay for the first three months it was a lot slower and ended up breaking sooner than my electric (which is the same I am going to use with this baby) did.

jmetzler05 · July 2012

Dr. Browns bottles are great and I just registered for one starter kit which was nice because I was overwhelmed trying to decide how many bottles/nipples/etc. to get. You can always add to it or try something different after LO arrives. I also liked a Medela breast pump...it's worth going for a double electric and a car adapter sounds like a great idea.

ashdonne · July 2012

We had to supplement because DD had jaundice and then I pumped and used bottles if we were out and about. Then I had to supplement again when I started losing supply around 4 months or so. To be honest, I got a lot of different brands of bottles at showers etc even though I registered for what I thought I wanted. I used them all and DD didn't seem to have a preference at all---no nipple confusion for this girl she was just ready to eat! I ended up preferring Dr. Browns and also playtex vent air and the playtex ones with the liners---can't remember what they are called. I got the baggies for breast milk storage and that was easy to freeze and use when needed with any bottle. I wouldn't commit too heavily to any one type of bottle now until you find out what baby likes.

BlameItOnTheRain · July 2012

I EBF with DD, but when she would take a bottle it was only playtex or dr browns. they are apparently the most 'nipple like'.

I'd have a few on hand, just in case, but otherwise I'd wait to stock up before you know for sure how you'll be feeding your baby.

magel050485 · July 2012

Totally depends on the baby. I have a Medela pump and use Breastflow bottles. I know tons of people that use the Tommy Tippy bottles and I don't know a single person that uses that pump. Same goes for Dr. Browns- so many people use those bottles but I'm pretty sure they don't even make or sponsor a pump. Some babies will take any bottle and some babies are very difficult to take a bottle at all. The biggest convenience for the bottle and pump being from the same company are that you can put the bottle right on your pump. However, I always just pumped into the pump bottles and poured it into a freezer bag to store so it didn't matter that my bottles didn't fit on my pump.

goldengirl2 · July 2012

I used the Medela Swing Pump. It was nice because it was a double pump with a little "cooler". I would also reccomend buying a hands free pumping bra. I can't remember what they are called- Simple wishes maybe? Anyway I got it on Amazon. Also, check with your insurance. My payflex paid for my pump.

As for bottles... I bought a few different ones and then went from there. Our DD liked the Medela ones the best.

GL!

anneimal98 · July 2012

I used the Medela Freestyle and Tommee Tippee bottles. So no, you don't have to match your pump amd bottle brand. What others have said about not having a ton to start with until you figure out what works best for your baby is good advice. I personally liked a wide mouth bottle because I felt like it caused less latch confusion when switching between breast and bottle but that may just have been us. Some babies don't have issues transitioning. Just make sure you have a few on hand in case you need to pump and/or use formula and then go from there.