Product Spotlight: Bottles and Accessories

SmashJam

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions and S+TMs to share the wealth of knowledge they've accumulated on baby products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week it's.... bottles and accessories! I think June changed this to "formula feeding" and I am unsure why but know that some people EP or give bottles using their breast milk so I didn't want to leave them out!

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed.  

For S+TMs: 

• Any specifics that may differentiate your preferences (height, build, location climate):
• Favorite [bottle/accessory]:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• What you like about it:
• What you don't like about it, if anything:
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: 
• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?:

For FTMs

• [bottle/accessory] you're interested in:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?:

SmashJam

• Any specifics that may differentiate your preferences (EP, Formula,etc): Exclusively formula
• Favorite [bottle/accessory]: Comotomo bottles, Aventi as 
• https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Natural-Newborn-SCD296-02/dp/B00E1CI2TO/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1519044205&sr=1-2&keywords=aventi&dpID=41iK25UvMoL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srchhttps://www.amazon.com/Comotomo-Bottle-Green-Ounce-Count/dp/B009QXDE32/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1519044165&sr=8-2&keywords=comotomo
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): comotomo is more expensive, aventi not so much
• What you like about it: Really, we bought them for the reviews that they were "most like the curve of the breast" or whatever, but DS would have drank out of a mason jar with a balloon on top if it fed him. He even used the tiny medela bottles that came with our pump until he started drinking too much at one time. Also, he could hold them super easy...the comotomo is very soft and malleable and was easy for him to grab, and he was holding his own bottle at like 4/5 months.
• What you don't like about it, if anything: this didn't bother me because DS took cold bottles but comotomos are a weird size so you have to check and see if a warmer is big enough to fit it. They are super wide.
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: glass bottles. THey are SO HEAVY for kids although I understand if you are anti plastic. The kid just wont be able to hold his own bottle for awhile, which isn't necessarily super important.
• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: Don't buy a bunch of bottles that are teh same before the baby is here. I bet there are people on here who's kids wouldn't take comotomo or aventi even though mine did! Take friends hand me downs or buy 1 or 2 and see what your kid will take, then buy more once you know what they are ok with. Also I didn't find a bottle warmer necessary but not all kids will take cold bottles. And if you are thawing breast milk, I bet they are handy, but there are probably other ways to do it that the EP and breast feeding moms could fill in on. 

zande2016

• Any specifics that may differentiate your preferences: exclusively breastfed, but had to pump and bottle feed a lot due to lip/tongue tie complications 
• Favorite [bottle/accessory]: I think I am seriously in the minority on this, but for me, the simplest bottle and nipple worked the best. We had the Dr Browns and all the other expensive fancy ones, but when it came down to it, my son had difficulty with sucking and the old fashioned slow flow disposable nipples that screw onto normal bottles worked best for us. I would pump right into the medela collection bottles and put enfamil slow flow nipples on them, and this was easiest for him to fit into his mouth and get a good seal on. Simple and cheap! We reused them even though they're disposable, but rotated them out every month or so. 
• Link/picture: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Enfamil-Slow-Flow-Soft-Nipples-Latex-Free-12pk/38056036?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227026794741&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42970274552&wl4=pla-81462743072&wl5=9004400&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=38056036&wl13=&veh=sem
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $11 for a box of nipples that would last a few months, bottles were free because they came with my pump through insurance. 
• What you like about it: simple, cheap, easy
• What you don't like about it, if anything: 
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: all of them basically...they just did not work for my son. 
• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: go with the slowest flow you can find if you are going back and forth between breast and bottle, babies who get a faster flow from the bottle might then prefer that over the breast. I do not believe in nipple confusion, but I do believe in nipple preference and flow preference. Also, just buy one kind at a time until you figure out what works for baby, do not buy a ton of one kind or a bunch of different kinds at first. 

ETA additional thoughts. 

acunamatada

I had it easy with my first, I used the medela bottles and nipples, I got SO many at my shower and with the pump. They were good because you could pump right into them, so less cleanup vs transferring into a different bottle or using a storage bag. 
DH introduced the bottle at a few days old but I EBF. He had pretty bad reflux, not to the point he lost any weight, so no interventions- but he was a VERY messy baby until solids were introduced. 

My only advice is not not go overboard buying bottles, especially if you plan to EBF because baby might be picky. 

wildtot

• Any specifics that may differentiate your preferences (height, build, location climate): Had difficultly latching early on so i pumped and stopped at 5 months. Formula fed till 1 yr. He was able to latch at 4 months but i still pumped most of the time due to work.
• Favorite [bottle/accessory]: Dr. Brown. DS had reflux and colic and these helped the most. 
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $$ we went straight to the big bottles because i didn’t feel like buying them later.
• What you like about it: it helped with the reflux
• What you don't like about it, if anything: the inner tube was frustrating to clean.
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?: MAM colic bottles. They are self sanitizing and you can sanitize the paci in there too.
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: We didn’t like the Avent bottles. They are suppose to be good for colic but it won’t work if they are closed too tight. But it can also leak. They worked fine once his colic was better.
• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: recommend car bottle warmer if you travel a lot or long distance. Storage bags (cheap ones will do the job), cooler bag, at home bottle warmer. Don’t bother with those big sanitizers you won’t need it often and they are bulky.

Edited to add that if you deal with reflux and colic i recommend the gerber soothe drops. We also had to get some prescription meds early on, but used the drops once he was a few months old.

runsomewhere

• Any specifics that may differentiate your preferences (height, build, location climate): I never exclusively breastfed, I did a combo of BF, FF and pumping so we used bottles a ton. Planning on a similar approach this time.
  
• Favorite [bottle/accessory]: Dr. Browns forever! Also we used the Babybrezza bottle sanitizer and loved it. It makes no sense to keep running the dishwasher with as many bottles as we went through and constant hand washing wasn't happening so this was SO helpful.
  
• Link/picture:
  
• 
  
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): bottles vary but you can find a 4 pack for under $15 and the babybrezza is $99 at buy buy baby maybe less on amazon and so worth it.
  
• What you like about it: The bottles worked great for DD, we didn't have gas or reflux issues and they held up well over time. The bottle sanitizer cleaned and dried well and was quick and easy.
  
• What you don't like about it, if anything: Nothing but some people dislike that the Dr. Browns bottles have a couple more parts than other bottles. This was no biggie for me and worth it.
  
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?: nope
  
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: The Comotomo bottles, ugh! They look and feel cool but the material they are made of is so hard to clean and gets a perma stink to it it you leave milk or formula in it for more than like 2 hours.
• 
  
• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: For those that FF, don't bother with formula mixers and all those gadgets, making a bottle takes one second. Also you do not need to warm bottles or anything like that.
  

gingerbride26

Any specifics that may differentiate your preferences (height, build, location climate): BF + pumping and bottles at daycare.
Favorite [bottle/accessory]: We really liked the joovy boob bottles with the changeable flow nipples.
Link/picture: bottle, "Nood" nipple

Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): I'd say $$$ - they go on sale sometimes.  Also depends on if you want the BP free plastic or the glass bottles
What you like about it: Only one we found that didn't leak everywhere when LO was drinking. We stayed with the 0M slow flow nipple the whole time to try to maintain BF when not at daycare.
What you don't like about it, if anything: Nothing about this one.  
Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?: nope - hopefully next one likes this one too
Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: We tried the phillips and the chicco versions that are supposed to be identical to BF and hated them due to leaking, also tried the $$$$ medela special flow top and it leaked if it wasn't put together PERFECTLY and this is coming from a mechanical engineer and rocket scientist.
Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: Don't bother on the bottle warmer - use a 2-4 cup measuring cup or a coffee mug and put the bottle in the boiling water for 5 or so min.  We used to leave the "hot water" disc in our single-cup coffee pot for middle of the night bottles when we were having BF issues - then pop the bottle in for a bit, test it and ready to go.  You can also re-nuke the same WATER in the mug if you don't want to waste water and plop the new bottle in when mug water is to temp.  We did love the medela storage caddy for pumped milk in the fridge to always have the freshest at the front - but you could easily do the same thing with a caddy from the $ store

noideawhatshesdoing

As much as I'd like to EBF, that won't be an option because of work, so I plan on doing a BF, pumping combo and FF if needed. We've received some of the Dr Brown's bottles already and have some of the Avent bottles a MAM bottle as well.

We are interested in the Comotomo bottles, I guess I'm intrigued by the texture and the thought LO might be able to hold onto it easier.

Also curious about the Kiinde Twist, lazy me likes the idea of not having to wash as many things, plus we travel a lot and it seems like this could be easier when traveling? Has anyone actually tried this system out? https://www.kiinde.com/starter_kit_product.php

wildtot

@noideawhatshesdoing if you can bf while traveling that’s probably easier. I got the kiinde bundle as a promotion and didn’t use all the stuff. I mostly used the bags for storage. 

acunamatada

@noideawhatshesdoing that system was brand new when DS was born, but I was definitely interested in the system. For me, I’d rather just use the milk bags you can buy in bulk and have the ability to use any bottle with it but I’m cheap lol 

noideawhatshesdoing

@wildtot BF would certainly be easier, and I'd love to just do that, but some of the places we travel to BF isn't culturally acceptable and I'd rather not have to hide in a restroom to feed LO if possible. So I'd definitely have to pump/bottle ahead of time in those situations. Unfortunately or fortunately traveling is a fact of life for us because family is international, otherwise we'd just wait until we're beyond the BF/bottle stage.

wildtot

@noideawhatshesdoing gotcha! The few times we traveled i took the minimum, a bottle to pump into, bags, and a bottle to feed. I bought some on the go cleaning wipes made for the bottles and pumping equipment. 

stillcozy

• Any specifics that may differentiate your preferences (height, build, location climate): venting to help avoid extra airFavorite [bottle/accessory]:Munchkin Latch 
• Link/picture:https://www.target.com/p/munchkin-latch-153-3pk-8oz-bpa-free-baby-bottle-set/-/A-15183273?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9019698&gclid=Cj0KCQiAiKrUBRD6ARIsADS2OLltnmX2LCotID1dHEMqF6ax1upusCtGsaTygJaTCiYqO0md-_cvrQsaAgkTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• What you like about it: I had some small ones free from registry bags and bought the larger size used but target and amazon for decent prices
• What you don't like about it, if anything: we had to get a more pointed bottle brush due to the bottom shape of the bottle but it was easy it clean with that
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?: not really
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: my dd hated dr brown bottles when we tried several brands initially but they work great dor some people
• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: try different brands initially unless you feel strongly one way

tarheelgirl8

On mobile so it’s hard to copy/paste the format, but here’s my experience.

DD was exclusively fed breastmilk.  I EBF at home but would pump at work for daycare. 

We used the Medela bottles and nipples.  Honestly I have nothing to compare them to because we got lucky and DD was fine with the first brand we tried.  I had the Medela PISA pump, so it was nice that everything was compatible and I could pump directly into the bottles. 

From my personal experience:

1. If you plan to breastfeed, don’t bother purchasing many, if any, of the larger size bottles.  We never used them.  Breastmilk changes in composition as they age so you don’t have to increase volume in the same way as you do formula.

2. If you plan to breastfeed, don’t bother getting anything but slow flow nipples. 

3. While I was happy with the Medela bottles, the Medela breastmilk bags SUCK.  They leak everywhere.  The Lansinoh bags are way better, and I never had a single one leak. 

elizabethrn87

If you end up doing formula - I LOVE LOVE LOVE  the baby breeza formula maker. Perfect for middle of the night half awake bottles

stillcozy

@tarheelgirl8 yes I hated the medela breast milk bags made it so hard to freeze milk they are too small 

SmashJam

Last night I was making yogurt in my Instant Pot and one of the steps is "If making yogurt in containers sterilize using the "steam" function." So then I looked it up online and found a few videos and blogs about how to use it to sterilize bottle parts and pump parts! Thought that was pretty cool, and wanted to share in case people were looking for a way to do it without buying bottle/pump specific things.

zg49

Just saw this from last week! Here is my input:

For S+TMs: 

• Breast-fed exclusively for the first 6 weeks, after that I pumped at work and DD and DS took bottles of BM
• Favorite [bottle/accessory]: We had GREAT success with the Playtex Ventaire bottles. Kids never had much issue with spitting up or refusing the bottle OR refusing the breast once I was back with them.
• Link/picture:
• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: For pumping, I just used the bottles that came with the pump and transferred to bags. I had good luck with Target brand milk bags, never had them leak. We never used large bottles (6oz was about the most) for feeding baby but a few larger bottles to collect milk isn't a bad idea. 
  
  
• Frozen milk can last 3-6 months in the upright freezer and 12ish in a deep freeze, so I would suggest laying the bags flat so you can save room in the freezer. 

js8812

For S+TMs: 

• Favorite [bottle/accessory]: LifeFactory Glass Bottles all the way.

• Link/picture:

• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $$$ ($15/bottle, but you can find better deals occasionally). https://www.lifefactory.com/collections/baby

• What you like about it: It cleans up so well in the dishwasher.  Much better than any plastic bottle.  Plus, glass won't harbor as many germs.

• What you don't like about it, if anything: They're pricier than other bottles, but DURABLE. 

• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you don't have but are considering? Why?: Nope
• Is there a [bottle/accessory] you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?: Nope

• Additional thoughts on [bottle/accessory]?: I also like the medela saniter bags.  Better, IMO, than having yet another dedicated baby contraption that takes up a bunch of space.