March 2020 Moms

Product Spotlight Series: Bottles & Eating Surfaces/Accessories

Fridays = Product Spotlight Series prompt day! Don't be shy, & remember everyone in the community is welcome to comment on threads like these throughout our time here, not just when it's a certain product's week in the spotlight. Big thanks to everyone who participates!

For this week, we're talking... Bottles & Eating Surfaces/Accessories! (I updated it a little to include things that weren't previously included OR planned for the future.) See the prompts below for an organized way to discuss, and as always links/pics (in spoilers) are super appreciated. 

for STMs...
  • What kinds of bottles/nipples have worked best for you in the past & what are your plans, in terms of that, for this baby? 
  • Best bottle cleaning products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary?
  • Best eating-related travel products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary?
  • Best eating surfaces? Which, if any, are must-haves? 
  • Best eating-related accessories? Which, if any, are must-haves?
  • Considering how long you breast-fed in the past or plan to try to for this baby, what products above should be on a registry/what might not need to be?
for FTMs...
  • What kinds of bottles/nipples are you considering?
  • Any bottle cleaning products you are considering?
  • Any eating-related travel products that you're considering?
  • Any eating surfaces that you're considering?
  • Any eating-related accessories that you're considering?
Up next week: Travel Accessories! 
To view the upcoming PSS schedule/find easy links to past PSS posts, visit the March 2020 PSS Spreadsheet!

Re: Product Spotlight Series: Bottles & Eating Surfaces/Accessories

  • (I posted this soooo early this week, but I literally thought today was Thursday & it was only a few hours early lol SMH bc in terms of the work week it sort of is Friday tomorrow on Wed.? Oops. Anyway. Since it's a holiday week, forgive me!)
  • Is the eating surface we are talking about a nursing pillow? I have the My Brest Friend pillow and I love it. It’s a little more structured than the Boppy. This time I would love to learn how to nurse while babywearing! 

    DD struggled with bottles. She was just a breast baby. It was an issue because I’m a working mom and she would routinely take maybe 2-4 ounces all day while I was gone at work for 8-9 hours (I always sent 3 bottles of 3 oz and she never finished a single bottle until maybe 8 months). The bottle that finally worked for us was Tommy Tippee. It’s a little pricier but it’s the only one that really worked (we tried Dr. Browns, Nuk, Avent, and a few others). 

    My advice is register for small numbers (2-packs) of a few different kinds of bottles. Then you can see which babe likes best and buy a few more. If you plan to EBF, baby will never need more than 3-5 ounces in one feeding, so no need for the giant 8 or 10 ounce bottles. Those are good for formula I bet though.

    Also, if you’re EBF and babe won’t take a bottle well while you’re gone, don’t worry about it too much. My DD was never underweight and always “made up” for missed milk when I was with her. It led to some sleepless nights but was perfectly healthy. It caused me a lot of stress which, in retrospect, was unnecessary. Her pediatrician was not concerned.

    a bottle drying rack is a necessity. Those suckers never dry fully in the dishwasher.

    we had a bottle warmer and found it totally superfluous. 

    We did have a little bottle cooler bag for the diaper bag, but I could never use it. If my boobs were around, DD was NOT taking a bottle. H used it on outings with DD though.

    For older babies, those snack catcher things are great for Cheerios and things. 

    That’s all I can think of right now! Sorry for the stream-of-consciousness here. I’m not quite awake.
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  • agree with @kantobean.. my breastfed babies struggled with bottles as well.  DS would eventually break down and use bottles when I was away from him for 8 hours, and at that point, we used the smaller Avent bottles. plus 1 on the bottle drying rack, I agree on it being a necessity.  

    Also, if you hand-wash the bottles, I would recommend getting a bottle brush - it can be difficult to get in all the nooks/crannies without one.

    When my kids started solids, we went with the plastic bibs vs. the cloth ones - much easier to clean since you can just wipe them off with a rag or rinse them off in the sink and you're done.  

    For my DS, a couple products I really liked:
    The EZPZ plate - this plate suctions to the table.  it was a must for my DS since he had a tendency to throw his plate otherwise.   I like it because it's also easy to clean, and not breakable. 
    The Munchkin Miracle sippy cup - this was also a necessity for DS due to the throwing issue.  You can chuck this sippy cup across the room and it doesn't leak, aside from maybe a few drops here and there. It's also nice because you can tip it over and it doesn't spill like other sippy cups, so it was a lifesaver for us on long car trips.  (still is.)

    For high chairs, for my DD I had a stand-alone, and it was nice to have.  For DS, I got one that attaches to the table, just because we're limited on kitchen space in our house now, and it's worked ok for us.  The only beef I have with the table-attaching version is that it's more difficult to clean.  We moved from the table-attaching version to a booster seat that had an attachable tray, so it fit on a kitchen chair and was easier to clean (I liked this option better.)


  • Neither of my babies took bottles at all. I didn’t try many types as I didn’t really care. I may try some this time just for the sake of H being able to do a feed or two if he wants to help. I love my boppy. I actually have two so that I can have one upstairs and one downstairs and not have to cart them around. 

    I tried a few different brands of suction plates and bowls and placemats and DS figured them all out. So I’m not totally sure there. I got a high chair solely based on design because I hated all the giant plastic-y ones with obnoxious patterns and prints. It’s a sleek wooden one with a gray pad, and I’ve loved it. To me high chairs basically function the same so 🤷🏼‍♀️. 

    I second the little snack containers for when they’re older. They don’t necessarily stop the toddler from getting them ALL out and making a mess, but it definitely hinders it some and gives you a little more time to snatch it unlike an open bowl. Lol. 
  • My DS also didn’t take bottles after he finally latched a week after birth he never wanted to go back. For that week I really liked the comotomo bottles though. Avent were ok, tommy tippy were way too fast even with the newborn flow nipples. We didn’t try any others. I agree with starting with 1-2 of each until you find what you and baby like. 

    We used a bottle brush to clean pump bottles, I don’t see any real advantage of one type over another, you just need something to get inside the bottles easily bc a sponge doesn’t really reach. 

    For when baby is older I liked having the disposable place mats. They make reusable ones too but I always forgot to clean them and then they’d get gross or we’d be out and it’d be dirty and we wouldn’t have one. I also like the little snack cups they can stick their hands in that help prevent big spills. 

    For plates/utensils I really like Re-play brand. They are very sturdy, easy to clean, and bonus are made of recycled materials. We tried the silicone ones that stick to the high chair/table and DS could just pull them off and fling them anyways. He made it his mission. They are also a pain to clean. For a bit we just gave him his food on the high chair tray and used no plates but as he got older started doing plates. Food will end up on your floor no matter what you do, accept it now 😂 


    Me: 33 | DH: 34
    Married: October, 19, 2015
    EDD 2/22/17 <3 DS1 born on 3/2/17
    EDD 3/8/20 <3 DS2 born on 3/10/20
    EDD 11/24/23
    (Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)


  • Do you guys think plates, utensils, sippy cups, high chair, etc (things not needed for a newborn) should be put on the registry? I was thinking of just getting those myself down the line as the time comes. 
  • @mrsc918, I got some of those items for an older baby/toddler at my shower.. I didn't have a registry though, people just spontaneously bought them.  I guess it would really be up to you whether or not you want those items now or not.. or if you'd be comfortable with someone choosing to buy items for when your baby is older vs. now.  
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