Product Spotlight: Formula, Food Stuff and Bottles

mdfarmchick

Sorry. I tried to post this yesterday but apparently it never actually posted. 

FTMs are encouraged to ask questions & STM/+s encouraged to share their knowledge based on experience. You can use any or all the prompts relevant to you below to share info in an easy-to-read format. Pictures/screen grabs, if put in spoilers, are welcome!

For STMs:

Did you formula feed or supplement?

Any brands?

Tips for bottles or bottle accessories?

Did you use a bottle warmer?

As we get in food stuff, what do you reccommend as far as purees or did you do baby led weaning?

Favorite plates/bowls/bibs/utensils?

For FTMs:

Any questions about formula feeding?

Questions as you move into food?

STMs...

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past?

What did you use to clean bottles?

Any must-haves for travel?

Any bottle accessories you'd recommend?

FTMs...

Any bottles or accessories you're looking at or have questions about?

mdfarmchick

I’ve had to supplement with both of my kids for the first few weeks. My milk is slow to come in and I was induced both times which results in blood sugar problems for the babies. I just use whatever the pediatrician/hospital has on hand similac or enfamil. Then as my milk comes in we slowly transition back to breastfeeding. I’ve had the best luck with Tommee Tippee and Comotomo. I use a mug of hot water to warm milk 😂

We do baby led weaning. If you are interested in that, don’t be me and read the book at the same time that your kid turns 6 months. Maybe read it now. 🤣

I don’t really use bibs. I typically strip the kid if it’s going to be super messy. Less laundry. And I don’t think there’s any plates or utensils that are better than any others. Get whatever your kid likes, makes you happy and matches your taste. 😌

moguippy

Did you formula feed or supplement? Not really. I had an oversupply and ended up doing combo breastfeeding/pumping/bottle feeding 

Tips for bottles or bottle accessories? Don’t go out and buy an entire set that you have your heart set on. You have no idea what bottle/nipple your kid will/won’t like. (If you register for a set I suggest not opening it until you are sure in case you need to exchange it). We tried the Medela bottles, DS projectile vomited after using those so we switched to regular Avent. Those worked fine for him so we stuck with those. Some kids will take anything with no problems (my nephew), some kids will try 47 different bottles till they find one that works for them (my niece). 

Did you use a bottle warmer? Yes we used this one since you can defrost from frozen and my DS used mostly deep frozen milk. 

Philips Avent, Baby Bottle Warmer https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00LJ64JR4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_NmeTFbM67AMZ7

As we get in food stuff, what do you recommend as far as purees or did you do baby led weaning?  We did a combo of baby led weaning and purées. It worked for us and DS. 

Favorite plates/bowls/bibs/utensils? Plates/bowls/bibs are kind of personal preference, I don’t really think anything is better than anything else. Personally we use the cheap ikea kids ones now for DS, but mostly we had put everything on the high chair tray when he was little.  

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past?  See above. A note about nipples, if you plan on combo bottle and breastfeeding you are supposed to keep them on a slower flow bottle nipple to mimic the flow of the breast. 

What did you use to clean bottles? Mostly the dishwasher. Ours has a sanitize function. We got one of those little baskets that keeps all the little parts in it. We also used the Dr. browns bottle brush and regular dish soap (Palmolive I think). That’s just personal preference. You don’t really need the special bottle soap but some people like it. 

Any must-haves for travel? Not really. We bought some disposable bibs and placemats that stick to the table for when he was little and plates would go flying at restaurants. And some “take and toss” utensils but, to be honest they were nice but not necessary and kind of environmentally wasteful. 

PinkKathryn12

Did you formula feed or supplement? Exclusive breast fed until 4 months, then combo and mixed bottles then around 8/9 months formula bottles and just nursed at home 

Any brands? We used the similac pro advance then switched to the Costco brand cuz $$$$$

Tips for bottles or bottle accessories? My son was the least picky. He used anything. We had mostly dr browns which i ended up actually hating cuz they have a lot of pieces to wash and they would leak a lot in the diaper bag etc. this time i really want to use glass bottles so i feel better about dishwashing them. I don’t like the way plastic bottles and cups smell in the dishwasher they don’t feel clean to me.  I’ve been looking into mason jar bottles and found silicon sleeves for them and another group I’m on told me a ton of variable compatible nipples for them that fit so I’m hoping this baby won’t be picky or will at least like one of the 6 that work on mason jars. I’m worried to invest the money but really want glass.

Did you use a bottle warmer? No, honestly formula we always served with room temp water and bm i just warmed from like fridge cold in a cup of warm water but DS liked it cold still too so he didn’t care. 

As we get in food stuff, what do you reccommend as far as purees or did you do baby led weaning? We did mostly BLW i guess. I know there’s like specifics about it and we still did some jar foods but i was mostly giving him what we ate right away in non choking size pieces

Favorite plates/bowls/bibs/utensils? Don’t have a favorite — my dogs end up chewing every toddler spoon or fork ugh! I really like the dearest grey bowls. They suction really well! 

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past? We used dr browns slow flow the entire time and a few ventair or whatever they’re called. Dr browns leaked and i hate washing them! Lol

What did you use to clean bottles? Bottle brush and regular dish soap

Any must-haves for travel? I have disposable place mats for restaurants for eating.

Any bottle accessories you'd recommend? I like the formula dispenser you can pre measure x amount of servings into 

jumpy57

I've done a combo of breastfeeding/pumping so I don't have anything helpful for formula. Neither of my kids seemed picky about bottles and I preferred the Kiinde pumping/bottle system

For washing I hand washed in super hot soapy water (regular dish soap). I did have a designated little bin and scrub brush that were only used for bottle save pump parts. Neither daughter was considered immunocompromised and if they had been I may have included more sanitizing in my routine

Almost all the registry freebies come with different brands of bottles so we had a few random ones to try.

Food stuff: I would put us in the BLW category, we usually just cut up whatever we happened to be eating. For snacks on the go we love pouches and belvita type cookie things. Puffs are delicious!

I'm a big fan of our silicone bib. It has a little catch pouch and is really easy to clean