Product Spotlight: Formula and bottles

jvk2012 · November 2019

This week’s product spotlight will be: Formula, bottles, and all things related to bottle feeding

Are you planning to formula feed or supplement?
What brands of formula are you leaning towards? What have you used before liked/disliked/why?
What kinds of bottles/nipples are best?
Cleaning products?
Travel products?
Tips or tricks?

jvk2012 · November 2019

Are you planning to formula feed or supplement?
We will be formula feeding from day 1. I tried to BF with DD and my milk never came in and it was not a good experience for either of us until I switched to formula. For my mental health I am going right to formula this time around.

What brands of formula are you leaning towards? What have you used before liked/disliked/why?
We used Similac and Enfamil prepared 2oz bottles in the beginning for no real reason except it's what we had samples of and they were easy to buy. They are super expensive though. Once we decided to exclusively formula feed DD around 2 weeks old we bought Kirkland (Costco) powdered formula. The pediatrician told us that formula is regulated by the FDA and highly controlled. She said as long as there are no issues tolerating it, we should find the least expensive stuff that DD would take and go with it. This time around we'll get some of the prepared bottles again for the early days and then switch to Kirkland as long as baby is okay with it.

What kinds of bottles/nipples are best?
We tried a bunch and kept thinking they were making DD gassy. We eventually switched to Dr. Brown's Options+ (anti-colic) bottles and they seemed to make things much better for her. It also could have been coincidence since babies are gassy but can't pass it easily and by the time we switched it may have just been her digestive track maturing. Either way, for us the extra moment to clean the insert wasn't a big deal. They also have different size nipples depending on baby's age which was something I knew nothing about prior to bottle feeding.

Cleaning products?
A good bottle brush was all we ever used.

Travel products?
Travel containers to store single bottle servings of formula in are the best thing ever. I'm not sure they make the ones we used anymore but it was easy to pre-measure formula at home to bring with us when out and about. I would fill the bottles with water ahead of time if we weren't going to have easy access to water.

Tips or tricks?
At night I pre-measured water in the bottles and left them in her room. We kept a container of powdered formula in there and I'd scoop right into the bottle, shake, and feed her MOTN. We never used bottle warmers or anything. I like using the pre-made small bottles for a newborn because they are sterile. After she was a newborn I cleaned them well but never did anything special to sterilize them.

daffodil_shoe · November 2019

Are you planning to formula feed or supplement? I plan to breastfeed and pump, but with DS1 we ended up needing to start supplementing at about 5 months. So I’m ready for anything. It is what it is.
What brands of formula are you leaning towards? What have you used before liked/disliked/why? We started with Similac. I liked the ready-to-eat 2 oz bottles. But seriously unless your baby needs special formula, just go for the store brand powder. We ended up just going with Up & Up from Target. Why spend way more money just for a name?
What kinds of bottles/nipples are best? This is entirely dependent on if your child is picky. We just used Medela bottles. But please be aware that there are different size nipple holes! There is slow flow for new babies (you’ll definitely want these if you’re breastfeeding too), and a faster flow for later.
Cleaning products? Bottle brush (and please don’t keep using it over and over without a good cleaning. Or just buy new ones. Bacteria grows on it.)
Travel products? Munchkin formula dispenser

doodleoodle · November 2019

Are you planning to formula feed or supplement? I plan to breastfeed. I was able to nurse DD2 for 2 years, and DD1 for only 2 months. You never know what’s going to happen.
What brands of formula are you leaning towards? What have you used before liked/disliked/why? We used Enfamil for DD1 because our pediatrician could give us tons of free sample cans at every well check and it’s better for their stomachs not to switch back and forth between formulas.
What kinds of bottles/nipples are best? We used Avent. I don’t recommend them because no matter what size nipple you use they have a tendency to build up pressure and shoot out milk. I’m planning to pump some this time and am thinking of giving Mam a try since the nipple is supposed to be closest to the breast.
Cleaning products? Bottle brush and dish soap
Travel products? Nah

jvk2012 · November 2019

I also think everyone should have some formula/bottles in the house. You never know what may happen and baby needs to be fed.

leksiL · November 2019

Are you planning to formula feed or supplement? No.
What brands of formula are you leaning towards? What have you used before liked/disliked/why? I have never used formula. I have heard that Costco's Kirkland brand is good to @daffodil_shoe 's point.
What kinds of bottles/nipples are best? This really depends on the baby. With Bells we had to try a bunch of different types of bottles until she found one that she liked when she was small which I believe were Nuk bottles but I can't find them now (stupid BRU leaving). When she was bigger she was less discerning. Nipples are freaking expensive! We used primarily Avent bottles. The Avents are cool because you can buy sippy style nipples as they get older without having to replace the entire bottle. We also had some tommee tippee bottles that were gifted us that worked well.
Cleaning products? the dishwasher, bottle brush. Try to rinse as soon as they are done.
Travel products? n/a
Tips or tricks? My daycare would not take glass bottles unless they had the silicone wrappers on them which are very expensive. I loved glass bottles at home. But before you buy a bunch of them see what your daycare provider will allow.
Different people have different cleaning processes. My friend stayed up until 10 p.m. every night hand washing and sanitizing her bottles. Mine went into the dishwasher. Both kids are perfectly fine now haha. There is a point at which the nipple will clearly need to be replaced. Otherwise if needed you can always boil them.

@jvk2012 - I disagree about everyone having formula in the house. If you are really dedicated to breastfeeding it is better not to. If you start supplementing your body thinks you need less milk so it makes less milk. The formula industry knows this which is why they send samples to you all while pretending to be breastfeeding supportive.

jvk2012 · November 2019

@leksiL, full disclosure, formula feeding is my hill to die on. Have you ever read the back of formula containers that still tell you right on the label that “breast is best”? Do you know how that feels to a mom who physically cannot BF despite all attempts?

A friend had postpartum pre-eclampsia and had to be admitted to the hospital in an emergency. That baby still needed to be fed before she could even figure out pumping and getting a stash of BM. Babies need to be fed. You never know what can happen.

doodleoodle · November 2019

DD1 had a tongue tie and upper lip tie. Feeding her resulted in literal chunks being taken out of my nipples. Still I persisted. When her ties were discovered we paid completely out of pocket for her to have laser surgery to correct them. Then she began needing coaxing for over an hour to nurse, started falling asleep on the breast, and crying all the time. At her two month well check it was discovered she was losing weight. We went to lactation consultants and doctors who specialized in BF. I pumped and worked tirelessly to finally get her to take the bottle, and then I wasn’t able to pump enough to feed her. I was really glad I had formula on hand in the middle of the night. We eventually had to transition to strictly formula because no matter how long or often I pumped my supply kept dropping and my mental health was really impacted.

With DD2 nursing was a breeze.

You just never know how things will play out. So I agree that it’s good to have some formula on hand. The hospital will offer to give you samples. Take those bad boys home no matter how dedicated to nursing you are.

TennisLove30 · November 2019

Are you planning to formula feed or supplement? I will be exclusively formula feeding. I also did with my daughter in 2014.
What brands of formula are you leaning towards? What have you used before liked/disliked/why? We used Enfamil last time, but I’m going to try the Target brand this time around.
What kinds of bottles/nipples are best? We used Tommee Tippee bottles and they were great.
Cleaning products? I just used a bottle brush and had a drying rack.
Travel products? A thermos of hot water
Tips or tricks?

kiwi2628 · November 2019

@leksiL yea...Im gonna disagree hard. I was DEDICATED to breastfeeding. I worked with my OB and 3 different LCs. My right boob did not work. I exclusively hand expressed my right boob for 1 1/2 months trying to get it to work (DS had weighted feeds from just righty and would get less than an oz from it in 10 minutes and it would not let down for the pump at all. I would get seriously 8-10 drops after 15 minutes of pumping). My left boob needed time to build up a double supply and in that time without formula that I had researched ahead of time and felt good with, my son would have lost even more weight than he did, and he lost a large percentage of weight in the first 2 weeks. Without formula supplementation, he would have been starving. As it was, my left boob alone never made enough- and dont try to pull the not dedicated shit. I ate the cookies. I took the meds. I power pumped twice a daily for a full week in addition to pumping 12 times a day to try to build up my supply. I spiraled into PPD because I was spending up to 4 hours a day total pumping and away from my son trying to build a supply for him. I was making 28 oz a day from my left boob alone and my son still ate more than that so I supplemented. That saved him and it saved my mental sanity. Having formula in the house *in case* things dont go as planned is important because things dont always go as planned. And in the future you may want to think about your wording a little bit harder before you pull the 'dedicated' card.

doodleoodle · November 2019

“Dedicated” rubbed me the wrong way too, but based on previous conversations that have been had here I really don’t think @leksiL intended for it to come across the way that it did.

jvk2012 · November 2019

@kiwi2628, my story is similar. I pumped 12 times a day and made 1-2 ounces in an entire day. I gave my daughter one bottle of breastmilk a day for about 2 weeks. I started spiraling into PPD. I resented my daughter when she wanted to eat because it meant I had to start the cycle of 15 min attempted BF, pumping for 20-30 min while H gave her a bottle. I ate the cookies, met with lactation consultants, pumped 12 times a day and nothing. Formula literally saved my daughter’s life. This is why it’s my hill to die on.

leksiL · November 2019

I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad about their choices and I apologize for making it sound like that. I too went through a very tough time breastfeeding (latch issues causing bleeding, 3 LCs, having to EP for a long time) and it takes dedication to stick with it, which is what I meant. Of course other dedicated people can have a different outcome and I am not making any value judgment around that. I am sure every one of us is dedicated to feeding our kids, which is the important thing. We could totally have to use formula this time around and we are lucky to be living in a time that it's available, especially at our local 24/7 grocery store.

PPD is real and I'm sorry some of you have had to deal with it. I had baby blues myself and it was f'cking scary - wanting to harm yourself and your kid is not a good way to start parenthood. Considering the depression and anxiety I've had this pregnancy which is so much worse than last time I have a lot of trepidation about it this time.

@doodleoodle - ouch! My daughter had tongue tie too and had to have a frenectomy right away. My husband went with her and is still traumatized by her little screams. He told me this time I can go - I said well hopefully this one doesn't have a tongue tie! I hope the same for you.

doodleoodle · November 2019

Well said @leksiL my second had a tongue tie and I was able to spot it the moment she was born and we had it corrected almost immediately. It worked out well because she didn’t have much time to develop bad latching habits. I’m expecting the same this time around, honestly lol it’s better if you’re there though, that way they can start nursing right after the procedure to soothe and heal more quickly.

leksiL · November 2019

@doodleoodle - I would have been there but I wasn't up and about from my cesarean yet. They did bring her back to nurse right away. But they also had to take blood draws to measure her blood sugar 30 minutes before I could feed her each time because she was so small. I got in "trouble" for feeding her without waiting once but she was crying so whatever.

rikiteacup · November 2019

@leksiL Target sells Nuk bottles. Here.

Anybody can recommend a drying rack?
How do you know which bottles your baby likes/dislikes? What are the signs?

leksiL · November 2019

@rikiteacup thanks - those are not them. I will have to look when I pull all my bottles out!

If they have too much flow they can make the baby gassy. If they don't have enough flow baby gets mad and fussy about that. My daughter was teeny tiny so fussed a lot. So basically whether they are fussy or not in my experience.

I had a drying rack that had little dowels and the water ran into a slanted bottom so water ran into the sink but it took up too much space and I ended up using a kitchen towel instead. Those grassy looking ones seem like a good idea, has anyone tried them?

rikiteacup · November 2019

@leksiL I registered for the Boon drying rack (the grass) because it looks cool.

If I understand correctly, are you saying the milk flow from an Avent bottle with a slow flow nipple could be different from a Dr Brown's also with a slow flow nipple?

leksiL · November 2019

@rikiteacup that was my experience but I had a really fussy baby - she was only 5.5 lbs and had a tiny mouth and latch issues. I hope other people can better answer this.

eta: once she was bigger she wasn't so picky. by the time she started daycare she had doubled her weight and was 12+ lbs and could basically use anything.

daffodil_shoe · November 2019

I have the grass drying rack and like it a lot. Works better for all my pump parts too.

jvk2012 · November 2019

@rikiteacup, my daughter took all bottles without issue on her part. I felt like she was extra gassy so we tried a few different ones until we found Dr. Brown’s with insert that I felt made her less gassy. I guess the point is don’t necessarily buy a ton of one kind in case baby is picky and then you can buy more of their favorite if they have one.

Also, we had 2 bottles that stayed at daycare (they washed bottles) and probably 4 at home so we didn’t have to wash constantly when she was eating every 2-3 hours.

jvk2012 · November 2019

Also, for water find out your tap water situation. Some places have fluoride, some don’t. Some are tested and regulated more strictly. Town vs. well water is also different. Our pedi said our tap water was fine but some people need to (or choose to) use bottled water but that will get expensive fast.

craftywitch · November 2019

Are you planning to formula feed or supplement? No
What brands of formula are you leaning towards? What have you used before liked/disliked/why? N/A
What kinds of bottles/nipples are best? We loved Avent naturals glass bottles. Size 0 nipples are always recommend for BF babies- the flow should never get faster because flow from breasts never gets faster and ounces never increase, the breast milk just changes as they grow.
Cleaning products? We would wash in the sink and sanitize in the dish washer.
Travel products? If you can, get the manual hand breast pump that matches the bottle (Avent sells both) so you can pump right into the bottle and then easily give it to baby while traveling. This worked great for us for letting great grandparents and nieces/nephews feed.
Tips or tricks? It may take a few different bottles to figure out what your baby will take. Also if BF, like I said always use a slow flow nipple to avoid bottle preference.

I have to say too that I agree with @leksiL about not having formula in the house. There were several times where I was crying, baby was crying, and DH wanted to "just" give baby a bottle. It wouldn't have helped our BF relationship to have done that though, as supplementing without pumping during will negatively affect breast milk supply. So yes I was hysterical at 3am when I'd been up every hour all night long, but no it wouldn't have been better for me to sleep. Stores will always sell formula and I'd rather have that barrier.

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