Product Spotlight: Bottles

m6agua · January 2020

Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product. Feel free to comment on threads like these throughout your time at the board, not just when they're in their week in the spotlight, if you discover something new OR are new to the board. This week it's.... Bottles!

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!

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?

To view the upcoming PSS schedule, see here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XX4aUSPsDbdyEEK5HIzMzwH2ztOVOnNCehSgMAc5w6U/edit?usp=sharing
Next up: Travel accessories

bananapanda · January 2020

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past? We tried several for DD but ended up sticking with Dr. Brown wide neck bottles. Most of the others we tried she would collapse the nipple and make weird noises and not seem to be getting much out. We never had this issue with Dr. Brown. A lot of people complain about them leaking, but we didn't have that experience unless you filled it too full or heated it too much with the vent in. We did mostly breast milk so just warmed in a bag and then put in the bottle and it was never a problem. We bought the new Dr. Brown options+ for this baby and hoping to have similar luck.

What did you use to clean bottles?At first I was hand washing with a bottle brush and dapple soap, but then with all of the added pumping parts I realized nobody had time for that so I started putting them in the dishwasher and never had a problem.

Any must-haves for travel? Nothing I can think of, but we didn't travel a ton with bottles. I think as long as you have a cooler and a quick way to warm a bottle if you go that route you should be good. We often didn't warm bottles just let them get to room temp sitting out or maybe dropped a bag of breastmilk in warm water for just a minute to take the chill off and help the fat stir. We were lucky DD would take them this way which made it easier when we were out and about to not have to warm them up completely.

Any bottle accessories you'd recommend? Yes, here's a list of my top accessories:

Get a dishwasher basket (or two or three if you go with Dr. Brown bottles). We used the munchkin one, but I'm sure any is fine.
You'll probably also want a bottle drying rack. We used boon lawn with one of the little tree things for nipples and other pieces which worked well. Even after taking out of the dishwasher sometimes I wanted them to drip dry a little better before assembling and putting in the cabinet so this was helpful.
I also had a small organizer similar to this (first link that came up is a 4 pack which is unnecessary but you can buy these at Target or whatever) https://smile.amazon.com/Sterilite-17918004-Drawer-Drawers-4-Pack/dp/B002BA5F2A/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=clear+plastic+drawer+small&qid=1580227871&sr=8-2. This was awesome to keep the different pieces sorted out and easy to reach on the countertop.
Get the medela quick clean steam bags for sterilizing bottles, breast pump parts, and pacifiers every so often: https://smile.amazon.com/Medela-Micro-Steam-Sterilizing-Eliminates-Accessories/dp/B07XV4NJHG/ref=sr_1_4?crid=RRL0FKZ36Q0S&keywords=medela+sterilizing+bags&qid=1580227986&sprefix=medela+ster%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-4

I would also recommend not stocking up on just too many of any one bottle to start with just in case your baby is picky as some will refuse many bottles before finding one they like. Or if you do buy a lot of one kind don't open and sterilize them all until you know you will be using them.

rox7777 · January 2020

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past? I preferred the NUK brand with DS1. We used a lot of different brands because he had no preference, but those were my favorite. DS2 never took a bottle and we tried every brand available from $1-30. This time we’re sticking with NUK for simplicity.
What did you use to clean bottles? Boiled once a week, bottle brush and dish soap after feedings.
Any must-haves for travel? Sterilizer microwave bags. Handy for pump parts and pacis/bottles, especially during cold/flu season.
Any bottle accessories you'd recommend? I like the boon grass for drying. A towel works, but it leaves the inside of the bottles damp if they’re upside down. The OXO bottle brush holds up the best and has an awesome stand.

catem07 · January 2020

I used plastic avent naturals last time. This time around I'll get glass ones because I feel better about putting those in the dishwasher (we didn't have a DW last time).

I sanitized them every once in a while I think? We used babyganics bottle soap which I recommend for plastic bottles--it helps keep them relatively clear and not cloudy.

You can get lid fillers (https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Avent-Sealing-SCF143-06/dp/B000067QMD) for the avent bottles if you want to make the lid a real lid instead of a nipple for traveling. We didn't do that to take bottles to daycare because they wouldn't spill on that short/easy of a trip, but if I needed to throw milk in a bag they were great.

We had the boon grass but I found it annoying. Glass will dry better so that'll be easier.

Also, nipples. If your baby is breastfed you don't necessarily need to advance nipple size by age. We used the slow flow pretty much the whole time (Slow flow is Avent's second smallest size, each manufacturer numbers them differently. Some start at 0, some start at 1...)

Lastly, we never used a size bigger than the 4 oz for feeding (we put 5 oz in there around 9ish months) but we did use the 8 oz that came in some combo pack for storage.

Agree not to buy a lot of expensive bottles at first. Also I've read that if baby is refusing the bottle, don't just switch to a different brand, keep trying the one you have 4-5 times first.

adventuresawait2 · January 2020

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past? We tried Dr Brown’s per a lot of recs, but DD didn’t take to them and I ended up being grateful since they have so many fussy parts. Tried Lansing, Avent, and a few others and settled on Evenflo Feeding Premium Proflo Venting Balance. They are wide neck. We used the smaller ones when breastfeeding and then the bigger ones once we moved to formula, although DD never took more than about 5 oz at a time ever. Might try Comotomos this time since they are silicon.
What did you use to clean bottles? Dr Brown’s bottle brush and a collapsible basin. We were crazy and always hand washed per paranoia / CDC recs on not dishwashing plastic bottles.
Any must-haves for travel? We did get a Tommy Tippie bottle warmer thermos for heating bottles on the go, but I think it was kind of a waste.
Any bottle accessories you'd recommend? The Kiinde bottle warmer is not the best, but it got the job done. The big munchkin bottle rack is way better than the grass IMHO. https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-High-Capacity-Drying-White/dp/B006SFUCV8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=munchkin+bottle+rack&qid=1580247349&sr=8-3

heyybritt · January 2020

FTM question: is a bottle warmer really necessary? And if you had one, which one did you use? My niece with a 1.5 year old and my mom both suggested I put one on my registry, but in my research I haven't found one that has stellar reviews over another.

I've got 3 different bottles on my registry and 2 I got as free samples so hopefully baby boy isn't picky and likes one of his 5 options.

chewie5990 · January 2020

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past?
DS was EBF but I went back to work at 12 weeks so we knew he needed to get comfortable with bottles fairly early. We started one bottle a day around 6 weeks and tried the advent, nuk, and medela bottles before finally switching and sticking with Dr. Browns. Even though they are a PITA to clean, they're the only bottles DS would touch and we never had any gas/indigestion issues with them. We used newborn nipples for probably the first 4-6 months and then moved up.
What did you use to clean bottles?
We have a standard bottle brush from OXO and a straw cleaner brush (needed for Dr. Browns tube things) We also sanitized the bottles in about once a month in boiling water or sometimes I used the medela microwave sanitizer bags. I didn't put anything in the dishwasher, but I know a lot of people do!
Any must-haves for travel?
This is my recommendation for BF babies (not sure how it works with formula) - a lot of people seem to think BF babies won't take a cold/room temp bottle because generally boob milk is warm. We were given the advice to not warm bottles and see if DS would take milk cold/room temp first. DS never had any issue with a cold/room temp bottle which made things soooooo much easier with traveling or other people watching him. So if we planned to give a bottle when we were out, I'd just throw one in a small cooler w/ an ice pack and we were good to go!
Any bottle accessories you'd recommend?
We have an OXO drying rack and I like it for bottles and now we use it for DS's water bottles - it's easy to clean and doesn't take up nearly as much space as the grass ones. If baby will be in daycare I highly recommend bottle labels or the colored bands (most bottle brands have ones that specifically fit their bottle) to make sure there are no mix ups!

thepretzelchick · January 2020

I used Playtex Drop-ins for both kids. I plan to use them again. We washed them by hand because they didn't really get that dirty, thanks to the disposable liner. For travel, I had formula in the liners and bottled water so I could make them while we were out. I never used a warmer or any other accessories.

mamaj1220 · January 2020

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past? I feel like we tried everything, the Playtex drop-ins, Advent close to nature, Tommee Tippee none of which were right for DS1. We ended up using Dr Browns. But I think it is important to know you will probably try a few before you find the right fit.
What did you use to clean bottles? I used a bottle brush and one of the smaller ones to get the nipples and all the little parts of the Dr Brown, I will say that is their biggest downside IMO so many parts to clean but they really helped with DS1 reflux.
Any must-haves for travel? Bottled water room temp is a must if formula feeding. Other than that nope, also have one more than you think you will need.
Any bottle accessories you'd recommend? I am trying a different drying rack this time, ours was one of the standard plastic ones but it took up so much room and there wasn't enough space for all the parts of the bottles.

soprano19 · January 2020

@heyybritt we didn't use a bottle warmer for DD1 and we won't for this one either. She took thawed milk and eventually formula cold or room temp and it was totally fine.

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past? We used both Avent and Munchkin bottles. As she got older and her latch got stronger, we mostly used the Munchkin ones because the nipple wouldn't bend where her mouth was, as opposed to the Avent nipples, which she could unseal with her latch and cause them to leak. We'll stick with the same ones to start with.

What did you use to clean bottles? Dishwasher. Ain't nobody got time to wash bottles by hand, especially once I went back to work and she was getting more bottles than BF sessions in a day.

Any must-haves for travel? Some sort of insulated bag and flexible ice packs for taking bottles to daycare.

bananapanda · January 2020

@heyybritt another vote to not immediately start off with a bottle warmer. If baby is ok taking a cool bottle no need to make more work for yourself. Of course if your baby insists on a warm bottle then a bottle warmer may be useful. I would definitely suggest trying without it first though.

m6agua · January 2020

@heyybritt +1 for skipping the bottle warmer (and wipes warmer) and trying it cold/room temp with LO first. If they are refusing it then you can use a mug with warm water in it until you either decide that works fine or get a warmer. You can just use hot tap water, you can heat water on the stove, in the microwave or use the Keurig (if you have one). We were EFF and tried room temp and cold formula and DD never had issues with it.

m6agua · January 2020

What kinds of bottles/nipples have you used in the past?
We exclusively formula fed so used bottles all the time. We tried out some of the free samples that we got until I convinced DH to let us open up and try the Dr. Browns Options ones we had from the shower. They worked great for us, we had the 4 oz ones with premie (size 0) nipples to start. We had to order those since the bottles came standard with size 1. Eventually we worked our way up to size 3 and 4 nipples, but we just bought those later on as needed. We transitioned to the 8 oz bottles at some point too. I would say that we did have leaking issues, but from what I read it seems like most bottles do, especially after a lot of use. I honestly think boiling and using the dishwasher at first to clean them are what made the leaks worse. We did notice that how full the bottle was made leaking worse too, so having the 4oz ones full was an issue and that was part of the reason for using the larger version for smaller amounts.
What did you use to clean bottles? I boiled them to sanitize right away and then maybe only a couple more times. Other than that we always hand washed them (see above). We tried so many different cleaning tools and it was pretty hard to find ones that cleaned thoroughly in the bottom crevices, so rinsing immediately was important. We also used the Dr. Browns bottle drying rack and it worked great. We had a different one to start but it didn't fit all the parts well. I have to say it is pretty worn from our tap water though, plastic that is constantly wet doesn't do well with our tap water. We just used our regular Dawn dish soap.
Any must-haves for travel? I personally did not like the formula dispensers, so we always would just bring premixed bottles with us. I started out with the cooler pack that matched my diaper bag, but it didn't fit much and was a pain. Eventually I bought a lunch thing from Target that has the cold packs built in. It was tall/narrow enough for the bottles and I could fit 4 8 oz Dr Browns bottles in it perfectly.
Any bottle accessories you'd recommend? I know I've said this on other threads, but if you are formula feeding I highly recommend the Dr. Browns Formula Pitcher. I also recommend once you find a bottle brush you like, buy a ton of them because they do wear out.

This time around we will probably reuse what we have (getting new nipples). But I am really interested in changing over to glass bottles. I guess we will see what our budget allows as we go, if Dr. Browns regular bottles work out we probably will go with those in glass too.

heyybritt · January 2020

@soprano19 @bananapanda @m6agua ok, thanks for confirming my suspicions that it was an extra step. I'll leave it off and if he won't take cold or room temp I can just get one later.

shamrocandroll · January 2020

Re: bottle warmer. I found I had to warm up breast milk a little bit just because it separates when it's refrigerated, and the bottle warmer was the most efficient way to do this. But once he started on formula at about 7m, we would just do those bottles at room temp.

afranzen85 · January 2020

@heyybritt I agree with those saying to skip the bottle warmer. Wait and see what the baby will tolerate. I've heard many moms talking about the inconveniences of needing to warm a bottle when out and about running errands.

I always found that a mug of hot water did the trick for us when needed as @m6agua mentioned as well.

bananapanda · January 2020

second what @m6agua said about the Dr. Brown formula pitcher which is actually great if you're pumping a lot too. When exclusively pumping I would store all of my milk for one day in a big pitcher and then separate into bags at the end of the night.

I'm curious to hear everyone else's thoughts on the dishwasher for bottles since a few of you mention being warned against it. I found one sentence in an AAP article to "try to avoid putting plastic in the dishwasher", but the CDC's article on properly cleaning infant feeding items specifically mentions washing dishwasher safe bottles in the dishwasher and on Dr. Brown's website they mention their bottles being dishwasher safe. I didn't check any other brand bottles, but assume most of them would be unless specifically stated otherwise.

AAP: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Says-Some-Common-Food-Additives-May-Pose-Health-Risks-to-Children.aspx

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/healthychildcare/infantfeeding/cleansanitize.html

shamrocandroll · January 2020

@bananapanda I hand washed them when he was itty bitty, but eventually moved to dishwasher out of laziness. Also, maybe UO, but I didn't go crazy with sanitizing because I'm wary of super heating plastics. I did have to do it when we got thrush once, though. Another option you could consider is glass bottles.

chewie5990 · January 2020

@bananapanda I think it really just comes down to personal preference and what you're comfortable with - I feel more confident that every speck is getting clean when I hand wash - because of this I hand wash a lot of things - really my dishwasher only sees plates, bowls, and regular cups. I also hand wash things that I want to last longer - and honestly we run our dishwasher about every 3 days so it wasn't worth it to wait for bottles to get washed.

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