Product Spotlight Series: Bottles & Eating Surface/Accessories

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

• meanjellybean member

  March 2020

  • What kinds of bottles/nipples have worked best for you in the past & what are your plans, in terms of that, for this baby? We used Tommee Tippee bottles (the short fat ones with the 0+ nipple) and they worked great, but we also never dealt with that much bottle refusal and she started daycare at 12 weeks so it was a done deal after that. She used the same bottles/nipples until she was a little over 12 months. I think others have said and I agree that it's a good idea to not go nuts and buy a bunch of one kind at first, because some babies are picky about bottles/nipples. Once you find one that works well, you can order more.

  
  

  • Best bottle cleaning products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary? We used the Babyganics foaming bottle cleanser, but will probably just use Blue Dawn this time around lol. Also the oxo tot scrubber brush worked well for both her bottles and the super narrow Medela bottles that I pumped into:

  https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Tot-Bottle-Nipple-Cleaner/dp/B0771FFWQ2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12F4C84SZZ1NK&keywords=oxo+tot+bottle+brush&qid=1584457939&sprefix=oxo+tot%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1
  
  It also has a little tiny scrubber you can use to clean the bottle nipples, and comes with its own stand so it doesn't get all gross. Win-win.

  • Best eating surfaces? Which, if any, are must-haves? I sound like an oxo tot sales rep but these bowls/plates are the only kind that actually suction to a high chair tray/any other surface:

  https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Tot-Stick-Divided-Plate/dp/B07G4WMZZJ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2MCY6I97F5X5F&keywords=oxo+tot+suction+plate&qid=1584458063&sprefix=oxo+tot+suction%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-4
  

  • 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?

  I honestly wouldn't go nuts buying a lot of stuff for feeding solids at first, but others may disagree. I hadn't done any research on how to start solids before having DD (because, why would I? I was mainly concerned with how I was going to get the baby out of my body at that point) but put stuff on my registry because people said I should. I ended up not using a lot of it and/or giving it away. So I'd wait until you get closer to that point after baby is here and you are deciding what you want to do (purees, baby led weaning, combo, etc). 99 percent of this stuff isn't that expensive and can be Amazon prime'd easily.

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• blaf322 member

  March 2020

  • What kinds of bottles/nipples have worked best for you in the past & what are your plans, in terms of that, for this baby? Avent with the natural nipple worked well for us... but every baby is different. That said, I don't recommend Dr. Brown's bottles. I didn't see a difference in how gassy she was, at all, and they have extra parts and are a PITA to clean. Save yourself the trouble.
    
  • Best bottle cleaning products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary?  regular Dawn dish detergent and a bottle brush is really all you need. I'd make sure your bottle brush has the nipple cleaning attachment at the end though. Also,  I got this brush/drying rack set for travel and really appreciated having it.
  • Best eating-related travel products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary? I recommend disposable place mats for restaurants, like these. We have an ezpz mini mat... basically a plate that sticks to the table... but I preferred the disposable place mats over this. DD quickly figured out how to lift the plate (though, my friend's kid didn't). We got this travel spoon with case for eating out and liked it b/c I never had to worry about mess in the diaper bag.
  • Best eating surfaces? Which, if any, are must-haves?  +1 to getting bowls/plates that stick to the high chair top. DD wasn't a food thrower, so we didn't really use them, but if my kid was, I'd definitely need lots of them. Our favorite plates, though, are some cheapies I got from Walmart. They stack well and don't take up much space in the dishwasher.
  • Best eating-related accessories? Which, if any, are must-haves?  I made my own baby food. It was really easy with this Baby Brezza. If you're going to make your own food, I definitely recommend this. It steams then purees all in one container. I used these to hold/freeze the baby food I made. For pouches, I own one of these pouch makers, but it was more of a PITA than it was worth so I never used it. However, if you want to make your own pouches, I'd recommend this.
  • 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? Like @meanjellybean said, I wouldn't go too nuts with stuff to use for solids. A big part of that recommendation comes from the fact that you may see decreased attendance at your showers (COVID and all) so you want to put your focus on the stuff you're going to NEED sooner rather than later. Additionally, your opinions on what works best for you/what your plan looks like may change once you're in the throes of parenthood.

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• meanjellybean member

  March 2020

  Omg YES @blaf322 how could I forget the disposable placemats for going out to eat?? They are a must basically until you trust your kid to eat off a restaurant plate (still working on that one...). As a former waitress, I love how easy these are to gather the mess your kid inevitably makes into one ball that can easily be thrown away.

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• nursejenn5 member

  March 2020 edited March 2020

  • What kinds of bottles/nipples are you considering? we will be testing out a few different types (thanks to free samples, and hand me downs from my siblings.) but I'm really going to try the kiinde stuff. My sister has this and raves about it for many reason- no bottles to fuss with, easy to go from pumping to storage, to freezing and thawing and serving. Also they have adapters for different nipples. So i'm sure this will be what we do. (my sister says she has her subscription set up for another 1-2 years and will just be passing some of it on haha)
  • Any bottle cleaning products you are considering? I have a general drying rack, and dishwasher basket on my registry, along with a basic bottle brush set.
  • Any eating-related travel products that you're considering? haven't considered travel products.
  • Any eating surfaces that you're considering? I have the suction plates and bowls on my registry lol. 
  • Any eating-related accessories that you're considering? I also have a few different types of forks/spoons fitted towards baby led weaning on my registry.  (along with a couple more "regular" feeding spoons) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBWOB1E?colid=1XOJRSD1G5H15&coliid=I266Y0UTR02ETX&ref=br_ADD_TO_CART_title_link
    also will not be using sippy cups, so I have the 360 munchkin miracle trainer cups.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MRZIFD0?colid=1XOJRSD1G5H15&coliid=I3V1W0SF94T8SK&ref=br_ADD_TO_CART_title_link

  
  

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• blaf322 member

  March 2020

  @nursejenn5 I'd also add a bottle drying rack to your registry. 360 cups are great, but if you're going to be using them for milk, you'll want to make sure to pull that rubber top off b/c they'll get moldy AF otherwise. With just water going through them, they don't. 
  

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• nursejenn5 member

  March 2020

  @blaf322 yes thats what I meant for my general drying lol

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• blaf322 member

  March 2020

  @nursejenn5 haha... sorry! I totally skimmed and missed that!
  

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• kc0711 member

  March 2020

  • What kinds of bottles/nipples have worked best for you in the past & what are your plans, in terms of that, for this baby? Soooo DD HATED bottles, and would literally drink just enough at the sitter’s to not die of starvation. She eventually took the avent natural with the 0/slow flow nipple. Because we were still nursing, we never moved up in nipple size and never gave more than a 3oz bottle, so the freebie bottles I got from registries are all I had to use. I got lucky and never bought a bottle or nipple. Hopefully this baby will be a little better than her and at least take a bottle more willingly, but I plan to just use the avent naturals again. 
    
  • Best bottle cleaning products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary? A dishwasher basket!! I rinsed the bottles in water and then threw everything in the dishwasher on sanitize. There was no way I was going to stand at the sink every night and hand wash bottles and pump parts. For after the dishwasher, I have the Boon grass drying rack with both the flower and tree attachments, I find them very helpful, but if I had to pick one would just get the flower. I also have a travel Boon bottle washing kit that is wonderful (we travel a lot with DD). 
  • Best eating-related travel products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary? I always keep a silicone stick to the table placemat for eating out in the diaper bag, I just wipe it down after each use. DD learned how to get the disposable stick on ones off really quickly, but was more inclined to leave the silicone one alone. We have the travel high chair that looks like a foldable camping chair, and it is wonderful. Small and lightweight and really easy to use. 
  • Best eating surfaces? Which, if any, are must-haves? When DD was little we fed her straight off the high chair tray, the tray had a removable insert (highly recommend a hc with this feature) that we washed after meals. Now we use the replay 3 section plates and silverware and she eats directly off the table, her high chair seat is on a chair that we push up to the main table. I love that her high chair has a rolling base but can also go on a chair. When she was little, I had it on the rolling base so I could move her around the kitchen with me while I cooked and let her play with toys on the tray. Now that she is older, I love that she still has the support of the high chair seat, but it’s on a chair that takes up less room and can pull up to the main table. I also have a high chair with no fabric- SO MUCH easier to clean. 
  • Best eating-related accessories? Which, if any, are must-haves? We have the munchkin 360 cup and the munchkin straw cup, I like them both. We also use a small hydro flask when out and about to keep drinks at a better temperature. Mom tip- if you leave baby’s cup in the car, ALWAYS test it before giving it back to baby. If it’s been in a hot car and is just a plastic cup, the liquid inside can get very warm. 
  • 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? I am still breastfeeding DD at 20 months (barely, mostly comfort) so bottles were never a big thing for us, but I should have bought stock in breastmilk bags. I plan to breastfeed little dude as long as possible, so he will also probably be a pretty minimal bottle user as well (I only work 3 days/week). 

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• stlbuckeye132 member

  March 2020

  • What kinds of bottles/nipples have worked best for you in the past & what are your plans, in terms of that, for this baby? This is one of those things that every STM will tell you something different. +1 for getting one or two of several kinds instead of stocking up on one. That said.... DD took the first bottle we gave her at home no problem (she was like barely over one week old, so I'm sure that helped) which were Dr. Brown's. We used the narrow bottles with the blue tubes (not the green tube options bottles) and liked them (but again, didn't have anything else to compare against). If you plan on hand washing, then yes they'd for sure be more annoying to wash with the additional parts, but I just threw everything into the dishwasher and ran it on the reg so that didn't bother me. Highly recommend their dishwasher bag - more on that below.

  • Best bottle cleaning products? Which would you consider, if any, necessary? We started off using bottle specific soap (don't even remember what kind) when we hand washed things but then quickly switched to the dishwasher. We had two of these in our dishwasher for all the bottle parts (also teethers, pacifiers, etc) and they were great. They're actually still in our dishwasher and now hold straw cup, 360 cup, and snack cups parts haha I liked these more than the hard dishwasher baskets. https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-Silicone-Dishwasher-Blue/dp/B07DY6BS6Z

  • Best eating-related accessories? Which, if any, are must-haves? I'm sticking with bottle feeding for this question - if you end up formula feeding, THIS WAS AMAZING. Used it daily - we'd mix up a day's worth of formula the night before, keep it in the fridge, and pour into bottles as needed since formula in the fridge is good for 24 hours. Way simpler than making bottles individually. https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-Formula-Mixing-Pitcher/dp/B001I481LM/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1DQCUGYO93GDU&dchild=1&keywords=dr+browns+formula+mixer+pitcher&qid=1584473675&s=baby-products&sprefix=dr+browns+formul%2Cbaby-products%2C164&sr=1-2

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• stlbuckeye132 member

  March 2020

  @kc0711 oh yes! That boon grass drying rack for sure. Also love the flower accessory for it!

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• amygray725 member

  March 2020

  what kind of bottles/nipples are you considering?
   I’m looking at the Avent and Tomme Tippe naturals that mimic the breast and nipple. It’s my hope to breast feed but have a frozen stash my husband can use for night feedings or use in general to bond with baby during feeding time. I’m worried about bottle rejection, so I figured these two brands would be best to try to see which DD actually takes. 

  
  

  We watched a documentary this weekend about the plastic industry that scared the shit out of me. So I’m thinking of investing in the glass version of these bottles. Anyone with experience with glass bottles and plastic bottles? Tips or cautions you can give?

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• rjk0427 member

  March 2020

  • What kinds of bottles/nipples are you considering?

  I registered for playtex ones with the liners in a smaller and larger size plus we have some freebies. I think they’re Dr Browns? 

  • Any bottle cleaning products you are considering?

  My sister swears by going old school with just a bottle brush. I read online somewhere that some people put them in their dishwasher top rack. Would that actually work or be safe?

  • Any eating surfaces that you're considering?

  I didn’t think of it but I love the idea of disposable placemats! Thanks @blaf322 for that idea!! Game changer.

  
  

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• blaf322 member

  March 2020

  @rjk0427 you can absolutely use the dishwasher and we'll prob do a good bit of that now because we fill it up fast enough with us and DD using dishes... add in baby bottles and such and we'll prob be running it almost daily. That said, with just us and DD as a baby, we didn't fill the dishwasher up often enough to have that make sense so we hand washed everything with dawn dish soap and a bottle brush.
  

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• rjk0427 member

  March 2020

  Thanks @blaf322. That’s great news! 

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• kc0711 member

  March 2020

  @rjk0427 team 100% dishwasher. I don’t think I ever hand washed a bottle. 

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• beckylookatherbump member

  March 2020

  @amygray725 my only caution on using class is if you are planning on daycare. We wanted to use gods bottles but none of the daycares in the area allowed it so we had to go plastic. 

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• amygray725 member

  March 2020

  I Have a question about bottle nipples. When I’m looking at bottles, I see most come with a newborn flow or a #1 flow. Do you guys feel it’s necessary to get different nipple flows for the bottles or will the flow they come with really be sufficient? 

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• blaf322 member

  March 2020

  @amygray725 you want the slowest flow to begin with. Baby will get choked up with faster flows at first.
  
  FWIW, DD used a slow flow for the majority of the time she bottle fed. With bottle feeding, there's a tendency for babies to gulp down a ton of milk/formula before they can recognize full cues. That means you're going to be using up more of your hard earned breast milk if you're pumping and bottle feeding, or spending more on formula than is necessary. Additionally, if you're nursing some and bottle feeding at other times, having a faster flow with the bottles can lead to baby getting frustrated while nursing because the flow isn't as fast as what they're used to with the bottle. If you have any interest, check out paced feeding.
  

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