While there is no doubt that breastfeeding is the best way to nurture a child, some new moms have to opt for the bottle due to various reasons such back to work or nanny taking care of the child. Whether you are pumping your own breast milk or feeding your baby formula, a bottle becomes a necessary baby care product to have. Here are some factors you need to consider when choosing the right bottle for your baby.
Anti-colic function
What is colic? Digesting food is a big task for a baby's brand-new gastrointestinal system. Sucking too much air into the stomach will resulting in pain from gas in the intestines. In babies with colic, the crying starts suddenly for no apparent reason … and has no apparent cure. These fussy periods can go on for hours at a time, sometimes late into the night. Worst of all, try as you might — and try you will — it's extremely difficult to calm a colicky baby, which only compounds your own frustration, worry, and exhaustion.
Feeding bottle with anti-colic function helps to balance the pressure inside the bottle so that baby can drink milk continuously & easily, helps the baby swallow less air as they drink. Most brands come with anti-colic functions at the teat, such as Pigeon, Simba, Philips Avent, Basilic & Hegen. While some brands have stronger anti-colic function using a vent system such as Dr Brown’s & MAM.
Glass vs plastic
Glass works well because they are chemical-free and lasts longer. However, they are heavier and there is a danger of breakage when the baby holding the bottle himself.
Plastic bottles do not break, but they do deteriorate and need to be frequently replaced. Look for BPA-Free plastic materials when you are choosing a bottle.
The most commonly used material is Polypropylene (PP) plastic. It is originally whitish in color but can be tinted into blue, pink, purple, green, etc. The PP plastic bottle is suggested to be replaced every 3-6 months
Nowadays, most parents look for Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) plastic because it lasts longer & easier to clean compared to PP plastic. It is more transparent, odorless, and impact-resistant. PPSU bottle is suggested to be replaced every 1 year.
Nipple/ teat
Choose Silicone or latex material. The latex teat is softer compared to the silicone teat but it needs to be replaced more often. Yet, a lot of brands also have silicone teat which is as soft as the latex teat.
All brands have different teat size with recommendation age. If the nipple is too small, the flow may be too slow for the baby making him struggle and tiring him out. Too big a size might allow too much milk and result in choking. Observe the baby carefully each time you try out a new one.
Tips: Observe the duration used for a baby drinking a bottle of milk. If the duration of more than 10-15 minutes, then you should change to the next step of nipple size.
Wide-neck VS Slim-neck
Most parents choose for a wide-neck bottle that has a broader opening. This makes cleaning and pouring of formula easier
With all the guidelines above, the most important factor while choosing bottles and teats is, of course, that the baby takes to them.
