Baby Bottles

Updated on May 05, 2008
C.B. asks from Cabot, AR
26 answers

Hi!
My daughter is now 5 weeks old and because of certain circumstances, I am unable to breastfeed. I did feed her from the breast for 3 weeks, so this bottle feeding thing is still new to me. How do you know that you have found the right bottle for your baby and how long does it take for her to be on it? My first daughter took avent bottles without any problem, so I've never understood when mom's talked about having to try different bottles. My 5 weeks old seems like she's having problems. She will all of a sudden stop eating and cry and milk just pours down her chin, even with the smallest nipple. Right now we've tried avent and playtex drop ins...but I'm not really sure what to be looking for when I've found the 'right' bottle. I would greatly appreciate any and all help!!
Thanks!

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So What Happened?

I want to say thanks to everyone who gave their advice! I decided to take her to the doctor this afternoon because the feedings just became so stressful and really felt like it wasn't an issue with the bottle. Anyway, the dr thinks that she has acid reflux and has put her on a once a day medicine for it. She also has thrush and is now taking a medicine for that too. SO...let's hope that all of this helps!!
Again, thanks for all of your help!

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C.S.

answers from Biloxi on

Hi C.!!
I would agree with many of the other moms~ Dr. Brown's bottles are AWESOME!!! I use the Playtex Drop-ins with my first one , 9 years ago. I began using the Dr. Brown's with my 2nd one( she will soon be 2). I would not have changed a thing. With the Dr. Brown's you can choose the flow of the nipple. My daughter did not have any trouble with these at all!! Good Luck!!

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H.L.

answers from Baton Rouge on

My little girl would only drink out of Vent Air, that I wfound was good because it prevents the air intake and they don't have any gas. So I didn't have to fight to much, but my really good friend is trying to put her son on a bottle after 5 months and she has bought about 5 or 6 different ones. When she got the last bottle he immediately latched on with no fuss. When they don't fight you on it is when you know. Good Luck.

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B.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had the same issues with my babies and the most expensive bottles. I ended up using the cheap one from Walmart- and they were happy! My 2nd baby had nipple issues. I had to use Nuk nipples. The pediatrician suggested them, and it worked great for her. Good luck!

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M.A.

answers from Lafayette on

Hi C.. I don't think it's the bottles. It's either the formula she's on causing something. When you go for your next check up, talk to the pediatrician. If you don't have one soon, I would make one soon. I'll tell you from experience that the crying can escalate and become much worse with no notice. I have often waited just a couple of days hoping something would pass with my infants...just to make myself & my babies miserable. It is def. worth a trip to the doctor.

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R.K.

answers from Tulsa on

Hello, my name is R.. I had to stop breast feeding my daughter at 6 weeks old, and she seemed to have the same problems with bottles. She did the same thing you are explaing when I 1st tried a bottle. We went through 4 different types before we found the ones for her. I would try the Nuk bottles, they sell them at wal-mart, target, babies r us, and many other stores. The reason why my daughter liked them so much is because the nipple of the bottle is much like a breast on a mom, the nipple of these bottles seem to form to the babies mout really well, instead of the babies mouth trying to form to the bottle. Hope this helps, you will know when you have found the right bottle, it just may take some time. Good luck

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D.C.

answers from Birmingham on

I chose not to breastfeed from the begining, and I use dr brown bottles. Nothing else worked for both of my babies. Both of mine suffered from G.E.R.D. and the dr browns stopped it right off the bat.

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C.G.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I tried many different bottles and the ones that I found work the best are Dr.Brown's. They are slow flowing and they reduce the amount of air the baby gets. I work nights so my son breastfeeds during the day and then takes a bottle at night. He has not had any problems going back and forth between the two. Dr.Brown's bottles were a life saver with my daughter because she had a sensitive stomach and spit up a lot, once I started her on the Dr.Brown's she didn't have the problems as often.

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D.R.

answers from Lafayette on

I would recommend trying a bottle that is made to alternate with breast feeding. I have two daughters, one is now 2 1/2 and the other is 10 months and I breastfed both for the first six months, once they were four weeks old I introduced the bottle so i could have some time away every now and then. I really like the playtex natural shape, they have a large nipple that greatly resembles the breast. They worked for both of my girls. I suggest this because your daughter is used to breast feeding, so she is used to pulling for the amount of milk she wants, these bottles work similar to the breast so she may take those better. If not those I would try other bottles made to alternate with breast feeding. They all generally work the same, then it may be easier to switch to some other type of bottles when she is older. I hope this helps

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T.P.

answers from Tuscaloosa on

If you try several bottles and none seem to work, it may be a feeding problem. Some babies, especially preemies, have weak face muscles or other problems, such as "tongue-tied) which makes it difficult for them to such or get enough food, making them frustrated and causing them to leak milk. If you can't seem to find a bottle that works, she may need to be checked out by a feeding specialist (usually an occupational or speech therapist who specializes in children). Let you pediatrician know so he/she can refer you to someone.

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L.L.

answers from Little Rock on

Make sure you are using slow flow nipples, not fast flow first. She may be getting too much milk to fast and that could cause the problems you are having.

And I also second asking about feeding problems. My dd has struggled with eating since tiny and I tried every bottle and nipple out there. Finally a doctor asked for aswallow study and we discoved that her formula was going into her lungs and vocal chords sometimes. She had no other symptoms other than stopping her eating and starting to cry.

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J.F.

answers from Fayetteville on

I can relate. We tried Dr. Browns, Avent, Playtex,
Evenflow, non brands and finally found Nuk's. You can get the nipples in different sizes and they are silicone so you don't have to worry about the nipple turning colors like the brown ones. They are carried at Target and WalMart now and run $5.00 a bottle or you can get a three pack but calculate the cost since I found several times that it was cheaper to buy them by the singles.

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L.W.

answers from Jonesboro on

When i transitioned from breast feeding to bottles, i also tried the drop-ins but they didn't seem to work. Then i found the NUK..thankfully. The nipple was shaped in a way that it was easier for her and it is orthodontist approved!

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A.M.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Dr. Browns's bottles seem to be slow flow. I also breastfed for a long time, but then transitioned to the bottle. For a baby used to breastfeeding, they need a nipple that will only allow milk out when they suck. I used the number one size nipples and it worked out great.

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J.C.

answers from Oklahoma City on

You could try the Soothies brand bottles. Soothies are the same as the pacifiers they give the babies at the hospital; they have the green nipples. My sister in law's baby wouldn't take any bottles either at first for formula or expressed breast milk, until she tried Soothies. Also, it's not necessarily a smaller nipple but the flow from the nipple. I had the same problem with my son. We use Avent and Playtex VentAire bottles but with them being so little you have to make sure you have the 1 nipple, for slower flow.

I hope that helps. (From someone who had problems with bottles, at firts, too!)

P.S. If you try bottle after bottle and different nipples and still have problems, as another person said, it could be the formula. I breast fed my son for about 2 1/2 months and he took that fine, but could not take regular formula and I had to switch to soy. MUCH better, less problems at feeding time, and less spit up later.

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S.W.

answers from Tulsa on

Are you pumping milk for her or using formula? If you're using formula, it could be issues with the formula and not the bottle. Formula is more difficult for babies to digest than breastmilk. So if you're using formula, maybe try a different brand. Or if you're using powdered, try the ready-made stuff. But it still could be an issue with the bottle or nipple. You could try finding a nipple that lets her control the flow.

Good luck. And sorry the breastfeeding thing didn't work out. I'm sure that was disappointing.

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R.E.

answers from Oklahoma City on

In addition to what everyone else is suggesting, you might need to consider whether your child has acid reflux. It is more common in infants because their stomach flap hasn't fully matured yet, and many times a colicky baby will actually have acid reflux which can make feedings unpleasant and also can involve lots of spit-up. I learned about this in "Baby 411;" my nephew had it, but my son did not.

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W.H.

answers from Tulsa on

Hi C.! Try feeding her in a sidelying position. Put your left hand behind her neck to help support her much like you would if you were breastfeeding and lay her on her side on your lap and hold the bottle in your right hand. This allows the milk to collect in the side of her mouth and she can swallow more easily. Always keep in in a midline position when she eats(nose in line with her belly button). I a NICU RN and I have fed a lot of babies including my own, this is what has always worked for me!

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N.W.

answers from New Orleans on

My 3 month old does not do well with bottles either. I only leave her once a month to work, and my husband said that when she is taking a bottle she fights it and turns purple, and milk even comes out her nose. I was using Playtex drop ins (I loved them with my son). But after she was having so many problems with them,I went to Babies-R-Us and bought a "Breast Flow" bottle put out by first years. It has a smaller nipple than other bottles, and it also has a double nipple system that mimics the let down of breast milk. I hope this helps. Good luck!

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S.J.

answers from Tulsa on

Dr. Brown's bottles are great! And, due to all the BPA issues, they have just changed their plastic bottles to the BPA-free kind, which is great because we were going to get the glass ones, which we weren't thrilled about.

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S.J.

answers from Tulsa on

C.,
My son is 8 months old and I too had certain circumstances that prevented me from nursing. I tried using the Avent bottles with my son, but I think he had a hard time with them because the nipple was so big. We have had the best luck with Dr. Browns, I think because the nipples are smaller. My pediatrician also suggested just buying those plain yellowish/ brown nipples, the ones everyone used before they started making fancy bottles, like Dr. Brown's and Avent :). But my son was already doing so well with the Dr. Brown's... and I had already purchased a ton of them I didn't switch. I would suggest buying a bottle with a smaller nipple and see how your daughter does.

Good Luck!
S.

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A.H.

answers from Biloxi on

Hi C..

Are you feeding her in a laying down position? Try sitting her up more. That helped my son. Hope it helps your little girl.

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M.T.

answers from New Orleans on

Hi C.. I had trouble breast feeding after only a short time too. I switched to every bottle under the sun & finally settled things w/ Dr. Browns. They work wonderfully. Every baby is different but they really help w/ collic & everything. They r worth a try I can gurantee. Good luck doll.

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S.P.

answers from Oklahoma City on

It is not the bottle it is the nipple. Just change the type of nipple you are using on your bottle. The playtex drop in bottles have all kinds of nipples you can try. My son like the one they called nux. This is also cheaper than buying a whole new bottle everytime. Buy to or three nipples and try them. Try one at a time for about a week and she will take to it or not. You will know when she has taken to it.

A.H.

answers from Tulsa on

My son started out as bottle fed for the first few days, but once he went to breastfeeding, he didn't want any old bottle nipple anymore. When I got him back onto the bottle, I found that the Playtex bottles with the rounded nipples worked best for him. This nipple best matched my breast shape, so he took to it a lot faster. You may also want to try breaking in the nipples first. I would wash them a couple of times and just massage them back and forth to try and soften them up before giving them to my son. As far as your daughter crying, could it be from gas or not burping as frequently? She's probably not used to the air, so burping sooner may help. Hope she starts doing better!

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C.B.

answers from Enid on

It could be the formula. My daughter and one of my grandchildren had the same problem. The doctor switched formulas and they stopped having problems.

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M.J.

answers from Birmingham on

Try Dr. Brown's - they are great!!

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