Best Bottles - Raleigh,NC

The new Avent bottles (they started making them in 2008 I believe) are BPA-Free and while that's a good thing, they actually leak. Badly. You can open the top up and wipe down the neck and then close again and that usually takes care of it. But for almost $10 an 8-oz bottle, find another brand. I love the Medela bottles that come with their pump-they also sell all of the bottles & accessories on their own.

I also just have to leave a comment about Paisley P.'s post below. It just got under my skin. It's insane to me to see you make a mention about not being able to nurse your oldest, then to basically blast anyone that doesn't nurse. Hello - of all people you should know that not everyone can do it, for a variety of reasons. EVERYONE knows breastmilk and breastfeeding are best. And I'm sorry but I nursed my oldest for 7 months and we had plenty of explosive diarrhea - and my diet was very balanced, with lots of veggies and fruits too. So maybe do some more research from up there on your soap box. Also my 2nd had severe jaundice and was in the nicu for it after birth...everything that happened totally interfered with her nursing...I pumped milk for 4 months for her and also gave her formula during that time. At every doctor appointment so far, and she's 10 months old now, she's been WAY ahead of the curve in terms of milestones, both gross and fine motor, as well as cognitive development. And very healthy physically too. Since she started solids around 6 months I've made all of her baby food at home using all farm-fresh (from our veggie share and herb garden) organic ingredients, and she just started eating meat so I'm incorporating proteins into her diet now too. Moms come in all different packages, Paisley, and we all do our very best to provide for our children. Maybe try not to be so judgmental, things don't always have to go just one rigid way to make an incredible family and amazing children. You sound like a phenomenal mom, but your post offended me.

4 moms found this helpful

i have used the avent with both of my girls, and only occasionally have had a leak, b/c i haven't screwed the lids on right. i have a handful of tommee tippee that i love, and if i were starting from scratch would've bought nothing but those. my youngest was a spitty baby, and we bought some playtex vent-air which i hated with a passion! they leaked and had 6 pieces to clean for every bottle, and, to boot- the ounce markings on the side of some of them washed off- and i hand wash bottles with a bottle brush. they didn't even seem to help her spitting up any more than the avent bottles. also, now that she's on the 9 ounce size, i like the fact that i can use discs and make the rings into lids, and then i can use the 4 oz bottles for cereal or food, or even get the trainer cup kit and she can practice with using a sippy cup! worth the $ for those reasons! i personally wouldn't get a whole set of dr browns unless the baby has reflux or needs them. congrats and good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

I used Avent bottles for my daughter and thought they were great. My daughter had very few gas issues and I found them easy to clean. I hear the Dr. Brown's are tough to clean if that helps.

2 moms found this helpful

I used the Playtex Drop Ins and loved them. I tried a couple others I had gotten as free samples and my son didnt like them, but the Playtex were super easy. My son never had gas or colic issues, but I did mostly breastfeed, so I don't know if the bottles had anything to do with it. They are also BPA free (the liners are) and that was important to me. Part of why I picked those to start with is because there are a few different nipples that would fit them, so if mine didn't take the first nipple, it would be easier to switch to another without buying a whole new bottle. I also figured, start out cheap and work my way up to the more expensive ones, so that if he liked the cheaper one I didn't have to pay the price of the Dr. Browns bottles. I also used generic liners, but they weren't quite as sturdy as the name brand. But if you are nursing and pumping, you can use the gerber or lansinoh breastmilk bags and those fit great. I only had to buy a couple bottles with extra nipples and cleanup was super easy.

2 moms found this helpful

Glass bottles are the best to use. I tried many and found that the Dr.Brown's worked the best for having the less air gong to the baby.

2 moms found this helpful

i thought with my baby that playtex ventaire and even flo purely comfort worked best because of the way that they are shaped, my daughter rarely had any gas with those bottles

2 moms found this helpful

I used the playtex disposable bottles. It was much easier to clean, and you are able to push out the air in the bottle before you feed them. I would shake it, slightly mush the bottom with my fingers to break up and clumps, lightly sueexe the nipple, and push the liner until bubble came out. Our son rarely had gas, or spit up. It is also easier with travel, or just simply going out. I could pack only one bottle, and keep liners and formula in the bag. If he needed another feeding, I just rinsed out the bottle in the bathroom, and threw in another liner. It was great!!! I did not have to have as many bottles also, and did not have to wash them as often. If you just wash out the nipple with hot water right after you feed, you can use the bottle several times. Just my opinion......hope it helps!

2 moms found this helpful

As a mommy of 3, I would always try different bottles, but would always come back to Playtex Drop-Ins. And yes Paisley, I nursed, am still nursing number three, but pump and do bottles too. All she wanted to know was our opinions on bottles, not what we thought about bottle vs breast.

2 moms found this helpful

I was a breast feeding Mom as well, but when I needed bottles I used the Playtex drop ins. Less cleaning and less work.

I know when you're nesting you start worrying over every little thing - but it really doesn't make much of a difference. Honestly, with number three -- if you still have the Avent bottles I would just use what you already have.. There will be plenty of expenses with a new baby. No need to make up more :)

2 moms found this helpful

With all the plastic scares out there i just bought BPA free glass bottles, even though I plan on nursing. I didnt want to use plastic even as a back up. I believe BPA will be banned soon if memory serves me. However, who knows what it will be replaced with. Stick with glass!

2 moms found this helpful

Well, it's been years for me and I used the Avent to and LOVED them. But all of my friends swear by Dr. Brown's.

2 moms found this helpful

Best bottles are your breasts. No bottles to clean, sterilize, heat the milk, toss out milk, or clean up afterward. Sure, it means a little extra laundry to do but ultimately, it's well worth the ease and lack of extra work.

I used Platex Nursers with my oldest because there was a problem with my milk that didn't allow me to nurse her; however, when all was well with my second, I knew I would NEVER go back to a bottle again if we had more children.

There is nothing like getting up in the middle of the night, going straight to the baby's room, picking her up, unbuttoning the top few buttons on my gown, throwing a cloth diaper across my shoulder then laying my baby next to me propped on a nursing pillow at my waist while she nursed. It helped me sleep better after nursing her and she went to sleep much easier too. Most of the time she was well asleep by the time I burped her and put her back into her wedgy to prevent her from rolling over onto her stomach. I slept so much better when she was nursing. It has something to do with a chemical that's released in the mother's brain during nursing that is reacted by the sucking reflex from the baby. Also, nursing helps cause the uterus to shrink much faster, weight loss to come quicker, and it prevents heavy bleeding not to mention it does wonders for mommy/baby bonding.

Since you've had children before, you are likely aware of that hazardous waste material called poop from formula. Well, it doesn't exist with breast milk. The Feces is a yellow color, at least until they start eating food, that is about the color of mustard and it's soft. It has a sweet smell, not a hazardous waste plant smell. It's not green and it doesn't cause explosive diarrhea or constipation as long as the mom eats a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits.

The fact that the dishwasher (electric or mom-run) doesn't do overtime double-duty is a major plus too. There's no need to use the stove or microwave to heat formula or even mix formula ahead of time. Your baby's milk is ready to go at a moment's notice because it's all homemade and you made it.

Just a bit of info here between breastfed and formula fed babies... My oldest stayed sick throughout her infant to childhood years whereas my youngest only got sick once a year if even then. Even now she rarely gets sick. It doesn't mean she isn't a carrier of infections because she does bring home illnesses from school, which I often catch but that's only because my immune system is hosed from lupus (SLE) and Sjogren's disease.

The health factor alone makes it worth it to breastfeed. There is also such a thing as pumping milk if you have a job to get back to after maternity leave. Breast milk freezes well but for my opinion, nothing beats being home with baby nursing until it's time to wean off the breast and onto the cup. My youngest is also extremely smart. She is 2 grade levels ahead of many of her classmates. She has been an A student since 1st grade too. This past week, she was inducted into the Junior Honors Society. I believe between the time I spent nursing her and working with her, which started out with refrigerator magnets in the shapes of letters and numbers and shapes with specific colors as well as teaching her to enjoy classical music and other various types of music as she is as eclectic about music as I am, I did her the greatest favor a mother can do. I gave her a great beginning to a future that can be even better.

At least consider breastfeeding before going the bottle route. You might fight that it is the most enjoyable experience you ever had and at the same time giving your child the best start in life he or she could ever have. Man cannot synthesize the antibodies in mother's milk. It's not possible. Let Mother Nature take care of your baby the way it was intended. Give up thoughts of the bottle. Your baby will thank you for it.

1 mom found this helpful

I used Avent bottles with my first two children as well. Never had a problem with them so I planned on using them with my third that was born last August. After 2 weeks, she was extremely gassy and I had no idea what to do. I did some research online and everyone was saying they used Dr. Browns. I had always thought it was a gimic, but figured it was worth a shot because I thought I was going to go crazy...my daughter would not sleep at all unless I was holding her. After 24 hours of using the new bottles, she was like a brand new baby. Back to her old (2 week) self and sleeping perfectly! I tell everyone to get these bottles and if I had known how well they worked, I would have bought them for my others. Yes, they do have a few extra parts that make the cleaning less enjoyable, but it's really not a big deal. Plus, you can put them in the dishwasher too and with a family of 5, it runs a lot more than it used to!

i nursed my first one and found the drop ins to be the best and it wasnt that hard going from the breast to the bottle and back but i eventually just got what ever i could afford by my son would only dring out of the ones with the clear nipples cant remember what they were but they had the sippy cup transition with them i personally would choose to nurse at least the first little bit bit loved the drop ins not a whole lot to clean and depending on how you are shaped not that hard to bounce back and forth

By far, my favorite has always been Dr. Brown's. Never one bit of gas, colic, upset tummy related issues once I started using those bottles!