What Bottles to Use?

Hi N.,

Although they don't work together, the Medela breast pump is the best; I pumped up to 7 times a day for 13 months and it never failed. If I have another child I plan to use it again.

As for the bottles, the playtex ventair were great for my son and he's reflux as a baby.

To store milk the best bags are the lansinoh and the avent plastic storage cups are also really good; they can be used in the refrigerator or the freezer.

Hope the information helps.

Dione

I went and got the AVENT system. it seemd like it was going to work great...BUT... my daughter NEVER WOULD take a bottle. So, good luck with the bottle idea. I was told to buy lots of diffrent onese to see which she would take. AFter we had already bought the AVENT system we DID go buy many many bottles and nipples and NONE worked. So, maybe you should see what your child likes. Breanna was 100% breast feeding until she went to the cup. :) Sorry if my answer was discouraging but I wanted to try and help. :)
BTW The BEST breast pump ever is the Medula. Its worth the price. I did pump and give my daugther milk in the cup when I had to. My pump was only used a few times, but was DEFFINTLY the best that I tried.

I just saw some bottles at Babies 'R Us that look like they were made for a mom who is breastfeeding. They are "The First Years Breastflow Bottles" and they have a nipple inside a nipple to better simulate the breast. I didn't know about them until last week, but I looked at the Babies 'R Us website, and every single one of the reviews was positive, and many of the moms said they had tried many different bottles and the baby wouldn't take any of them until they tried the Breastflow bottle. I encourage you to look at them before you decide which bottle to choose.

Some babies are more picky about bottles than others, but in general, the closer the nipple simulates the breast, the more likely the baby will take the bottle. Introduce the bottle between 4-6 weeks of age once they are established at the breast. If you wait too long they may not take a bottle at all. I've heard the Playtex Nursers (with the drop-ins) work well for many babies, the Avent ones work well for some moms (my neighbor threw them out because she said they leaked so badly) and the Soothies may work as well. The Breastflow bottle seems to be the closest to the breast (never used them though). You may have to try a few different bottles until you find one that your baby will take, so finding a breast pump that is compatible with the bottles may be a moot point. Also, make sure you have someone else (preferably dad) introduce the bottle when you aren't in the room/aren't home. I really love my Medella Pump in Style Advance- it's an electric double breast pump and is great if you have to pump while you are at work, or will be pumping and bottling exclusively. You can pump right into the breastmilk bags if you want, and use them in the Playtex Nurser bottles. Another aside- Avent makes some containers that are great for storing breastmilk and formula, or food in the fridge. They are about 5 oz. and they sell them at Target and Babies 'R Us. You can throw them in the dishwasher/sterilizer and reuse them so you don't have to spend as much money on the bags. If you have a dishwasher with a sanitize function it will save you a step as well.

Good luck, and best wishes. =)

The Avent bottles are great, they also have a breastpump in the same line.

Hi N.: You should be overwhelmed by the bottle choices -- Babies R Us has a full wall of them! Here's what worked for us. I did the whole nursing/pumping/exclusive breastmilk thing for 8 months. While I was pregnant, I heard from numerous moms NOT to purchase bottles until after the baby was born. Babies can be really picky and some moms said that they had to try up to 4 different types of bottles before they found one their babies liked.
Your best bet is to get the highest quality pump you can find. My Medela Pump & Style was my best friend! That particular pump comes with bottle attatchments that you can use, but my baby didn't like them at all. We ended up with Platex bottles -- the ones that let the air out at the bottom. They also make nipples that ease the breast/bottle transition. It was time-consuming washing both the pump bottles and the Platex ones, but it was well worth it because I didn't have to sacrifice my choice of pump. Good luck!

N.,

Congratulations, I just wanted to add to what others had suggested. My husband is a stay at home daddy and I pump while at work and nurse at night/weekends. The Medela breast pump has been awesome for both my kiddos and myself, it is electric, can pump both sides at the same time and has a variable rate and pressure which helps very much. The bottles we are using are the vent aire system. With my first child I thought I'd use the drop-ins and received those at my baby shower, after my first son was born, they were too cumbersome it lasted 2 days. We switched to the vent aire and it works well. Our refluxy babies did well and never had problems with gas pains. The baby is 5 months old and easily switches from breast to bottle and neither boy ever had any confusion. In fact the bottles held up so well for the first baby we are re-using them with this baby and they are still holding up. Good luck with your daughter and good luck with breast feeding, it took a week or two to figure it out / tolerate it with my first child but it was a wonderful experience and still is. Feel free to email if you have any questions or want to chat about this new adventure.
-Jen

I've heard great things about the Avent pumps/bottles. The only problem with the pumps is that, from my understanding, you HAVE to use the Avent bottles. I will be buying an Avent pump for my 2nd baby due in November, but we already have so many other bottles, I plan to just pump into the Avent bottles and transfer the milk to others that we already have to keep from spending more money.

I think most other pumps fit all bottle types.

Just a suggestion, do NOT purchase the Evenflo electric pump. I had this one with my first daughter and I'm positive the poor suction of it was the reason I "dried up" at 7 months.

Congratulations!

Fist of all congratulations on your pregnancy and your choice to breastfeed.

I work one day a week so I also have to use a pump for that day. I have chosen to use the playtex drop-ins due to the fact that they emulate the way a breast works and the nipples are also shapped more like a breast. My daughter never had any dificulty switching between the two.

As for the pump I have a Medela pump in style and I use the Lansinoh breast milk storage bags. My mother is the one that watches my daughter and she has never had any problems with eith the bottle or the storage bags.

Good luck with your new baby!

Hi N., with my daughter, and son I used the playtex nursers with the bags and drop ins. I am now expecting my 3rd and have decided that the bags and drop ins are too much work so I have decided to go with the Playtex Vent Air bottles. It's the same concept of keeping the air out, but much easier than messing with the bags. In my opinion constantly buying the bags and drop ins is just an extra added expense to the budget, and more physical work for you in general. Good luck finding the best bottle for your baby. Alot of times babies will tell you which type, and brand they prefer.

we used Dr browns. they are a little more expensive, but they made such a difference for our daughter in regards to gas that after 2 weeks of using different types we moved exclusively to those.

Some babies are very picky. Some moms are very picky. My son breast and bottle fed and LOVED the playtex bottles with the drop ins and I had other ones for pumping. Minor hassel to switch between the two nothing major. My sisters little girl will ONLY drink from the good old regular nipple. So she buys cheap bottles and replacement nipples. I found that I registered for a wide variety and then tested them out that way until we found one my won really used well. I would choose a better system. Like $150+ for pumping. They tend to have enough power to really pump and do both breast at the same time so it only takes 10-15 minutes rather than one at a time that takes 20-30 minutes. Handpumps work, take much much longer and don't always have the power to keep your milk supply up.

Find the Breast Pump you like first, then get the bottles that go with it, or fit your breast pump system. If your buying a breast pump that fits your bottles, it is like the tail wagging the dog. Worse case, your baby does better with another bottle than the breast pump system you have, you can transfer the milk to the new bottle. If you are serious about breast feeding, find the pump you love. I suggested you go to the "Baby Places" (BabbiesRus,the small shop that just does baby) and ask for a test run of the product. Granted, you can't pump right now, but get the feel of the pump on your breast. Does the handle feel comfortable enough for you to hold it for 30 mins at a time, do the suction cups feel too small or too big, etc. It sounds crazy, but you would be surprised how many will accomodate you. After all, baby products are a trillion dollar industry, and you will be spending loads of money with the people that treat you and your bundle of joy with extra care. Best wishes for you and your daughter!

With the plethora of choices nowadays it can get confusing. I used the avent bottles with both of my kids. The bottles are wide and easy for the baby to hold as they get older. They are so easy to clean and the nipples do not have grooves where dirt can accumulate. When the baby is ready to transition to cup you can use the same baby bottles with a spout attachment. I also had the isis pump which is great for occasional use. It is small so you can take it with you and express milk outside the home if you have to. Occasional is the key word though. You cannot rely on a manual single pump if you plan on pumping and keeping your milk supply. If you plan on pumping more extensively (like at work), I would go with the Isis IQ Duo. It is more pricey but pumping two sides at the same time will help you maintain your milk supply. I also had the microwave sterilizer which is also wonderful.

N.,
With my oldest two I used the Playtex Drop Ins bottles. I would store pumped breast milk in baggies (I really liked the Gerber storage bags), then just thaw the baggies and drop them into the bottles. I never heard any complaints from any of my child care providers. I have a Medela Pump in Style pump and absolutely love it. It's quick, effective, and discreet for carrying back and forth to work. I have alot of friends who use that pump as well. I would highly recommend it. Best of luck with all the decision making!!

A.