Bottle feeding

If you are planning to bottle feed, you will need a good supply of bottles and teats before your baby is born. Even if you are breastfeeding, you may want to buy one or two bottles for drinks of water and those occasions when someone else may need to give your baby a feed.

Click here for advise on how to bottlefeed

Bottles

For full-time bottle feeding you’ll need six to eight 250ml bottles. Bottles are usually sold with teats, although these can also be bought separately You’ll find that bottles come in a surprising variety of designs.

• Standard bottles can be used with several types of teat, and come in 60ml, 125ml and 250ml sizes and may be sold in multi-packs
• Wide-necked bottles are easier to fill and clean than standard bottle designs; they typically come in 125 and 250ml sizes and may be adapted to training cups* if bought as part of a bottle system
• Angled bottles are designed to stop the baby swallowing air, which causes tummy pain
• Gripper bottles are designed for older babies to hold themselves, but a baby or toddler should never be left alone when feeding or drinking
• You can buy disposable bottle kits which are very useful for travelling
• Insulated bottle carriers allow you to take a bottle with water at the correct temperature, and milk powder in a dispenser that releases the correct amount when you are ready to mix the feed.(They should never be used to keep a pre-mixed feed warm). Before buying check that it will take your size of bottle

Tips for new Mothers Talk to your doctor about the important features of the various birth control methods. This will help you decide what birth control option is best for you at this point in your life.

Teats

Teats are sold with bottles, but need replacing fairly frequently (a damaged teat is a choking hazard to your baby) so they are also sold separately. There are a number of different types:

• Silicone - a hardwearing, clear material, easy to clean but may feel harder in the mouth, so may not be as popular with your baby
• Latex - natural rubber which is soft in your baby’s mouth but deteriorates fairly quickly; latex teats are not usually available for wide neck bottles
• Orthodontic teats - shaped to resemble the nipple and mimic a breastfeeding sucking action
• Anti-colic teats - designed to stop the baby gulping and taking in air which causes stomach ache
• Vented teats - also help to stop babies from taking in air; designed not to collapse during feeding thus ensuring an even flow of milk

There are also different milk flows to choose from:

• Newborn or slow flow for the early days
• Medium for babies with a faster sucking action
• Fast flow for older babies with a vigorous sucking action
• Variable flow which allows the sucking action to control the rate of flow and is therefore suitable for all ages
  

Bibs

Some people use bibs right from the start to catch milky drips from a breast or bottle feeding baby, and they do come in smaller sizes for this purpose. But once you move onto solids, you will need something more substantial to cope with the serious business of getting food into mouth.

You can buy bibs made from soft terry, wipe-clean PVC or moulded plastic.

Look for:

• Terry bibs with waterproof plastic backing
• Moulded plastic bibs with crumb catcher fronts
• Tabard and poncho styles that give greater protection. They slip over the head, with Velcro or tie fastenings at the back, and some also have long sleeves and elasticated wrists
• Disposable bibs which are great for going out or holidays