Bottles, Nipples and everything you need to feed your baby
Some moms prefer glass bottles, while others prefer the bottles with disposable plastic liners. But you’ll find that what matters most is what your baby prefers!
Baby bottles and nipples come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Try to choose a nipple that matches your baby’s mouth size and level of development. (Older babies, for instance, like nipples designed just for them that have more holes, allowing more formula to flow faster.) Your baby should be comfortable with the nipple, and it should be easy to suck. There are several different types of nipples you can choose from:
Traditional nipple: easy for most babies, but the breastfeeding baby who’s used to his mother’s soft nipple may not like this longer nipple.
Orthodontic nipple: shaped much like the mother’s nipple when it’s in the baby’s mouth during nursing. Many healthcare professionals recommend it.
Square tip nipple: a good nipple if you’re weaning your baby from the breast. The only problem is that because the baby gets into the habit of biting the nipple to hold it in her mouth, she may do the same thing during breastfeeding.
Cleft-palate nipple: designed for babies who can’t suck well because they have lip or palate problems.
Whatever bottle and nipple style you choose, it’s important to keep it working right. That means testing and replacing them from time to time. Check to see that formula flows out of the nipple freely, one drop at a time. If it flows too fast, throw the nipple away. If it flows too slowly, you can enlarge the nipple hole with a needle. Go ahead and throw away those old nipples that have become cracked or sticky. And check to see that the nipples are clean (and unclogged) so formula can flow through them. |
