Q's about Avent from 1st time Mom

[cchavez]

OK....I am working on my registry list and now I am trying to figure out what products I really need. I am planning on being a SAHM and hope to bf but I do plan on introducing the Avent bottle with expressed milk within the first 4-6 wks. Anyway, I am planning on using the ISIS pump (don't feel the need to buy the more expensive pump at this time). And so far I have received the 3 pack 9oz bottles as a gift and one Avent bottle to use with the disposable liners. Oh, I have also received about 200 liners as gifts.

So which of the Avent products do I really need? (these products are already on my registry)
1. 3 pack of 4 oz bottles
2. Newborn starter set (think it includes 2 4oz bottles and 2 9 oz)
3. Microwave sterilizer (think it includes 2 9 oz bottles)
4. Experss bottle warmer!!! I already received this as a gift....I am serously thinking about returning it. I don't know how necessary a warmer will be esp. a 40.00 one!!!
5. Breast milk storage set or should I just store/freeze the milk in the liners I received
6. extra nipples??? don't the bottle come with NB nipples so I need some for when baby is older???

How many botlles and what size are really necessary?

Any advice is appreciated. TIA!!!

[Rachels]

We rarely use bottles, and I wouldn't necessarily get a bunch more of any one brand. We had a kajillion Avent bottles, and my daughter wanted nothing to do with them. I do think it's worth having one or two four-ounce bottles, but you might want to wait and see how your little one reacts to the Avent nipple before you buy more.

One thing I DO find useful are the breastmilk storage bottles. In my experience, my milk keeps longer in the freezer in bottles rather than bags, and they're easier to store and stack.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[sparkeze]

On your list, I would say the microwave sterilizer. I suppose one can sterilize the old fashioned way but I really used this a lot, and it was very convenient.

I'm a SAHM and BF but the first 3 months were tough. We had a difficult start and during the first 2 weeks we were supplementing with formula in a bottle. So we used bottles then, and once or twice here and there afterwards. You may never use a bottle! Or, you may use them frequently... it's hard to say before the baby is even born but I think either way, it should be plenty to have 3 bottles, 3 nipples, 3 screw on rings, 3 caps, a microwave sterilizer, the Isis pump, and a small package of breastmilk storage caps. You just use them with the screw on ring and the bottle so if you pump for later use, you can put it in the freezer and when the time comes to use it you just replace the breastmilk storage cap with a nipple and you're ready to go. If you find that you don't want to wash bottles frequently you could buy more later if you have the need. But even if you're pumping to be able to sleep in one morning so someone else can feed the baby, you would be using one bottle that day. And unless you do this 3 days in a row and don't wash any bottles for that long, you probably won't need any more. So I wouldn't buy more than that for now.

As far as the warmer goes, I did seriously consider buying that but I'm so glad I didn't. If you are using bottles full time it may be convenient but it's much cheaper and just as easy to fill a cup with warm water and stick the bottle in there for a few minutes to thaw and warm up.

[cchavez]

Thanks for the info! Since I am getting the Isis with 2 4 oz bottles and 2 9oz bottles plus the sterilizer which comes with 2 9 oz bottles should I still keep the 3 pack of 9 oz bottles I received as a gift? Or should I exchange is for a 3 pack of 4 oz bottles.

MAybe I should just return the pack altogether since I also received one disposable bottle with several hundred liners? Also what is the difference b/w the regular bottles and the disposables? TIA!

[sparkeze1]

If I were you, I would return everything but the bottles that came with the pump and sterilizer, and have one nipple, screw cap, and regular cap for each bottle. The problem is that you may find that you never need any bottles! Then you just have a whole bunch sitting around. If you only have a few and discover you want more, then you can always buy them at that time. I had way too many bottles due to gifts, hand-me-downs, etc, and I used them for the first 3-4 months and since then I rarely do...maybe once a month? And that's to store baby food!

As far as disposable vs. non-disposable bottles, I never used the disposable ones although I do have one. I suppose it's just convenience so you don't have to wash and sterilize so many bottles a day. But that too, if you don't use them often I don't know how much of a convenience it will be.

What I discovered is that you find out a lot of things as you go. I know you want to be as prepared as possible before the baby's born, (I was like that too!) but there are things I never thought I'd buy that ended up being a lifesaver, and things I thought would be an absolute neccessity that are being stored in some closet. And it's really not that inconvenient to go out and buy things once the baby's born. Of course the first few days it will be, but after a couple weeks you're going to want to get out!!

[BethG]

I find that disposables are most convenient when traveling. That way you only need to carry one bottle and several liners, rather than several bottles. That can make quite a difference in your carry-on baggage!

HTH,

[parkersmama]

Okay, I may get shot down here for saying this but return that sterilizer!! What do you need to sterilize the bottles for? The baby will be nursing from your non-sterile breast all the time! You will be bathing with soap and water, right? And you'll be washing the bottles and nipples in hot, soapy water or the (extremely) hot dishwasher, right? And, yes, the bottles are exposed to the air after you wash them but aren't your breasts also exposed to the air? I know it's unconventional but I never, ever sterilized bottles and both my sons used bottles with the babysitter while I was at work and they didn't have any problems at all! Save yourself some time and headache and skip this extra step!

Having said that...I also think the bottle warmer is not needed. Nice hot tap water in a cup or bowl will warm up that bottle nicely. Another thing...I never switched from the newborn nipples with either child and it worked out just fine. I did find that the Avent nipples got a little "greasy" or discolored after months of constant use and I did replace them occasionally. I believe this happens with most silicone nipples. I never tried the disposables but I agree with whoever said that the storage bottle systems are better than freezing in bags. For whatever reason, the milk stored in bottles seems to keep longer and you don't have to worry about bags leaking...a tragedy when you consider that expressed milk to be liquid gold!! :-) Also, don't forget that freezing in quantities larger than 2 or 3 ounces will mean a much longer thawing time.

Hope this helps and no one thinks I'm a horrible mom for not sterilizing those bottles!! :-)


Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003

[abigailsmom]

I agree with the getting rid of the sterilizer UNLESS your going to be feeding formula. My ped. said that the same antibodies that we are so pleased to be giving our children protect the bm when expressed into a clean bottle. Formula doesn't have the benefit of the antibodies so I would be more inclined to sterilize like mad.
I tried the Avent disposable and Abigail was like a spit-up fountain. It was clearly the reusable bottles for us. Plus you need to get the sealing ring thingys to keep the nipples clean when traveling. Or maybe I was too anal?;)
For freezing breastmilk, I suggest hardside bottled with the silicon sealing discs. Grease pencils work great to mark them.
Finally I would recommend staying with the 0+ nipples as they are a slow flow and better for breastfeeding babies to switch back and forth.
Abigail and I use and love the Avent bottles and see gets about 8 bottles a week of ebm. She has NO problem switching back and forth.

[egoldber]

I agree to ditch the sterilizer, UNLESS you have a preemie or a baby with a compromised immune system. My ped said that soap and water (or a dishwasher) are fine. What I always find amusing is that people who are addicted to sterilizing would then do things like: not cool bottles when traveling, continue to feed from the same bottle for more than 2 hours, refrigerate a half used bottle and re-use it later, etc. These are big no no's because once baby has sucked from the bottle, they have introduced bacteria into the bottle which flourishes rapidly in the nutrient rich environment.

I never sterilized or warmed and was never sorry.

[sarsah]

I would suggest the following:

- Keep the microwave sterilizer only if you don't run your dishwasher very often. I used the sterilizer in between running the dishwasher so I didn't feel the need to run a 1/2 full dishwasher just to have clean bottles.
- Return the bottle warmer, there isn't much 'express' about it when you have a hungry, screaming infant.
- Use the liners to store frozen breast milk. I did this for almost a year with very few leaks (emptied the contents of the liner into a bottle to feed). You can 'seal' the liner with a trist tie and stick the liner in a cup so it stays upright and doesn't leak. Put the cup in the freezer until the bag is frozen, then you can remove the cup.
- I did not care for the disposable bottles/liners like I thought I would, so I would not recommend them
- My DS used the newborn nipples until he swtiched to a sippy cup, so you should be fine with them. You can buy different ones later if you think you need them.
- I would wait on getting the 3 pack of 4oz bottles. Your baby may not like the Avent bottles at all, so you don't want to have too many if that's the case.
- I would suggest getting more 9oz bottles than 4oz bottles. You can always just put 4oz. in the 9oz bottle, but the reverse obviously won't work.

Sarah.....

[cchavez]

"I would suggest getting more 9oz bottles than 4oz bottles. You can always just put 4oz. in the 9oz bottle, but the reverse obviously won't work."


I had thought about doing this too but would the extra air in the bottle cause a problem?

[sarsah]

We never had an 'extra air' problem -- I used both 4oz & 9oz bottles filled to only 4oz or less and there didn't seem to be a difference.

Sarah.....

[jbrowni]

I say ditch the sterilizer, ditch the warmer, ditch the storage set

Avent has a wonderful pump and wonderful bottles but the liners are not intended for storing milk they tend to have a problem with leaking. I would recommend Gerber bags for the storing of EBM.

I do not think the warmer is necessary because warm running water works just as well.

I do not think the serilizer is necessary
Honestly the only things I would leave on your Registry are the Newborn starter set and the xtra nipples