Totally confused about nipple/bottle compatibility

[cathy419]

I'm BFing my 7-week-old and trying to introduce a bottle of EBM so I can leave the house on occasion. (I have a Whittlestone pump, and it's been a pain in the butt...but that's another story...).

I've been experimenting with different nipples and bottles to see which ones she'll take and finally found that she'll take one of the Playtex orthodontic nipples. It is for wide-mouth bottles, so I assumed it would fit into a wide Avent bottle I have, but it won't. (It's a Playtex disposable--I got a "try three different nipples" trial pack.)

So, here's my question, aren't bottles and nipples interchangeable? I thought they were. Does this mean that if she takes Playtex nipples, I need to buy all Playtex bottles? When people say they like, for example, "Using Dr. Brown's wide-mouth bottles," are they in essence saying that they like the bottle AND the nipple that is sold with it, or could they be using a different nipple?

I'm totally confused and am going to break the bank on bottles and nipples!

[egoldber]

It is confusing. It is true that "most" bottles and nipples are interchangeable, but the notable exception is Avent. (I don't know about Dr Browns since I have never tried those.) In general, all the narrower bottle nipples are interchangeable. The wider bottles and disposable bottles tend to be trickier. But I used a Healthflow disposable bottle and was able to use other brand rings and nipples.

Clear as mud?