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View Full Version : Best bottle nipple for breastfeeding babies/newborns & EBM?



quikeye
03-05-2004, 01:22 AM
Hi all, I am trying to introduce EBM to my almost 6 week old son & wanted to know if anyone can recommend a good bottle nipple? We are trying the playtex "natural shape" silicone nipple, that is soft & pushes in like my breast-- but ds can't seem to get a good latch/grip on it, loses a lot of ebm when sucking, and I also worry the flow is too fast & the bulb is too large for his mouth (though the nipple says 0-12 months, I think it may be too fast for a baby only used to breastfeeding). He also just generally fights with it, and works up to screaming so hard he refuses to take the bottle (he has taken it though-- we just started a week ago too.) I have picked up the playtex "natural shape" nipple & orthodontic nipple, but am looking for some advice/recommendations from moms in my same position. I am using the pumpmate system/liners & wide mouth disposable bottles, if it matters but we will try anything-- need for ds to be able to take a bottle from dh for when I return to work, & when we're on a car trip & I can't feed him. He cried so much in the car today it almost broke my heart; the whole time he didn't take the nipple & we were in traffic & couldn't pull over... :( Anyways, thanks in advance for any help :)

HelenD
03-05-2004, 10:11 AM
I ended up getting a bunch of different nipples/bottles and trying them all. DD is exclusively fed BM and we started w/ EBM and bottles about 5 weeks or so. I originally purchased a bunch of Avent because the lacation specialist said that they were the best. DD did NOT like any of the Avent nipples. We settled on the Playtex Naturals (the clear silicone nipple). That was just her preference. For us, it seemed to be much better in terms of slower flow. But it really seems like each baby has their own preference on nipple. So, try a bunch.

Also, I had to have someone else offer her the bottle. DD would scream and fight the bottle if I was anywhere in the room or sometimes the house and I have never successfully given her a bottle. She just "knows" that I have what she really wants. So it's worth thinking about having someone else offer the bottles while you are "away" (out of eye/ear range), you may see a different reaction to the bottles.

Good Luck.

Jen in Chicago
03-05-2004, 10:23 AM
We started bottle training camp 2 weeks before I returned to work b/c Jude had been on strike. I was going to Walmart buying almost every type of bottle they had. He settled on the cheap-o Gerber ones (6 bottles for around $4). I which I would have started cheap and moved up the scale. Each child is different. For a short time around 6 week he took Avents, but that was very short lived.

My advise, try the cheap ones first, I learned an expensive lesson! He was 100 BF until my return to work, then we nursed for another 3 months- until the teeth came.

sarahfran
03-07-2004, 02:34 AM
My lactation consultant told me to use Munchkin Healthflow nipples (Stage 1). She said that in her experience, they've been the best for transferring back and forth b/w breast and bottle. We've used nothing but (from his first EBM at about 3 wks to now, 6.5 mos).

The only trouble is that they're hard to find-- there's one grocery store chain near me (Giant Foods) that carries them. If you can find them, you might want to give them a go.

We found that DS would only take bottles when I was out of the house and it was clear that the real thing wasn't available.

Good luck. Enjoy your little DS!
-Sarah
Mom to Dylan, 8/18/03

:) Motherhood is such a joy! :)

gisele
03-07-2004, 02:57 AM
We started with Avent, but at 12 weeks he rejected it. The only one he took is the Dr. Brown wide-mouth. I recommend using the widemouth newborn/slow flow nipples.

ericajosh
03-07-2004, 06:35 PM
I have used Avent bottles successfully with DS. They come in different flows, so you can choose the one that works best. Keep trying. Maybe try to feed him a bit before he is due to eat, that way he won't get worked up and might take the bottle better.

ohiomom
03-07-2004, 10:45 PM
We use the cheapo bottles (borrowed) and nuk ortho silicone nipples size 1 until about 5 months then went to size 2. She's not liking her bottles as much these days, though and is down to about 5 oz EBM when I'm at work, making up for it by power nursing in the evening and a feeding a night. I don't think it's the nipple that bugs her, though. She seems to like drinking EBM from a cup --though most of it ends up down her neck and bib. :( Nursing during the day when I'm home is way down too... She's just so darn distracted now. It's always something to try to figure out!! :)

Nicole's Mom
7/30/03