Bottles

[momtobe2007]

Anyone have problems with the Avent bottles leaking? I was going to get some of them since I like the fact that the nipple is (suppose to be) like a real nipple and easy to go back and forth for baby. Someone told me that they all have leaking problems, so just wondering what other opinions.
The only other bottle that I know of that has the natural-like nipple is the Breastflow.

[JBaxter]

Ours always leaked no mater what I did. The nipples were hard and gagged Nathan also.
Try the playtex nurser system w/ the drop in bags. They are made with a better plastic. Not like the avents that are made with the #7 which leaches chemicals. There are some threads about it on this forum

[Piglet]

Ours leaked as well. I was told it was caused by over-tightening the collar. Try to tighten the collar just enough to close it, but no more, if that makes sense. Neither of my DSs liked them either, so don't worry if they aren't working for you - there are plenty of other options!

[jyllebean]

We use dr. brown's wide mouth bottles for our ebf baby and she takes them just fine and goes back to breastfeeding. When I compare the avent nipple to the dr. brown's nipple they look the same. We tried the breastflow bottle at first and she hated it. It was too hard for her to get milk out, maybe the milk comes faster from my breast than the breastflow bottle, I don't know. We got our breastflow bottle free from mimi maternity, so maybe see if they are still giving them out if you want to try it.

[becca34]

They never worked for my daughter -- she could barely drink from the nipple, and they did leak. We switched to Dr. Browns (the regular narrow ones) and had no problems...

But, now I'm concerned about the type of plastic I use for the twins I'm expecting -- Dr. Browns are made from polycarbonate, which isn't good.

Gerber has a new bottle out that looks like Avent called "Gentle Flow" -- it's a cloudy plastic made of polypropylene, which is supposed to be okay. And, the nipples are interchangeable with Avent...

So, if you want to try Avent, I suggest you pick up some of the Gerber Gentle Flow instead, and buy some Avent nipples (the Gerber only come with medium flow ones).

They're hard to find -- but I found them at Walgreens for $2.99 each for a 9 oz. bottle. They're on the website, too....

[bensmom243]

whoops, double post...

[bensmom243]

We tried them as well, but I got so sick of them leaking all over the place. We used Dr. Brown's for DS up until about 6 months, and than we switched to the Playtex Drop-ins. I really like them, very easy to clean and they dont leak!!

[tylersmama]

We use the Avent bottles and like them. The trick really is not to overtighten the collar when you screw it on. It's not very hard once you get the hang of it. DS has never had any difficulty going back and forth between breast and bottle, although he doesn't get a bottle all that often. He got a daily bottle from about 2 weeks to 6 months, but only occasionally since then.

[serenityspeaks]

Hi! I work for my local "baby super store" and talk with a lot of mothers and product reps. so here is my two cents (haha). According to our local Avent rep (and the FDA) polycarbonate plastic is a safe product. You can visit Avents website to read more about it.

As for the leaking issue, yes they will leak if the collar is screwed on too tightly. This is what I tell all of the new mothers that are interested in Avent bottles. The best way to assemble the bottle is this; place the nipple in the collar and then clear cap, holding onto the clear cap, screw the collar onto the bottle. When the clear cap turns freely from the collar it is tight enough. And that really goes for all bottles. If the collar is screwed on too tight it causes the lip of the nipple to bend thus the leaking.

Your best bet when choosing bottles is to register for or purchase the single bottle rather then the "gift packs" at first. You may also want to purchase a variety of single bottles. Buy 3 or 4 single bottles of each brand. (or atleast a few different brands)That way if you want to use Avent and the baby takes to it then you can return the others. If the baby doesn't like the Avent you have other bottles you can try on hand. All in all what bottle you use is really your babys choice.

Wow ok I wrote a lot. I hope some of that helps! lol Have a great day!

[twodogs]

We had the same problem and it made me crazy. I finally checked the avent website, and it says to put the nipple and ring together when WET. This pretty much solved our problems with leaks.

http://www.avent.com/uk/en/learn_more_faq_bottle_feeding.php#q6

[daisymommy]

>Gerber has a new bottle out that looks like Avent called
>"Gentle Flow" -- it's a cloudy plastic made of polypropylene,
>which is supposed to be okay. And, the nipples are
>interchangeable with Avent...

OH WOW! How awesome is that?! Thanks for letting us know!

As far as Avent bottles go, I used them with Joshua without ANY leaks. You have to put them together wet, then put on the lid, then screw on the bottle just the way the website says.

HOWEVER...since then I have researched the whole #7 Polycarbonate plastic thing, and I'm sorry, that stuff is not safe, no matter what Avent says (who is selling the bottles and trying to make money), or the FDA says(whom I don't trust to keep my family safe--they allow toxic pesticides on my children's food don't they?).

Now I use the Playtex nurser with Hannah when I need to. There's just no reason to take chances!

[rl42382]

rachel l.
also don't use anti bacterial soaps with most vacume seal bottles or sippy cups or the straw cups. some of the anti bacterial stufff is to harsh and ruins the seal so it leaks also follow the instructions and i never had a problem.

[pongstress]

Avent leaked 80% of the time and it drove all of us CRAZY! Losing precious pumped milk.

Yes I did read the website info and other posters tips, but it would still leak. My sentiment is, it is JUST a baby bottle - and who wants to deal with all those steps with precision at 3 in the morning, or face the consequences of wet baby screaming, and having to make more milk?

Not to mention the hassle of explaining the intricacies of Avent bottles to others (husband, babysitters.) grrrr... it still makes me mad, because I so wanted them to work and I kept trying them only to have them leak again.

I do like the wide mouth and I wish I can find a good bottle that's easy to clean, with a wide mouth...

[emilys_mom]

We used Avent for my DD#1 for about a year for daycare and she loved them and I never had leak problems. I had planned to use Playtex with the drop ins but DD refused the playtex nursers.

Sadly, I will probably use something else for this next baby, because of the plastic issue. I wish Avent would get their heads out of the clouds and move on to a different material...