Baby Products Advisor

While much younger and now that I am an adult, my mom will not cease to remind me how much I loved food as a baby. When she tells stories of how much I cried whenever I was hungry as a baby, I try to wave it off by saying, “That was not me!â€.

Just like my little self then, one of the most important things in your routine for your baby is their feeding. As a mother, it is a pretty exciting sight feeding your baby, especially when he has little or no struggles doing that.

Babies love food and as a mother, it is essential that you prepare and give your baby the right food using the best of containers.

One of the things you’d need while doing this routine of feeding your baby is getting a feeding bottle.

While it is important that your baby has the appetite, it is also most essential that you give him his instant formula with the right baby bottle.

Using the right baby bottle has over time, proven to be a game changer in most baby’s feeding habit. There are several baby bottles littered in stores and this might pose a challenge for you, especially if you’re just starting off as a mother.

But not to worry. In this simple yet effective post, I’ll be showing you all you need to make the best buying decision for your baby’s feeding bottle.

Just stick around as I take you through the world of baby bottles and how you can safely navigate it.

Why Baby Bottle Is Important?

If you are still unconvinced about the noise about baby bottles, then you need to see some of the hassles you might bypass when your baby has one.

So, why should you get a baby bottle?

– It creates a bond between you and your child.

As a mother, you might not be home all the time. And if you are, there may be times when you are either too busy with other pieces of stuff or too tired to feed your baby. In such cases, your husband may take up the duty of feeding the baby.

Apart from the natural bond that exists between mothers and their babies, your husband has a higher chance of also connecting with your little one when he feeds him with the baby bottle.

Won’t it be rather nice to see your baby and his father bonding so well? Of course, you might feel a tinge of jealousy, but it is totally an exciting experience seeing your baby and his father all loved up – all thanks to the baby bottle.

It is akin to that feeling – the cradling and eye contact – you have while breastfeeding your baby. The baby bottle allows such experience for your baby and the father too.

– Portability

One of the most frustrating things you can experience as a mother is seeing your baby cry due to hunger when you are on the go. At such instances, it might not be convenient to breastfeed your baby, no thanks to the glaring eyes of the public.

However, with a baby bottle, you can avert the embarrassment that a crying baby and breastfeeding in the public might cause you.

This means you can travel with food stuffed up in the baby bottle, ready to feed your little one whenever hunger strikes.

Also, a baby bottle allows others to help you do the job when you are not around. It could be your husband, sister or any other person doing the babysitting job when you are on the go.

No greater joy than seeing your little one all smiles and well-fed even when you’re on the go. The baby bottle makes all that a possibility. Why not get one?

– Provides Needed Break For You as a Mom

Other responsibilities of motherhood and life as a whole, might mean you need to spend a lesser amount of time with your baby. This is where the baby bottle comes in handy.

Once you have introduced your baby to the bottle and he is getting a grip of it, usually between three to six weeks, you can reduce feeding time. This allows you do others things that are also important to you as a mother.

It could be catching a little sleep, preparing dinner or even some official work. The point is, with a baby bottle, you can do much more!

– It Builds Baby’s Skills

Can you see your baby holding the bottle? Have you checked out the hand-eye movement when he is being fed with the baby bottle?

Gripping, independence, hand-eye movement to name but a few, are some of the skills your baby will develop once he begins to use the baby bottle.

Baby Bottles: How You Can Make the Perfect Choice

Now that you have made up your mind to get some baby bottles for your little one, the next thing you would likely ask is, “How can I make a perfect choice?â€

Not to worry, we are in this together. There are several things you must bear in mind while shopping for a baby bottle if you want to make the perfect or best choice.

I will highlight and explain what you need to do that here. Let’s take a look at them below:

– Check the Material

Your little one will be using the baby bottle for a long while. In fact, that he gets fed through it is a much greater reason for you to carefully choose the material with which it is made.

This is very important, as your baby might easily contact some diseases from the bottle if it is made of toxic materials. Many experts advocate for a glass baby bottle before you can think of a silicone or plastic one.

Though a glass baby bottle might have a higher chance of breaking and causing injuries, it is much more eco-friendly than other materials. It has little chances of containing harmful chemicals, unlike the others.

Also, make sure that the baby bottle is easy to clean, has lesser chances of toxic materials leaching into the contents as well as its capacity to heat well.

In all, you should look at a baby bottle’s thermal, shock resistant and eco-friendly nature before parting with your hard-gotten wads of cash.

– Consider Nipple Size

Now that you have cleared your mind on the material used in making your baby’s bottle, it is important that you consider the nipple style or shape.

You have to get the right nipples for your baby bottle since it goes a long way in making your child transition from the breast to his formula.

As a mom, you’d not want your baby to struggle to have a good latch. That’s why you have to take utmost care in picking the right nipple style for your baby.

Generally, you could pick the narrow nipple style or the mound nipple style. These nipple styles come with their strengths and likewise, weaknesses.

The narrow nipple style does not often give a natural latch and feeding position, unlike the mound style.

However, it is advisable that you go for a larger nipple style mound and switch to the narrow nipple style as time wears on, most especially if your baby is finding it hard coping with the former.

Ultimately, you should not be the one to decide which baby bottle nipple style that works for your little one. He is the one using it. So, put him at the center when buying a baby bottle.

– Do You Want A Vent Or Not?

Also important in making a good buying decision, is the ability to get a baby bottle with a right venting system.

Generally, going for a simple vent has always proven to be the best bet. This is due to the ease of cleaning as well as its less complicated nature.

A simple valve system helps you avoid food leakage, especially when you assemble the bottle in an improper way.

– Bottle Shape

Most conventional bottles are quite tall and often curved a bit. The shape of the bottles affects how easy or otherwise it is for your little one to hold.

An angled neck bottle would make it easier for your child to hold. Although a wide-necked bottle is a good option as it makes measuring the formula a bit easier, it hardly works well with strollers and at some times, may be hard to fit into a drink-holder.

– Baby Bottle Size Is Important

Having looked at other things you must consider while getting a bottle, you have to check the size.

Ideally, there is no perfect bottle size. It all boils down to how old or how much food your child takes.

However, I would recommend you go for a 4-ounce bottle. This is ideal for a little amount of the formula and the food there can be eaten at a go.

As your baby’s appetite increases, you’d need to get a bigger bottle to quell his hunger.  Always make sure that the size of the bottle can conveniently accommodate the right amount of formula for your child – that should be the deciding factor.

When Should I Start Using Baby Bottles?

This should be determined, to a large extent, by your pediatrician. However, several medical experts recommend that your child can start using bottles once he is about three weeks old.

How Many Baby Bottles Should I Have?

There is no particular amount of bottles you should have. But for a start, you should get at least four for your baby’s need.

This will ensure you are not stranded and there are options to choose from. They are inexpensive, meaning that having a reasonable number would not put a hole in your pocket.

Used or New Baby Bottles?

Bottles are really not that expensive. It would not cost you an arm to get one. Therefore, buying a used one may not be the right decision for you and your child.

Aside from having the capacity to accumulate germs and other toxic materials, used bottles may not be the perfect fit for your child. So, do not buy a used bottle. Go for new ones as they are quite cheap.

Can I save food in a baby bottle?

The answer is both yes and no. You ask “why?â€. Well, while you can save food in a bottle for a little time, say one to three hours, it becomes unhealthy to do that for longer periods of time.

To save food in bottles, cap the bottle and keep in stable room temperature.

The truth is that saving food in a bottle for longer periods might contaminate the food, most especially if it is not well–kept.

At the same time, some formula, once made, cannot last for so long. Therefore, as much as you can, don’t save your baby’s food for long in a feeding bottle.

You are advised to warm in even for the little time you save the food to avoid feeding your child with contaminated food.

Can I Heat Up The Baby Bottle?

1. You should put the bottle in a glass cup and warm up a little bit since most babies might want their food warm. But ideally, if your baby does not reject, there is no need for heating up the food.

How Do I Clean Baby Bottles?

When you buy the bottles, you need to sterilize the new parts and also the nipples using boiling water.

Do this for not less than five minutes before you make use of the bottles.

And after your regular use, ensure the bottle is thoroughly washed in soapy and steamy water, with the little nooks getting adequate attention.

This should be done with a detail brush. Dry all parts of the bottle, wipe with a tender cloth before storing, if you must do that.

Do Baby Bottles Affect Health, Teeth?

Except the bottle is made of materials that are toxic, it does not affect your baby’s health. And on whether it can affect your baby’s teeth, the answer is no.

It is only the formula that can do that, especially due to its sugar content which might stick to your little one’s tooth after feeding.

Conclusion

It’s been an exciting journey for us. And I am super-elated that reading through the post must have answered most questions bothering your mind on buying bottles.

I hope you will also let this useful guide get to your loved one. The share button is close. Happy parenting!