All About Bottlefeeding: Bottles
It is important to familiarize yourself and become an expert on bottles and bottlefeeding because they play a big role in weaning your child. There is plenty to learn about bottles, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that bottles need changing. The type of bottle you use and the type of teat you use should be changed as your child gets older.
You will need at least six bottles. Newborn babies feed about six times a day, so you need to have the same number of bottles for the same number of feedings. If you are expressing or pumping breast milk and storing it, you will need more bottles (twelve is a good number because it is double the number of feedings) In this case of storing breast milk, glass bottles are preferable.
Apart from the milk bottles, you may want to consider having two extra bottles, one for juice and one for water. It is just safer to separate the types of liquids you put in your bottles. It makes it easier to clean, and you're assured none of them will have a funny taste when it comes to feeding your baby. This will probably come later in infancy (around the 8th or 9th month) since it is advised that babies do not drink juice till they are older.
Standard baby bottles come in two sizes, 120mL and 225mL. It's a good idea to have three of each kind (assuming the six bottle minimum.) Be sure to measure your baby's liquid in a separate container, not in the bottle. 225mL is too much for a baby till they are about a year old so never fill a bottle to the top and be sure to measure it with a glass measuring cup. The Pyrex ones are the best kind.
Baby bottles also vary in terms of the width of the bottle. There are wide neck bottles, which are easier to clean and are less messy when putting formula in. They also help make sure babies don't suck in too much air. There are regular bottles, which are the easiest to find teats for and are the size that fit in standard coolers and sterilizers. There are narrow neck bottles, which are the easiest for a baby to learn to feed themselves because these bottles are the easiest for a baby to hold. Finally, there are anti-colic bottles, which work under the premise that colic is caused by babies taking in too much air while feeding. Anti-colic bottles are designed to reduce air intake of the baby. If your baby seems unsettled after feedings or is gassy, you can try using an anti-colic bottle to see if it helps.
Just as important as your baby bottles are you teats. There are slow flowing teats designed for newborns, and there are quicker flowing teats which older babies are more comfortable with. You can tell that milk flow is too fast if your baby chokes or leaks milk out of the side of their mouth.As your baby becomes used to sucking and learn show to control their own milk flow, you can change their teat so that they get more milk. However, the best type of teat will depend on the type of milk you're serving (some are thicket than others) and your baby's teat preference. Keep in mind that teats deteriorate so always on your teats.
To learn about cleaning your bottles, check out our article on cleaning and sterilizing.
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