Monday 22 November 2010

Ignorant Claudia - weekly question (week 21)

I was looking at a list of "you have to get those things unless you want your baby to be miserable" and, according to the author, I should buy two baby bottles since I'm planning to breastfeed. Ok, baby bottles are pretty much the first thing that came to my mind when I used to think about baby stuff...now that I'm pregnant, I find myself focussing (read freaking out) on the idea of a double breast pump bra but this is another story!

Naive was I to think that this would be an easy task! After reading many online reports on the subject, I concluded that baby bottles look as complex to buy as a front-loading washing machine and dryer set!

So, which is best: glass or plastic bottles (the links and images are, so far, my favourite in each category)?

11 comments:

Teaching with Grace said...

It's easy to feel intimidated so don't feel bad! I would say, as far as glass or plastic, to do plastic. If your baby will ever be in a daycare, they typically do not accept glass bottles. So you don't want to get your baby used to the nipples that go with those and then have to change. Probably won't be pretty. However, plastic is always accepted. My personal favorites were Playtex drop-ins (formula baby)or the Medela (breastfed baby). Good luck :)

Anonymous said...

In the US the baby bottle manufacturers are switching to BPA free bottles, so for the most part plastic is okay. Personally I prefer the glass with the silicone holders, but A LOT depends on what sort of bottle nipple your baby likes. One thing I like about the glass is that when you're warming the bottle up there is no possibility of toxins leaching.
PS. never heat up breastmilk in the microwave, it kills all the nutrients in it. Though you shouldn't really use the microwave anyway for warming up because of the hot pockets it creates.

meg said...

I have three little kids and we've used both plastic and glass. I have to say I prefer glass--it's just a little simpler to deal with. And just the other day my toddler threw it on the cement sidewalk and it didn't even chip! Whichever you choose be sure to introduce a bottle the first day. Not to sound bossy or anything:) It's just very hard to be away--even for a few hours--if a baby won't take a bottle.

Isa said...

(Désolée d'écrire en français!)

Si tu prévois allaiter et utiliser le biberon de façon occasionnelle seulement, je suggère le biberon Adiri (http://www.thewatergeeks.com/Adiri-Nurser-Slow-Flow-p-67.html)

À mon premier bébé j'ai essayé mille et une bouteilles et tétines différentes, il n'a jamais accepté le biberon. À mon deuxième, je n'ai acheté que l'Adiri et il l'a acceptée sans aucun problème. Moins de confusion sein/tétine peut-être? Aucune idée!

Bonne chance dans tes achats!

Megan said...

Three babies and I never had one that would take breastmilk from a bottle, or accept a pacifier. We really tried. It would make your life easier in some ways if the baby will accept it, but then you are also endlessly cleaning and sterilizing things. Plus, you then have to wean them off all these things later, which can be an ordeal. I would wait and see until after the baby is born if you need them at all. Save yourself the money for now. That's my advice based on my experiences.

For the record, our most used items were lots of change mats (Kooshies with a waterproof backing), a good diaper bag (Land's End), a high quality stroller for the Canadian winter (big wheels), warm infant snowsuits (down), and a lamb fleece from IKEA.

Anonymous said...

Hi, what's important is the nipple. The bottle doesn't matter. You should however make sure that the plastic is BPA free.
My boy has never EVER wanted to drink from a bottle or suck on a "tetine". Depends on the kid I guess! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Stupid question but if you're planning to breast feed why do you need bottles?

I have read that - at least in the early days - babys can become confused about swapping between breast nipples and bottle nipples, so until you're at the stage where you may need to leave the baby and have someone else feed it, you're unlikely to need a bottle.

Having said that, BPA-free does seem to be a good idea and I haven't come across any glass bottles in Ireland or the UK.

Have a look at http://www.medela.com/IW/en.html They mostly cover breast pumps but have a good lot of information that might help.

Anonymous said...

ps. Don't forget that it's the book that will make you miserable. So long as your baby is warm and fed he will be fine (he won't know what miserable means), so do what you feel is right for you, and take the books with a pinch of salt.

ingrid said...

You know what? The newt will be 1 year old in two weeks and he's never had a bottle. I breastfeed. I've pumped before, but I didn't really like it. It's much easier for me to just breastfeed him.

He drinks water with his meals from a Nuk sippy cup, but that's it!

kimu said...

Catching up on google reader!

I breastfeed but even before I went back to work & the baby went to daycare, it was handy to have a bottle so my husband could feed him & I could get out for a bit. We had Dr Brown's glass bottles and they were great, but our current daycare doesn't allow glass so we've switched to Dr Brown's plastic bottles. Every plastic bottle I've seen is BPA free now, so I feel pretty comfortable with that.

Jennifer said...

I'm formula feeding exclusively and have tried a couple of different bottles and so far (two weeks in), I really love the Born Free plastic bottles.

They really helped reduce the gas & fussiness in our little Guy.