bottle brand recommended for when i work

[mamatwig]

i am due for my third baby in 3 weeks , and for the first time will be going back to work when he is 7 weeks. i have never really had to worry about a bottle system before, and im so overwhelmed by the choices. can anyone recommend a brand they liked that was good for doing both breast feeding and bottle? im looking for a bpa free one, preferably not one with the bags, but one that was good for breast to bottle, and not super expensive. thanks!

[poorlittlefish]

nak
I know you wanted one without bags but I found the Playtex nursers with newborn nipples had the slowest flow...great for us going back and forth.

[smpayne]

Each baby is so different and amazingly even as a newborn, they tend to have prefrences of their own. After bf is WELL established (4-6 weeks I think), then introduce the bottle. Don't be discouraged is you have to turn the job of bottle feeding to someone else, or have to rely on information from the sitter as to which one baby likes best or if she thinks a vented one would work better.

My ds#1 would take any bottle, except the old style playtex, while ds#2 would ONLY take the Avent and never from Mom. My SIL's kids would only take the playtex. Personally, I hated anything with bags and I found the wide mouth bottles easier to hand wash.

I would purchase one (smallest package) of a couple different styles that you would be willing to purchase more of later. The vented bottles do tend to leak more often than the cheap plastic ones. There is usually a trick, ring too loose, ring too tight (guys usually do this one), nipple/parts not seated correctly or some even have an up side.

[kanga1622]

We use Dr. Brown's bottles as I was very worried about extra gas bubbles with switching to a bottle. DS doesn't seem to mind them at all and was very specific about which kind of paci he would take.

I like Dr. Brown's because they screw right into my Medela pump so I can pump directly into them for next day feedings. The new ones are BPA free (check the front of the box) and the 4 oz. ones are a great size for little hands (DS tried to help hold it at 4 months).

DS still prefers me over anything else but never complains when DH gets out a bottle - he just wants his milk and since I'm not there he will take whatever we give him.

[patronus]

i would second what pp said about trying a couple of different kinds before you invest in buying an entire set.

a LC recommended the playtex ventair bottles in a bf class i took, so i put a bunch of them on my registry and got them. then, in a crazed nesting fit, i bought even more of them.
when dd was born, because she was a lazy nurser, jaundiced and i had low supply to begin with, we ended up supplementing a small amount at first. the playtex slowest flow nipples still poured the milk out too fast for her. we had a few of the medela bottles that came with the pump and we tried those. the nipples flowed slower and we've just stuck with the medela bottles. plus it's nice to pump directly into them.
the playtex ventairs are all just sitting in a bag in my basement, unused.

i did buy a tommy tippy bottle a month ago and dd liked that one too. the nipple seems to mimic the shape of a real nipple and dd took to it well. they are, however, more expensive than other bottles and i just couldn't stomach buying a dozen or so of them to replace all my medela ones.

good luck!

[Quinalla]

Dr. Brown's worked well for us when we had to supplement early and we just stuck with them since I went back to work FT when she was 4 months. I really didn't care about the less air part, though it does work when used properly, but the shape of the nipple. She had a hard time latching onto all the other nipples we tried, the thin and long nipple worked best. And yes, I do like that I can screw my Ameda parts right onto the bottle to pump into, though a lot of bottles will fit right to pumps honestly. A lot of BFing moms like the breastflow bottle, I tried it with my DD and she couldn't latch onto it. Again, this is when she was really little though, if I tried it now she probably could. And while Dr. Brown's worked well for us, it does have extra parts that other bottles don't have. No big deal for me, but some folks find it a big hassle.

But yes, I wanted to also say to try bottle with your baby before you buy more than one. Some babies are happy to take any bottle, others not so much. So I would find a couple different bottles you are happy with and buy one of each and try them and then get more of whichever your baby likes the best.

[rhiOrion]

DD liked the playtex drop ins, and the evenflo ones that are skinny and angled. The even flow has a short smaller nipple, which is probably more like mine.

The playtex is bags, but what we found was that after she got the hang of it, she would drink out of any bottle. but the playtex helped her get the hang of it. once we're out of bags i'll probably give those to my sister or something.

now she'll drink out of anything.

i suggest getting a variety, as the pps have mentioned.

[texmati]

I really liked the breast flow.

[andlee]

Seconding the breastflow. It's the only one DS didn't gag on.