Which is better for nipples - latex or silicone?

[Slabobbin]

I have PCOS and despite taking upwards of 30 different pills a day in order to increase my milk supply, I still did not have enough milk for my dd. So while we did nurse until she was 2.5, I had to also supplement.

I am pregnant again and hoping against hope that I will have enough milk this time (they say that the more children you nurse, the more milk you have each time when you have PCOS). However I am planning ahead just in case. I plan to use glass bottles this time rather than plastic. I am stuck on which type of nipples are more "natural" as far as toxicity and the environment go. I know that latex feels more like an actual breast (IMO) but beyond that I have no idea. I have tried googling "natural bottle nipple" but that only pulls up results with nipples that are supposed to be most like mom's breast...but they usually still offer both latex and silicone.

Any ideas?

[nextcommercial]

I don't know. I just did a google search and found differing opinions, but nothing based on facts.

I DO know that we (day care providers) were told not to buy the Avent bottles, but I think it was the bottles themselves and not the nipples though. (and that was over a year ago)

I use the old fashon brown flat top rubber nipples with the playtex collapsable liners. The baby I watch hates the clear nipples.

[Slabobbin]

I wonder why they told you not to buy Avent? They are supposed to be one of the only BHP free plastic bottles on the market! Odd.

[doubledutch]

silicone, according to environomental working group.

http://www.ewg.org/babysafe

best wishes for an abundant milk supply! that is awesome that you nursed 2.5 years despite supply issues. what a lucky dd. congratulations on your pregnancy.

marisa
klaus 9-8-05
sonnen 3-25-07

[nextcommercial]

Originally Posted by Slabobbin

I wonder why they told you not to buy Avent? They are supposed to be one of the only BHP free plastic bottles on the market! Odd.

It was in a newsletter and at the time I didn't pay much attention to it because I have always hated the avent bottles anyway. But, I think they were saying it could leach something into the milk. The bottles are harder to clean, so they get scratched up easily. That's all I remember about the article in the newsletter.

I am really bad about reading through all the info we get, I only read about half of it.

[cristeen]

I would use silicone, it is non-allergenic. And since I'm allergic to latex myself, I wouldn't want to risk triggering that allergy in my LO.

[southernmommie]

The brown ones are NOT dishwasher safe. Advent bottles along with Playtex, Gerber bottles contain the plastic that if heated leaks into the bad stuff into the milk.

[Ruthla]

I tried both when I was working and pumping. The silicone nipples last MUCH longer- they were maybe 1.5 times the price but then they lasted about 10X as long. So they're cheaper in the long run, plus more environmentally friendly because they produce less waste, plus they're less likely to trigger allergies than latex is.

Is there any way to avoid the plastic ring that holds the nipple to the bottle? I would guess that they were once made of metal in the 1940's or so- is there a plastic free alternative for that now?

[True Blue]

Originally Posted by Slabobbin

I wonder why they told you not to buy Avent? They are supposed to be one of the only BHP free plastic bottles on the market! Odd.

Avent bottles are full of BPA.

[Slabobbin]

Sorry, I meant BPA...I'm not sure what I was thinking when I said BHP. Can I claim pregnancy brain?

Ok, according to these links, Avent is BPA free. These are studies on different brands of bottles and sippie cups.

http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/05/si...ree-sippy.html

http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/...fe-sippy-cups/

http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/07/z-...carbonate.html

http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/04/st...o-plastic.html

http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/...-baby-bottles/

[Slabobbin]

Ok, from researching even more, it looks like their *sippie cups* are BPA free but not the clear bottles.

[Garden~Lover]

BRU carries Born Free bottles, even the glass born free bottles.

[mercy589]

Yes, its their sippies that are ok, the bottles are not.

[kands]

I'd go with the silicone due to the risk of allergies. I just did a paper for nursing school about latex allergies and they can range from barely any reaction to full-blown anaphylaxis, and of course, the more you are exposed, the more likely you are to have a reaction and the more likely it is to get serious.

[normajean]

Silicone lasted way longer, kept their shape, & didn't crack or expand after being in the dishwasher.