Choosing the right baby bottle can revolutionize your feeding experience! Is the overwhelming variety of options making your head spin? Join us as we break down the complexities of bottle feeding, helping you navigate through the sea of choices. Discover why selecting a bottle that fits your baby’s unique mouth shape and feeding style is crucial for effective and comfortable feeding. We’ll also share why speech therapists recommend bottles with gradual, sloping nipples to mimic breastfeeding and reduce feeding difficulties.
We’ll go beyond the bottle selection, diving into the nuances of proper bottle feeding techniques. Learn about the risks of using bottle props and why parental presence during feeding is essential. Explore the benefits of paced bottle feeding and understand why matching nipple flow rates to the mother's natural milk flow is key for a smooth transition between breast and bottle. With a focus on creating a balanced and comfortable feeding experience, this episode is a must-listen for any parent aiming for a seamless bottle feeding journey. Tune in and equip yourself with the knowledge to make feeding time a joyful and bonding experience!
Choosing the right baby bottle can revolutionize your feeding experience! Is the overwhelming variety of options making your head spin? Join us as we break down the complexities of bottle feeding, helping you navigate through the sea of choices. Discover why selecting a bottle that fits your baby’s unique mouth shape and feeding style is crucial for effective and comfortable feeding. We’ll also share why speech therapists recommend bottles with gradual, sloping nipples to mimic breastfeeding and reduce feeding difficulties.
We’ll go beyond the bottle selection, diving into the nuances of proper bottle feeding techniques. Learn about the risks of using bottle props and why parental presence during feeding is essential. Explore the benefits of paced bottle feeding and understand why matching nipple flow rates to the mother's natural milk flow is key for a smooth transition between breast and bottle. With a focus on creating a balanced and comfortable feeding experience, this episode is a must-listen for any parent aiming for a seamless bottle feeding journey. Tune in and equip yourself with the knowledge to make feeding time a joyful and bonding experience!
According to the CDC, around 25% of babies are exclusively breastfed by the age of six months. That means that more than 75% of babies are taking bottles at some point in that six-month period. Many moms get the recommendation to put a variety of bottles on the registry, but how do you actually choose which ones and when you choose them? How do you actually bottle feed and make and when you choose them? How do you actually bottle feed and make sure the flow is good for your baby? Today I am diving into bottle feeding questions that I get all the time while working in lactation and infant feeding. Let's dig in. Welcome to the Baby Food for Busy Moms podcast, where you will get the knowledge you need and the support you deserve so you can finally feel good about feeding your baby, whether you're breastfeeding, formula feeding or offering solids. I'm your host, erin Moore, a mom of two boys, a practicing pediatric nurse practitioner and a lactation counselor with years of experience helping moms feed their babies, tune in each week for bite-sized, judgment-free education you can trust, all with a busy mom in mind. Before we start, this podcast does not provide medical advice. Information on the podcast is for educational purposes only and no information on the podcast or my website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I am a pediatric nurse practitioner and a lactation counselor, but I am not your baby's NP or CLC. Please consult your pediatric provider for any questions.
Speaker 1:
Do you ever find yourself googling how long is pumped breast milk good for, or when does mixed breast milk and formula need to be thrown out? You're not alone. I created a free chart with information straight from the CDC about breast milk storage, formula storage and combined milk storage. Go to wwwbabyfeedingcoachcom. Forward slash storage to get your chart straight to your email. Don't forget to print it out and hang it on your fridge so you never have to stress Google the guidelines again. Again, that is wwwbabyfeedingcoachcom. Forward slash storage. Or go to the show notes to sign up and get the guidelines straight to your email. Hi there, welcome to another episode of the Baby Food for Busy Moms podcast.
Speaker 1:
Bottle feeding is inevitable for nearly every mom. Yet it can feel so overwhelming when you're actually choosing a bottle for your baby. And even after you choose, you don't always know if your baby's going to respond well to that bottle. Is the flow going to be right? Is the mouth shape going to be right. So in this podcast episode I am going to explore the world of bottle feeding, from choosing a bottle that is right for your baby's mouth and how to bottle feed and how to choose that right flow. So let's dig in.
Speaker 1:
Choosing the right bottle can feel overwhelming. There are just so many options on the market and there are so many marketing claims that when you're walking down the aisle and trying to choose a bottle, you're like, okay, well, this one looks like a boob, so that seems good. Well, that one says it's anti-gas, so that seems good. And this one doesn't have any inserts and this has like eight pieces in the inserts. So what do you actually choose? As with most baby products, unfortunately, there is a lot of really good marketing. So baby bottles, they have excellent marketing teams behind them and that's just it. They are claims. That does not mean that they are actually true. So how do you choose a bottle? Well, really the best bottle is the bottle that your baby can take into their mouth and they can make an occlusive seal around the bottle so they're not really popping on and popping off and they're not taking in too much air. So when we see on social media of, like, what's the best bottle to choose.
Speaker 1:
Speech therapists generally recommend opting for a bottle that has a gradual, sloping longer nipple, rather than one of those that look like the boob, where there's a bulb shape and then a shorter nipple. So why is this important? Well, if you're breastfeeding, your nipple is elongating into your baby's mouth and that allows for more efficient feeding with less energy from your baby. A longer nipple can help replicate that experience. A longer nipple can help replicate that experience, while this bulb with a shorter nipple may result in more difficult time for your baby and oftentimes results in a little bit more unlatching. So when I say a gradual sloping nipple, it almost looks like a v-s shape, as opposed to the bulb, which is more like a half circle with a little nubbin on top of it for the nipple. Then there's this kind of longer and skinnier ones too.
Speaker 1:
Really, I'm okay with whatever bottle works for your baby, as long as they can get their mouth around it. So a lot of it does depend on what your baby's mouth shape is Like. I have children who have larger mouths and they could make a perfect seal around the Komotomo bottles. Now I have seen babies in clinic who are using the Komotomo bottles and they can't really even get their mouth around it. So they are just putting their mouth around the tip of the nipple and then they use the front of their mouth and a lot of that different musculature to take the bottle. Now, is that a big deal? Not necessarily. As long as your baby is tolerating it, okay, and they can make that seal, they're not having a hard time holding onto the bottle and they're not like dribbling a ton of milk out of their mouth. So it's really what shape works for your baby's mouth. Now, a lot of times you don't really know before you have a baby, what shape is going to work for their mouth.
Speaker 1:
You can kind of make some assumptions based on genetics, and if parents have very small mouths, maybe you want to try something that is a little bit narrower base. If parents have larger mouths my husband and I okay, you have maybe a little bit more flexibility, but in an ideal world we would take a bottle that has this gradual slope or is a little bit thinner, that goes up the palate of the mouth, versus going right into the front of the mouth and using only the tongue to suckle. So it's really dependent on your baby. And then when you're also thinking of a bottle. I always like to just talk about the different preferences you have in different features of different bottles. So while I'm not saying this bottle though I did use Comotomo earlier I'm not saying like this bottle is the best bottle and this bottle is the worst bottle. I just like to talk about just the features of the bottles and not any of the marketing claims like this is anticholic and this is proven for breastfed babies and stuff. It's just. I don't know. All of that is just marketing.
Speaker 1:
So do you prefer glass, plastic, silicone or even stainless steel, because these are all different options. And then, if you prefer something like glass, if your baby is going to daycare, do they allow glass bottles? Do you need to have an option where there's sometimes plastic and sometimes glass? Sometimes daycares do not allow glass bottles at all. So then you would need to choose something that is either plastic, silicone or stainless steel. Then do you mind washing a bunch of bottle parts? Are you going to put them in the dishwasher or would you rather stick to a bottle with no inserts? So if you do not like washing little pieces or you're not going to put them in the dishwasher, the Dr Brown's bottles are probably not going to be the right bottles for your baby. So, whether you're doing the wide neck or the narrow neck, there are a decent amount of parts and you do need to do a little bit of scrubbing inside the parts to get all any kind of like milk residue out of there. So you might want to choose something that has a Ventis system, that's not an insert, that is more so incorporated in the nipple.
Speaker 1:
Are there a variety of customization options for the bottles that you're going to choose? As in, are there different flow rates if your baby needs something slower or faster? So one of the things that I could not have anticipated with Elliot's feeding journey and him having a bunch of different problems with his feeding is that I needed a bottle that had slower flow nipples than other bottles even offer. So, even though he was a full-term baby, he was using a preemie nipple because he couldn't handle the suck, swallow breathe pattern because of all of his feeding issues. So it's just something to think about. Like, if you choose a bottle, are there only two or three flow rates or are there six or seven flow rates? So I would just go onto Amazon or go onto Target and see what kind of customizations are there?
Speaker 1:
And then do they offer different materials, like is it only a glass bottle? Is it only a glass bottle? Is it only a plastic bottle, or can you get them in glass and plastic if you wanted to? So if you're going to daycare, it might be a good idea to have a plastic bottle, if your daycare is requiring just the plastic bottle. So do you want to pump directly into the bottles or are you okay if you're pumping into a different receptacle and then pouring them in the bottles? So for some moms they're like I would just rather pump into like a Spectra receptacle and then they can just use that as the bottle.
Speaker 1:
So just something to consider. And then, how do you plan on washing or sterilizing the bottles? Do you have a dishwasher? Are you going to be doing it by hand? That goes a little bit hand in hand with do you mind washing a bunch of bottle parts or not? And then do you not know what you want? That's okay too, because, like I said, you can do all of the planning that you want for your baby and then your baby's mouth is a little bit different or your baby's feeding path might be a little bit different than expected. So it is a-okay if you want to ask friends for what bottle they used. If they have nipples that are still clean and can be sterilized, you might want to just not choose a bottle at the beginning and just borrow bottles and see what works for your baby. So I would definitely pay attention to the nipple flow rate, how long it's taking for your baby to eat a bottle and we'll talk a little bit about that now, which is sort of like how do you actually feed your baby a bottle? So you've chosen your bottle and now you're actually going to feed the baby.
Speaker 1:
Who knew that feeding a baby and the position with bottle feeding is controversial, but it is. As of now, the CDC's recommendation is to position the bottle at an angle rather than straight up and down, so that milk only comes out when your baby sucks. A while back, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended to feed your baby in a semi-upright position, with their baby's head in the crook of your elbow so you could see what is going in, and they're more upright than downward. So really, when it comes to feeding your baby, I am more concerned about the flow of the nipple and then making sure you're just following your baby's cues. So if they seem like they need a little bit of break, that's totally fine.
Speaker 1:
If they are going for it, I would rather have you keep that occlusive seal, because every time they latch and unlatch they're getting in a little bit more air. So when I say occlusive seal, that means their entire lip line is like a circle around the bottle, so we're not having any big gaps. You're not hearing any kind of like clicking when they're eating. They're not chugging it down, just like taking down a bottle in five minutes when they're a newborn baby or being flooded with the milk that's coming into their mouth. Before eight-ish weeks of life your baby still has this reflex that if you're putting a bottle in their mouth they're probably going to try to suck on it. So if they're not immediately taking to the nipple, you can rub the nipple on baby's cheek or down from the nose to the lips and then that usually stimulates that reflex. So they will latch on the bottle a little bit better. You can also aim the bottle slightly upward toward the baby's palate. Like I had said before, nipples naturally elongate I'm talking about mother's nipples naturally elongate to move more toward the back of the throat to help your baby's tongue stabilize and get around the bottle or the nipple to help make feeding a little bit more efficient. So aiming the nipple up toward the baby's palate can help them stabilize in the same way.
Speaker 1:
And then a controversial thing is like should you avoid feeding your baby while they're lying on their back? Well, the thought process is that if your baby is taking in too much milk, this could increase the risk for choking or allow milk to flow into the eustachian tubes and cause ear infections. So potentially you'd want to avoid that. But I think, as long as you are not like doing any bottle propping, if you're doing that here and there, that is okay too. So let's talk a little bit about bottle propping.
Speaker 1:
I have seen this product and they've asked me multiple times to promote their product. But it is like a little sling to prop the bottles up so you can be hands-free with your baby. I don't recommend it. Sometimes it can cause your baby to take in air. I just feel like a parent needs to be there at all times to help, just in case, heaven forbid, something bad happens. And, like I said before, when you're propping bottles or putting your baby to sleep with bottles in, they have a little bit of an increased risk for ear infections or even like tooth decay and different kinds of jaw infections. So you need to be there present, following your baby's cues regardless. So let's not prop the bottle. So always hold the bottle and stay engaged with your baby during feeding times. And yes, there may be reasons where you need to prop a bottle for a few seconds, you need to tend to another child, but I would recommend against propping for multiple minutes or the majority of a feed or the entire feed.
Speaker 1:
I want to touch a little bit on paste bottle feeding because by now most of us have heard of paste bottle feeding for babies who are going between the breast and going between the bottle. So paste bottle feeding is feeding your baby in a semi-upright position and kind of mimicking what's going on in the breast. So when your baby is bottle feeding, they get a consistent flow of milk from the time that they put the nipple in their mouth to the time that their feeding is over. So as long as they're actively eating, they are getting a consistent flow of milk. Well, with breast milk and breastfeeding your baby is getting more of a variety of different flows. So your baby often suckles, so they do a pattern like suck, suck, suck, suck, and then letdown happens. And then they often go into more of a pattern of like a suck swallow, suck, swallow, suck, swallow, and they have sort of a rhythmic and semi-predictable pattern. So when you're thinking of bottle feeding, your baby is kind of like suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, with swallows in between there versus like okay, sometimes you're sucking and swallowing, there's a lot of milk coming, but sometimes you're sucking and then you're like suck, suck, suck, and then there's no milk coming. So bottle feeding is just a little bit more predictable.
Speaker 1:
So when you do paste feeding, the thought is that you're slowing your baby down to be more of the pattern of breastfeeding. So some people recommend doing it semi-upright, where the bottle is horizontal and there's no air in the nipple. So it's sort of like a horizontal, a little bit of a tilt, and then periodically you flip the bottle back and your baby is sucking but nothing's coming out. So that is like when your baby is sucking at the breast and there's no milk coming out for them, it mimics that. So here's my somewhat controversial thought. My thought is that I would rather have a nipple flow rate that is the closest to mom's natural flow rate. So some moms have a really really fast letdown and babies get a lot of milk in a very short period of time. Well then, if you're giving the baby the slowest flow nipple as possible and it's taking them 30 to 40 minutes to take a bottle, well of course they're going to prefer the breast. So, finding something that's a little bit more middle ground. And then, on the flip side, if you're giving your baby a bottle, that nipple flow rate is really fast and they're able to chug down a bottle of two to three ounces in five minutes and then they go to breastfeed and the breastfeeding session takes 30 minutes, well, the baby's going to end up frustrated and they're going to prefer the bottle. So I kind of want things to be semi-even between the breastfeeding and the bottle feeding. So if you're just bottle feeding, there's a little bit more flexibility. But we also don't want to flood your baby's mouth.
Speaker 1:
So the next topic I want to talk about is how do you know what size of nipple to use? And this can be tricky because nipple flow rates vary across different brands. So you might have a brand that they have a level one nipple flow rate and it's not the same as a level one nipple flow rate from another brand. And then you see the SML or 234, and you're like, is the S the same as a one? What's the P? What's the T? That's not a small, medium or large. And like, what does this even mean? So one of my biggest pet peeves of infant feeding and bottle feeding is that there is no standardization between flows.
Speaker 1:
So you really have to know the flows of the bottle that you're using. So let's say you choose Avent, natural Respond and they're one. Two and three are really really slow. So if your baby's on them, they're going to be working pretty hard to get that milk. Though if you're on, like Dr Brown's, level one, one nipple, that's a pretty fast flow and a lot of newborn babies are still struggling with the suck, swallow breathe, so they might not be able to tolerate that one flow. So then you go from one bottle to the other and you're like what the heck is going on?
Speaker 1:
So in general, like I said before, if you're switching between the breast and the bottle, I recommend finding a flow that matches your milk flow. And if you have switching between the breast and the bottle, I recommend finding a flow that matches your milk flow. And if you have a very fast letdown or an abundant milk supply, your baby may get frustrated on a bottle that is too slow and on the other hand, you're maybe maybe need a slower nipple if they can drink so much milk in a short period of time and then they're getting frustrated at the breast because it's too slow. So the amount of time it takes to breastfeed should be roughly the amount of time it takes to bottle feed. If your baby is getting the same amount, so it might vary by three, four, five minutes, that's okay. But if it's varying by 10 minutes or 15 minutes in one way or the other, then it's time to think about what we need to do with the nipple flow.
Speaker 1:
So if your baby is seeming like they're coughing or gagging on the bottle or there's a lot of spillage out of the side of their mouth or they're seeming to take a lot of air or they're kind of like you would describe their feeding as guzzling or chugging, you know, sometimes it makes you feel like you hit the parenting jackpot. You're like, oh, my baby is taking a bottle of four ounces in five minutes, and then I hear that and then they're like oh well, the baby is, you know, really uncomfortable or grunting a lot at night or having a lot of gas, and a lot of that could be changed if the bottle flow rate was just appropriate. So if your baby seems to cough, gag guzzle there's tons of spilling out of their mouth I would try a slower nipple. So sometimes you need to buy multiple nipple sizes and just know that the nipple flow rates are going to be a little bit different. You can see what the nipple flow rate is by looking at the inside of the nipple. Or the little ridge on the nipple will say will usually say either S, m, l or 1, 2, 3, or 3, 4, whatever it is. But you can look on there and then find and then adjust accordingly. Is, but you can look on there and then find and then adjust accordingly. Alternately, if your baby is getting frustrated at the bottle they're collapsing the bottle nipple because they're sucking so hard, or they're falling asleep because it's taking more than 30 minutes to take a couple ounces in the bottle you might try going up a size in the nipple flow rate.
Speaker 1:
I'm just going to keep talking about my biggest pet peeves. I have a lot of them, but one of my pet peeves is when people just say they're like bottle feeding's easy. All you do is you just grab a bottle and you just feed your baby. Well, it's a little bit more nuanced than that. Yes, can it be that easy, and was it that easy at one time, one period of time? Maybe, but there is a little bit more involvement in it, and so that trivializes the challenges that parents have. So it's more than just choosing a bottle and feeding your baby. It's about preparing the milk correctly, feeding your baby in a safe and comfortable position and selecting the right nipple flow rate to match your baby's needs. But you can follow these guidelines or just feel empowered to learn more about bottle feeding and what works for your baby. So maybe it is paste bottle feeding, maybe it is more in like the semi upright or tilting back or doing whatever, finding the right flow for you and your baby. So this is important whether you are offering breast milk or offering formula. So that's it.
Speaker 1:
I appreciate you taking your time to listen to the podcast today, and next week I am going to be diving into a little bit more about what to do if your baby won't take a bottle or if bottle feeding is not going well. And just remember, if you need help, ask for help. So I'm here to do consults. Ask your pediatric provider, find a lactation professional that you really relate to and feel like will give you judgment-free feeding advice. But I am here if you need me. Hey, mama, I hope you loved this bite-sized episode. This podcast is powered by your reviews, ratings and shares. It helps other mamas find the show so they can finally feel good about feeding their baby, just like you do. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Need personalized feeding? Help for your baby's unique situation? Let's work together with a one-on-one consult. I can't wait to meet you. Until then, happy eating.