What type of bottle to choose for my baby?

One of the most important things we think about during pregnancy is the proper diet that we are going to give our children. For this it is essential to have the use of the bottle, and if possible in more than one unit and varying in types and forms, because there are many intakes per day and it will vary a lot depending on the weight and habits to which our baby.

There is a tendency to think that the use of the bottle is exclusive for those women who cannot breastfeed due to health problems , pleasure or milk deficiency , but this is not entirely the case. We must have a number of bottles at home for when we begin to provide more solid food to our baby or when it is done in a delayed way , storing breast milk for later feeds, for the simple reason, for example, that the mother is not in home.

For all these reasons it is important to know the amount of types and shapes of bottles that exist in order to choose the most suitable for our baby.

TYPES OF BABY BOTTLES

The first thing that we must take into account when choosing the first bottle that our child is going to have is that appearance is the least important thing, we do not look at the colors or if it is more or less beautiful, the most important thing is that it is functional, practical, comfortable for the baby and easy to sterilize.

The first thing we are going to see is the material from which the bottle glass is made. This can be made of glass or plastic. As far as possible , glass ones are recommended for the first months of life, in addition to being the easiest to sterilize . Once the little one goes to eat alone and can hold the bottle himself, we can go on to choose a plastic bottle, to avoid possible accidents. Ideally, the surface should also be as smooth as possible and not have many roughnesses, which in the long run can become a source of bacteria. This does not mean that it cannot have some kind of indentation, something that can make it more ergonomic and comfortable for both parents and baby.

The next step is to choose the size and shape of the bottle. This will depend exclusively on the child’s age, so it will vary as he grows older and his nutritional needs change. The general measures of the bottles are: 90 ml, recommended for newborn babies. This is the intake that is made between 8 and 12 times a day, approximately every 3 hours. When the baby is between 2 and 6 months, we will go to the size of between 120 and 180 ml. Once he is 6 months old, we will move to the larger bottle sizes that are from 240 ml and we will also include the most solid foods in his diet.

The forms will vary depending on how practical it is. The classic bottles are the cylindrical ones, the easiest to sterilize. Less common are the triangular ones, although much more comfortable to hold and also very clean. The widths are the most indicated when it is not so much breast milk but preparations through powdered milk or when we begin to include solid foods. Finally, there are the angular ones, also called antireflux due to the way in which the liquid comes out.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE NIPPLE?

Not only is it important to be sure when choosing the bottle glass, but perhaps the most important part is the nipple, through which the food comes out. These can be made of two materials, rubber or silicone . The former require to be changed more frequently as it loses resistance and hardness. Quite the opposite occurs with silicone ones, much harder in which the baby will have to adapt his mouth and especially his palate to the shape of the nipple.

The other point to take into account is the size and number of holes you have. This will depend on the age of the baby, with a single hole being ideal for newborns and the slot for those babies who start solid feeding , otherwise the holes may become clogged.

Despite all the indications and although we think they are too small, it is the babies themselves who will tell us through their feedings what are the amounts, forms and types of bottle they need, since each one develops in a different way .