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Top 3 Bottles Parents Love

Are You Looking For Baby Bottles? Former NICU RN Reviews Top 3 Bottles Parents Love
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Dr. Brown's Bottles

The first bottle I am the most familiar with is Dr. Brown’s. Every hospital I worked in used Dr. Brown’s. Many parents use these bottles, and I also used these bottles when I first became a mom.

Dr. Brown’s is designed by a doctor and is the most recommended by pediatricians. Dr. Brown’s bottles are made to reduce colic, spit-up, burping, and gas; they claim to be the only fully vented baby bottles with an internal vent system. Dr. Brown’s has been around for over 20 years. 

Nipple Sizes

They have a variety of nipple sizes, including ultra preemie, preemie,Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4. They also have Y designed for thickened milk, formula, or cereal. All of these nipple sizes work with the internal vent system for paced feeding. 

Bottle Sizes

Dr. Brown’s has a variety of bottle sizes, including 4 oz and 8 oz; they have anti-colic bottles that are 5 oz and 9 oz; they have plastic and glass bottles.

They also have 2 oz bottles, or 60 cc/60 mL Accufeed anti-colic baby bottles.  

Milliliters (mL) and cubic centimeters (cc) are interchangeable abbreviations and mean the same thing when it comes to baby bottles or measuring liquids in healthcare. Sometimes these products are hard to find simply because of the measurements used when advertising.

Sippy Cups

Dr. Brown’s also has transitional sippy bottles with silicone handles used to transition from a regular bottle to a sippy cup. This option is great because children love familiarity. How many times have you heard of someone you know having difficulty transitioning their child from a bottle to a sippy cup simply because it was a different texture, picture, or color? This is perfect for children who need continuity and who are sensory-sensitive. 

Keep in mind that the nipples, bottles, and venting systems are all sold separately. So if you have a pack of bottles, and for some reason, something happens to the venting system, you can just buy the venting system. You don’t have to go out and rebuy an entire pack of bottles.

Cleaning

Cleaning your bottles and vent system with brushes, along with soap, warm water, and friction, is the best first step to ensure your bottles are thoroughly clean. This technique applies to any brand of bottles. Make sure to use the straw-like cleaning brush in the vent insert and vent reservoir. 

Here are cleaning and sterilizing instructions from Dr. Brown’s. See the video to the right. Wash your bottles after every use to prevent infection and mold build-up. 

It’s a good idea to sterilize your bottles at least once a day. The bottles are dishwasher safe. If you are like me and do not have a dishwasher, you can always boil them in a pot on the stove for at least 5-10 minutes. However, if you don’t have that kind of time or, counter space, there are these amazing sterilizing bags I wish I had known about before I became a nurse! There are all kinds of different brands that you can buy. Dr. Brown’s has their own brand. I really like Medela as well. The instructions are on the bag so make sure you read them.

Instructions

  • All you do is first take apart your bottle, nipple, and venting system and wash thoroughly. 
  • Then fill your sterilizer bag with the suggested amount of water. Usually 60 mL/cc or 2 oz.
  • Place all of your separated bottle parts in the bag. You can include any pacifiers you have as well.
  • Place it in the microwave for the allotted time stated on the back of the bag. 
  • IMPORTANT: When it’s finished in the microwave, please handle it with oven mitts or tongs because it will be VERY hot. I have burned myself more than once doing this. Just take my word for it! There will be slits in the top and bottom sides of the bag where you can pour the bag and empty the hot water into your sink. Be careful! It is BOILING HOT WATER. 
  • Then you can take your bottle parts and pacifiers out of the bag and place them on a drying rack. If you do not have a drying rack, place a clean towel in a big clean bowl and empty the parts in there.

When you have little counter space, and a lot going on, it’s easy to forget those hot bottles are there, and accidentally bump into them and burn yourself. At the very least, place them on a clean towel to dry. 

No Counter Space?

These sterilizing bags are perfect if you don’t have a lot of counter space, or you’re constantly on the go or traveling. You can use them up to 20 times, depending on the brand, so you can potentially get 20 days out of one bag. On the back bottom of the bag are boxes you can mark with a pen or sharpie after each use, so you don’t forget how many times the bag has been used. These bags are cost-effective, easy to store, and easy to use. I highly recommend it!

Tommee Tippie Bottles

Tommy Tippee is probably the second most used bottle I’ve seen in the NICU. Parents love this bottle. I have to admit the first time I saw a Tommee Tippee bottle, I remember thinking, wow that is really close to an actual nipple. 

Tommee Tippee has 50 years of experience supporting parents around the world. They are committed to protecting the planet by removing single-use plastics from everything they do by 2025, sustainably sourcing their materials by 2030, using 100% renewable energy across all of their sites, and being a zero-to-landfill business by 2030. 

This bottle has some great features that I am going to share with you. 

Nipple Sizes

They have a breast-like nipple allowing babies to latch on easily and support the transition between breast and bottle. Their anti-colic nipples are marked ANTI-COLIC+. They recommend changing nipples regularly every two months or if they become damaged, weak, or bitten by teeth. 

Here is a link to their storefront containing some good educational videos regarding their nipples.

Bottle Sizes

Tommee Tippee has 5 oz, 9 oz, and 11 oz bottles. They have regular plastic bottles, baby-safe glass bottles, and new soft silicone bottles all shaped closer to nature to mimic mom’s breast. 

They also have advanced anti-colic bottles with a venting system. A great feature of the venting system is its heat-sensing technology toward the bottom of the filter which turns pink when the breast milk or formula is too hot. I thought that was really cool! Just note that the venting system only comes with anti-colic bottles.

Tommee Tippee also has its own transitional insulated sippy cups, transition and trainer cups, spill-proof toddler sippy cups, and insulated sportee water bottle for toddlers.

 

Cleaning

Tommee Tippee has its own sterilizer bags, 30 uses per bag. If you want to get fancy and you have the extra money, they also have a UV 3-in-1 Sterilizer. 

Overall, I’ve heard good things about Tommee Tippee. I have also heard they can be hard to clean, but you’ll have to decide how much that matters to you. 

Philips Avent Bottles

Philips Avent bottles are also popular and they’ve been around for a long time. They offer natural and anti-colic bottles with an AirFree vent that helps reduce colic and feeding issues. 

They offer two unique features to assist moms. 

First is the Philips Avent Momspace. You can sign up to share feedback about their products; earn prizes, sample products, and points when you participate in activities; and connect with others to talk about real-life mom moments that only moms can understand.

The second feature is the Pregnancy +app. You can see beautiful interactive images for every week of pregnancy. It features expert advice, daily articles, healthcare tips, and interactive 3D models, and you can track your baby’s development.

Plush Pacifier Friend

Another product from Philips Avent that was extremely popular in the NICU was Soothie Snuggles! These are tiny stuffed animals that attach to the end of the pacifier so the baby can have something cuddly to hold while keeping the pacifier in their mouth. I can’t tell you how many times we had a baby who loved their pacifier but was constantly dropping it out of their mouth. These Soothie Snuggles were life savers when helping babies fall asleep or stay calm. 

Nipple Sizes

They offer the natural response nipple and anti-colic nipple. They offer five different nipple sizes:

  • Flow 1 (0m)
  • Flow 2 (0m+)
  • Flow 3 (1m+)
  • Flow 4 (3m+)
  • Flow 5 (6m+)

 

The Natural Response Nipple works like the breast, the flow is controlled by baby. Milk flow stops and starts based on your baby’s drinking rhythm. It is also anti-drip.

The Anti-Colic Nipple has an anti-colic valve integrated into the nipple to keep air away from baby’s tummy to reduce colic, gas, and reflux. 

Bottle Sizes

They have natural baby bottles and anti-colic baby bottles. The bottle sizes are 11 oz, 9 oz, 8 oz, and 4 oz plastic and glass bottles. 

Cleaning

Easy cleaning makes these bottles very appealing. With very few parts, it is easy to assemble and disassemble these bottles. 

Of course, Philips Avent has sterilizing bags that are good for 20 uses per bag, however, it looks like they only come in gift sets and are not sold separately.

If you’re feeling fancy, they have the old-school Microwave Steam Sterilizer, which is what I used 11 years ago. If you’re feeling fancy they have the Electric Sterilizer and the Premium Sterilizer with Dryer! 

Thank You!

All three brands are very good. It is a matter of personal preference. You have to decide what is important to you about each brand. Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog post. I hope it was informative to you and that I was able to bring some value into your life. Until next time!

Resources

Dr. Brown’s (n.d.). Dr. Brown’s Bottle Story. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from About Us | Dr. Brown’s Baby

Nall, R. (2015). Master Paced Bottle Feeding for the Breast-Fed Baby. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from Paced Bottle-Feeding: How to Mimic Breast-Feeding

Philips Avent (n.d.). Philips Avent Baby Products. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from Baby Products, Accessories, Must Have Newborn Essentials | Philips Avent

Philips Avent (n.d.). Why join Philips Avent Momspace?  Retrieved March 4, 2023, from Baby Products, Accessories, Must Have Newborn Essentials | Philips Avent

Philips Avent (n.d.). Pregnancy + Tracker App. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from Pregnancy + | Tracker App on the App Store

Philips Avent (n.d.). Baby bottles & nipples. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from Natural Response & Anti-colic Baby Bottles | Philips Avent

Tommee Tippee (n.d.). Brighter Futures. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from Our Brighter Futures Promise | Tommee Tippee US

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