[ShannonMVT]

Bear with me, I am going to ask about a million questions...

I am trying to figure out what to register for. I will be pumping enough for an occassional daddy/grandma bottle and then also when baby is around 3 months, I'll be at work one day a week, so baby will need bottles then. I plan to BF the rest of the time.

-When do you start pumping/giving bottles? I know you aren't supposed to start giving bottles too soon (to establish breastfeeding), but you aren't supposed to start too late either.

-When can you start giving pacifiers (if baby wants them)? What kind of pacifiers should I get?

-What the heck kind of bottles should I get? There are so many. I've heard not to stock up on one kind because you may find baby doesn't like the ones you've picked out. Obviously BPA free but I think most of them are now. Would glass be better? A certain nipple style for breastfeeding babies?

-Are the nipples interchangeable from one bottle type to another? (Dr. Brown's nipples on an Avent bottle?)

-Do I need a bottle warmer? Do I need a bottle sterilizer?

-How long can I store breast milk in the fridge?

-How long can I store breast milk in the freezer? How should I thaw it?

-I've heard a lot of people like the Playtex drop ins and say they are very easy. But I am wondering how that is easy? I will be storing my breast milk, as best I can understand, in little plastic bags made by Medela. So then I'd have to transfer the BM from the little plastic Medela bag into the little Playtex drop in bag??? Is that right?

[Frozendesire]

I hope I can answer some of your questions for ya

-When do you start pumping/giving bottles? I know you aren't supposed to start giving bottles too soon (to establish breastfeeding), but you aren't supposed to start too late either.

I'm trying to think but I know I didn't start Curtis until he was past 2 months of age. Close to 3 months. He took to the bottle fine, switching back and forth like a pro.

-When can you start giving pacifiers (if baby wants them)? What kind of pacifiers should I get?

You can start this about the same time as the bottles I would say. You want baby to use you as a pacifier it really helps with your supply!

-What the heck kind of bottles should I get? There are so many. I've heard not to stock up on one kind because you may find baby doesn't like the ones you've picked out. Obviously BPA free but I think most of them are now. Would glass be better? A certain nipple style for breastfeeding babies?

I preferred the wider sized nipples. I had a couple bottles with the smaller ones and I noticed Curtis wouldn't open as wide for my breast after using this type of nipple. They need a good wide latch on you, and he got "lazy" i guess. But I coached him and it was fine, just the initial latch was smaller but then I would re attach him and he got it. I just did away with those bottles and stuck to the wide neck ones! For sure don't stock up on just one kind. Baby can have a preference as well as you! Glass is fine but I'd suggest one of those covers/sleeves that prevents it from breaking. Just in case. BPA free is all you can buy here as the rest is banned but I'd for sure stick to BPA free.

-Are the nipples interchangeable from one bottle type to another? (Dr. Brown's nipples on an Avent bottle?)

Nope. You'll have to get replacement nipples all from one brand only. Maybe there are some that are similar?? But really they are made for that specific bottle type and you get a good seal if you stick to that one type KWIM?

-Do I need a bottle warmer? Do I need a bottle sterilizer?

Nope. You need a tap and a mug! haha. That's what I did for thawing BF and heating formula. I just put the bottle in the mug in the sink and ran hot water into the mug. It only took a little bit to thaw completely frozen milk and of course even quicker to heat the formula. But after a while we just did room temp anyways! Bottle sterilizer isn't needed I don't think. I sterilize all my parts once in a boiling pot of water and then wash them in the dishwasher or by hand. That's good enough!

-How long can I store breast milk in the fridge?

http://breastfeeding.hypermart.net/storagehandling.html

-How long can I store breast milk in the freezer? How should I thaw it?

The link above has this answer as well. For thawing it I just ran it under a tap of hot water.

-I've heard a lot of people like the Playtex drop ins and say they are very easy. But I am wondering how that is easy? I will be storing my breast milk, as best I can understand, in little plastic bags made by Medela. So then I'd have to transfer the BM from the little plastic Medela bag into the little Playtex drop in bag??? Is that right?

Yup that's right. I found it easier to thaw in a bag then in a container (like a bottle) anyways. So thaw it and then pour it in to the bottle and you're ready to go!

[Angelaosaurus-rex]

I know absolutely nothing about bottles!

You can start giving him a pacifiers at birth. Its better to get silicone (IMO) just in case baby is allergic to latex. I've noticed that what ever one you give to them first is the kind they will like, so get cheap ones!!!

Breast milk and be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months, deep freezer for 6 months. I have read you can keep it in the fridge for 3 days but it gets nasty looking after a day! And to thaw put it under warm water. I use Avent naturally storage containers, I'm not a fan of the bags but they may be better for you because I would think they would make thawing quicker!


You do not need a bottle warmer or a sterilizer! Everyone i know who has one never used it. I have medela quick clean micro stem bags and they are awesome! You just add some water the bag and put your breast pump or bottles or whatever in it the microwave for 3 mins!!!! You can use each bag 20 times and it comes with 10 bags!! I love them because they are cheap and even after washing my breast pump by hand their are so many little details who knows if I'm getting them.


I hope that helps!!! Be sure to post your registry when you get one!!! I love to look at them and see what everyone picks out!

[Mars]

I'll try to add the little I know so far but I've not BTDT so I can't give any personal experiences on what may or may not work, just my insight based on the research I've done. I should warn though that a lot of what you are seeking to find out will be based on your baby's individual needs so you may not get solid, concrete answers. From my research it seems to be a lot of trial and error and occasional luck.

When do you start pumping/giving bottles? I know you aren't supposed to start giving bottles too soon (to establish breastfeeding), but you aren't supposed to start too late either.

I've read up on this subject and it seems to be based on the baby in my opinion. I've read that some mothers were able to substitute between bottle and baby almost immediately and others said they had to wait a bit. So I think it'll be something you have to try and based on baby's reaction determine if it is time.

Personally, I plan to wait until after 6 weeks before I introduce the bottle but this is not set in stone since I don't know if baby will take to the breasts at all (my nephew didn't) or if my body will have a good supply.

When can you start giving pacifiers (if baby wants them)? What kind of pacifiers should I get?

I think this can be treated in almost the same manner as introducing the bottles to baby. I don't know much about the different kinds of pacifiers but they come in age ranges and of course you want the BPA free ones.

All babies are different so one paci that works brilliantly for one baby may be rejected by another. I was told that I may need to try a few different brands before I get it right so I just bought 2 by Avent, couldn't find any singles and if baby will see if baby takes to them. If she doesn't want them at all then great, if she just doesn't seem to like the brand, I'll try another kind.

What the heck kind of bottles should I get? There are so many. I've heard not to stock up on one kind because you may find baby doesn't like the ones you've picked out. Obviously BPA free but I think most of them are now. Would glass be better? A certain nipple style for breastfeeding babies?

I'm using glass bottles to start (you can get Dr. Brown's or Evenflow) but when baby starts try to hold the bottles, you'll most likely need to get something a bit lighter. There are a lot of brands and again it's hard to say which kind your baby will like.

I don't think one can say that glass is necessarily better. Yes you won't have to worry about BPA but glass bottles are heavier and require a bit more care because obviously they're breakable. Also as I mentioned earlier, they may be harder for baby to hold. I think you can find good BPA free bottles around that will work just as well. So it's probably just preference.

They are some nipple styles that are created to mimic the breasts but I'm not totally sold on these since I believe that the shape of women's breast vary so they may or may not work for you.

Are the nipples interchangeable from one bottle type to another? (Dr. Brown's nipples on an Avent bottle?)

Some are and some aren't. They are some standard nipples that will work with similarly shaped bottles, for example, the Dr. Brown's standard-size bottle nipples work with the Evenflo standard bottles however the manufacturer does not recommend substituting nipples.

I've read a lot of reviews on these and some users prefer to try changing nipple brands to suit baby's needs rather than changing the bottle set. Some even claim that other brand nipples work better with different brand bottles. Again I think this is based on trial and error. If baby doesn't like a nipple and you can find a substitute that works with the bottle and that baby likes, then great. You will have to make sure that the nipple seals well in the bottle so you don't have any leakages. I think this is one of the reasons why persons stick with one brand for everything. But I've also read about some brands leaking as well.

Do I need a bottle warmer? Do I need a bottle sterilizer?

You do not need a bottle warmer. They're convenient but not necessary. As Steoh mentioned, you can use warm water and a mug, then shake thoroughly and test the temperature by dropping some of the milk on the back of you hand. I see most people using the fleshy area between their thumb and index finger.

You do not need a sterilizer either, especially if you will be using glass bottles. You can boil a pot of water to sterilize the bottles, nipples and things like that. What we usually do here is to get a rubbermaid container that can hold the bottles and other items and after we've boiled the water and put the items in, let them drain and dry on some bounty tissue and then put them in the container and seal.

I didn't buy a sterilizer because I am using glass bottles. However, my sister came across one that was given to her with my nephew and gave it to me. She didn't even remember that she had it until she was looking for things for me because she rarely used it.

How long can I store breast milk in the fridge?
How long can I store breast milk in the freezer? How should I thaw it?


Steph's link is good. I think you can run it under warm water or just stand it in warm water.

I've heard a lot of people like the Playtex drop ins and say they are very easy. But I am wondering how that is easy? I will be storing my breast milk, as best I can understand, in little plastic bags made by Medela. So then I'd have to transfer the BM from the little plastic Medela bag into the little Playtex drop in bag??? Is that right?


I don't know much about this but transferring from on bag to another may cause spillage (but I could be wrong). I probably would thaw, put the BM a bottle/container and then transfer to the drop ins.


Good luck! I spent a lot of time reading and researching this area and never really got solid, conclusive answers.

I'm sorry to disagree on sterilising... You should definately sterilise!! Even the components of your breast pump need to be sterilised. Either that or boil the items (all bottle, pump & pacifiers pieces), for 10 minutes, in a pan used ONLY for this purpose.

here's a link as to why, and the different methods.

[ANGWife]

No advice here, but loving all the info! You are NOT alone in all the confusion of getting baby stuff.

haha seriously when is that magic day you start going "oh crap, we have nothing for baby!"

[Mars]

I'm sorry to disagree on sterilising... You should definately sterilise!! Even the components of your breast pump need to be sterilised. Either that or boil the items (all bottle, pump & pacifiers pieces), for 10 minutes, in a pan used ONLY for this purpose.

here's a link as to why, and the different methods.[/b]

Fi, I think everyone agrees on sterilizing but we don't think you need a sterilizer to do it. As you said, boiling water and putting the bottles in it is adequate.

[Resi]

-When do you start pumping/giving bottles? We gave the first bottle after he was 4 weeks. He did well with going back and forth.

-When can you start giving pacifiers (if baby wants them)? Again 4 weeks is what I was told. I did give them sooner on occasion because he needed something to comfort him when he didn't want the breast. We had no problems with nipple confusion.

-What the heck kind of bottles should I get? There are a lot that are BPA free but still have other junk in them. I personally love Green to Grow. It's Oliver's favorite bottle. You can only order them on line. Go a head and good "green to grow". I bought a couple different brangs. I got Born Free, Green to Grow, a set of glass bottles, and Adiri Natural Nurser.

-Are the nipples interchangeable from one bottle type to another? Not really sure about ths question. I think some are.

-Do I need a bottle warmer? Do I need a bottle sterilizer? I didn't buy either. I boil my bottles almost every day because I don't think the dishwasher gets them clean enough. I don't see any need for a bottle warmer. Your not going to bottle feed that much so I don't think you need to invest in them.

-How long can I store breast milk in the fridge? 5-7 days. Almost anything you buy from Medela give a insert that tells you how long you can store breast milk in the frig, freezer, deep freezer, and at room temp.

-How long can I store breast milk in the freezer? How should I thaw it? 3-4 months in the freezer. You can let it thaw in the frig or put it in or run it under warm water.

-I've heard a lot of people like the Playtex drop ins and say they are very easy. But I am wondering how that is easy? I will be storing my breast milk, as best I can understand, in little plastic bags made by Medela. So then I'd have to transfer the BM from the little plastic Medela bag into the little Playtex drop in bag??? Is that right? I don't know anything about drop ins. I didn't care for those kind of bottles. I think because you will be BF or will feed with BM you can just skip those. I would think they are easier for formula feeding moms. I guess it's easier maybe because you don't has to wash the bottle as much?

[Resi]

Oh! I wanted to highly recommend these pacifers: http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kw...255957&sr=1

They just started carrying them at BRU. I had to special order mine before Oliver was born. I bought the round 0-3 months before he was born but yesterday I got the 0-6 month in the orthodontic shape. Oliver likes them and they are so cute in his mouth.

They are the safest best paci out there IMO. But, you all know I'm a freak about what goes in my baby's mouth. No artificial color. No chemicals softener; parabens, PVC, phtalates and BPA (bisphenol-A) free. Larger shield is designed to touch baby's nose, providing comfort by more closely simulating breast-feeding.

Fi, I think everyone agrees on sterilizing but we don't think you need a sterilizer to do it. As you said, boiling water and putting the bottles in it is adequate.
[/b]

I know, you & I replied at same time I was concerned by Steph's comment of hand washing bottles.

[Mars]

Oh, Steph said she boils them once but I'm not sure if she means initially or every time before she hand washes or puts them in the dishwasher.

hmmm preggy-confusion for me (doesn't take much!!)

[thepinkleprechaun]

I don't know I'm kind of freaking out about having to go back to work and how that's going to work with pumping and everything...I suppose I'll have to go over to the breastfeeding board and ask for advice because I don't know what to do.


Anyways, we just got Born Free bottles (the plastic ones) and I can tell you for sure that the best kind of bottle warmer out there is the Avent IQ! I tried a couple kinds with Aden and they all sucked, but my friend has this one and has been using it about 6 times a day for a year and it has held up great. I already got one when they were 10% off at BRU and I really like that you can just put the number of ounces in and it heats specifically to that.

As for pacifiers, we have the natursutten paci, not the orthodontic one but the other one. He seems to have trouble keeping it in his mouth sometimes but I don't know if it's just because he doesn't want it or what. We gave it to him in the hospital, it hasn't affected breastfeeding at all for me.
(Oh, just saw Resi's post I use the same kind)

[ShannonMVT]

Thanks girls!

A few more thoughts/questions. Resi, can I ask where can I read about Green to Grow, Born Free vs other types of bottles? As in, which ones have the other junk and so forth? Dh made the comment the other day "yeah they got rid of bpa, but who knows what other crap is in there." Do you have recommendations (or any of you other "crunchy moms) for spoons, bowls, cups, etc that are more natural? Most seem to be bpa free now.

What about teethers? I have not seen any teether that claims to be bpa free and that concerns me to let my baby be chewing on plastic that has all kinds of chemicals in it. But you have to have teethers! I'd prefer something that doesn't have to be ordered online but if that's the only way I can get more natural teethers, I will.

I think the Playtex drop ins are supposed to make it easier because then you don't have to sterlize the bottle. You just throw the bag away and sterilize only the nipple. But it seems like kind of wasteful to have one bag for storing my breastmilk and then transferring to another disposable bag for feeding.

Any btdt advice on the milk storage bags? I read the medela kind leak way more than the lasinoh. But the advantage with medela is that I could pump straight into them.

[IamMom]

I used Dr. Browns only and didn't buy all different kinds - don't see the need to....my guy wasn't fussy he liked Dr. Browns probably cause its the first and only bottle I used with him - and he went between boob and bottle easy. The Dr. Browns was good for his gassiness I must say. I never got or used a sterilizer (I did boil the parts of the bottles before first time use and then washed in a dishwasher or hand washed after that) or a warmer. I found it was better to do his bottles with regular temped water that was if we were out he wasn't fussing if his water wasn't warm....so he got use to room temp water and we never had a problem. Got a ton of pacifiers and used them very rarely in the first few weeks and then not at all after that - he wouldn't take them. He wasn't fussy so he pretty much just hung out - he didn't need it. So I bought way too many of those and most are still in the package (AHHH).

I know everyone is big into the BPA thing but honestly I don't get that worked up about it. It's just like the lunch meat thing - so I'll probably use my Dr. Browns from before and also buy some of the new Dr. Brown's BPA free line but just because of few of the old ones were lost or ruined.

I found it wasn't hard to run out and get whatever baby wanted or needed - it'll save money so we didn't have all this stuff stocked up we would never need cause it wasn't what baby or I wanted or needed. You'll have all kinds of people around who want to "help out" and run errands etc! I wish I would have waited to buy a breast pump b/c breastfeeding didn't go great for me and I never got to use the pump (therefore I have no advice on storing milk - never did it!)

Good luck! It does seem overwhelming but its not that hard to figure out your baby once he's here and go with the flow of your baby!

[greeneyes]

Thanks girls!

A few more thoughts/questions. Resi, can I ask where can I read about Green to Grow, Born Free vs other types of bottles? As in, which ones have the other junk and so forth? Dh made the comment the other day "yeah they got rid of bpa, but who knows what other crap is in there." Do you have recommendations (or any of you other "crunchy moms) for spoons, bowls, cups, etc that are more natural? Most seem to be bpa free now.

What about teethers? I have not seen any teether that claims to be bpa free and that concerns me to let my baby be chewing on plastic that has all kinds of chemicals in it. But you have to have teethers! I'd prefer something that doesn't have to be ordered online but if that's the only way I can get more natural teethers, I will.[/b]

I know this was directed at Resi, but thought I woud pipe up for a moment.

Everything we use at our house we try to make as green as possible - fewer chemicals, sustainable products, etc. I get a lot of GREAT info from this site: www.safemama.com. You'll see on the left side of the page she has "cheat sheets" for all kinds of things - bottles, teethers, pacis, sippy cups, and dishware just to name a few. She also has a sister site that she runs called lovelysafemama.com that has all kinds of neat info for greener beauty options for us mamas!

[Resi]

When I'm at work tomorrow I will link you to what I have. Oliver is fussy right now.

[Resi]

Thanks girls!

A few more thoughts/questions. Resi, can I ask where can I read about Green to Grow, Born Free vs other types of bottles? As in, which ones have the other junk and so forth? Dh made the comment the other day "yeah they got rid of bpa, but who knows what other crap is in there." Do you have recommendations (or any of you other "crunchy moms) for spoons, bowls, cups, etc that are more natural? Most seem to be bpa free now.

What about teethers? I have not seen any teether that claims to be bpa free and that concerns me to let my baby be chewing on plastic that has all kinds of chemicals in it. But you have to have teethers! I'd prefer something that doesn't have to be ordered online but if that's the only way I can get more natural teethers, I will.

I think the Playtex drop ins are supposed to make it easier because then you don't have to sterlize the bottle. You just throw the bag away and sterilize only the nipple. But it seems like kind of wasteful to have one bag for storing my breastmilk and then transferring to another disposable bag for feeding.

Any btdt advice on the milk storage bags? I read the medela kind leak way more than the lasinoh. But the advantage with medela is that I could pump straight into them.[/b]

I'm having a hard time finding my original websites because I didn't save them. Like you said.. Just because they are BPA Free doesn't mean there isn't other stuff in them that is bad. I will put links below to the toys etc. that I buy.

http://www.greentogrow.com/ - bottles
http://www.greentogrow.com/learn.aspx - good info about the different chemcials etc.
http://www.thesoftlanding.com/bpafrte.html - I never ordered from this site before but they have a lot of the items I ordered for Oliver. I have the Rubber Ducky, Natursutten EVA Teether - Yellow Apple, Sophie the Giraffe Natural Rubber Teether Toy,
Je Je Vibrating Teether - Blue/Pink
http://www.thesoftlanding.com/bacubrandfos.html - I have these food cubs for BM storage and baby food storage
http://www.thesoftlanding.com/klka12ststsi.html - These are the sippy cups I will most likely buy. I have the Klean Kanteens for myself in a grown up size and love them.

The soft landing site has a lot of bibs, dishes and utensils too. I think I'm going to looks around and order some for when Oliver needs them. There goes more money!


I forgot about toys! I love Haba toys. They are made in Germany and safe. They are wooden or cloth. Here is a link to some of them: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywo...sl_9t5t12tira_b Oliver has a lot of this page.

[Adriana's Mommy]

-When do you start pumping/giving bottles? I know you aren't supposed to start giving bottles too soon (to establish breastfeeding), but you aren't supposed to start too late either.

I started bottle ( I pumped for 6 months) with Adriana when she was 2 weeks old.. She was not eating at the breast and loosing weight.. Pump while your baby is sleeping. So you can have a stash of BM on hand incase of a emergancy.. You never know if you have to go on medication and then you'll have to pump and dump.. It's good to have a supply on hand. If you have a deep freezer, the milk it good up to 6 months.. I like the Lansinoh Breast Milk Storage Bags .

-When can you start giving pacifiers (if baby wants them)? What kind of pacifiers should I get?

I started with the binkie with Adriana when she was a newborn.. I use the Advent ones.. It didn't leave marks on her face like the other brands did.

-What the heck kind of bottles should I get? There are so many. I've heard not to stock up on one kind because you may find baby doesn't like the ones you've picked out. Obviously BPA free but I think most of them are now. Would glass be better? A certain nipple style for breastfeeding babies?

I used Playtex Drop ins.. Easy to clean..

-Are the nipples interchangeable from one bottle type to another? (Dr. Brown's nipples on an Avent bottle?)
No

-Do I need a bottle warmer? Do I need a bottle sterilizer?
I used a sterilzer and a bottle warmer.. I loved it..

-How long can I store breast milk in the fridge?

I believe a week in the fridge. I could be wrong.. It's been many months since I pumped

-How long can I store breast milk in the freezer? How should I thaw it?

deep freeze it. Good for 6 months

-I've heard a lot of people like the Playtex drop ins and say they are very easy. But I am wondering how that is easy? I will be storing my breast milk, as best I can understand, in little plastic bags made by Medela. So then I'd have to transfer the BM from the little plastic Medela bag into the little Playtex drop in bag??? Is that right?
Yes, you transfer it.. It's really easy..

[Frozendesire]

To clarify, Fi and everyone else (hehe), I only boiled all my bottles parts once and then washed them by hand or in the dishwasher. I'm not to sure about other dishwashers but ours gets SUPER hot and even dries them. I think this is just the same as boiling them anyways. But like I said, he didn't have bottles until close to 3 months, so I wasn't terribly worried, well never really have been haha.