Bottle-feeding equipment

• 4 x bottles
• 4 x teats
• Bottle and teat brushes
• Kettle
• Steriliser
• Teat tongs

Bottles

Size

• The majority of bottles hold up to 260 ml
• Smaller bottles (which hold up to 125 ml) are more suitable for:
  • Newborns (because they only drink small amounts)
  • Expressed breast milk

Specialist bottles

• Anti-colic bottles have air vents, tubes or collapsible bags to reduce the amount of air your baby swallows
• Disposable bottles are single-use only, but can be handy when you’re out and about

Teats

Types of teat

• Anti-colic teats (these are also called variable flow teats) help reduce the amount of air your baby swallows
• Orthodontic teats encourage correct teeth and oral development
• Nipple-like teats are useful for breastfed babies who are combination feeding

Flow rate

This is the speed at which the milk flows out of the bottle and is determined by the hole in the top of the teat.

• Slow – suitable for newborns
• Medium – suitable for babies of 3-6 months
• Fast – suitable for babies from 6 months
• Variable – flow adjusts to the baby’s sucking action and suitable for thicker or special feeds
• Check that the milk comes out of your bottle at the right speed for your baby. 
• If the hole’s too big, the milk will come out too quickly. Gulping milk can lead to choking, wind and colic
• If the hole’s too small, your baby will have to work very hard and will become tired, irritable, full of wind and hungry

Silicone or latex?

• Silicone teats are more durable
• Latex teats are softer and more nipple-like but are not suitable for babies with a latex allergy
• Latex teats can be rejected due to taste – boiling them in milk for 3 minutes can neutralise the taste

Bell-shaped or nipple-shaped?

• No evidence suggests that one teat shape and feel is better than another, it’s just what your baby prefers

Combination Feeding: for information about Combination Feeding
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