When I gave birth to my oldest son, I was determined to breastfeed right from the beginning. My mom had breastfed all five of her children, sometimes for quite extended periods, and I didn’t even really consider not doing the same.
I think I assumed it would be easy because it always looked so easy for her, so when I started breastfeeding and my nipples ended up cracked and bleeding, I was upset and confused.
About two days after returning home from the hospital, I even considered giving up altogether. But I didn’t. I stuck it out and within about a month, breastfeeding was as natural as breathing to me.
Even so, a time came when my boys used bottles as well. At about one year of age, I would give my children whole milk in a bottle during the day or with meals as I gradually reduced their number of feedings. And I learned very quickly that finding the right bottle was HARD!
Most of the bottles I owned had been designed for much younger babies, though I didn’t realize that at the time, and that meant that my boys simply weren’t getting milk quickly or easily enough.
They had a tendency to chew on the nipples of the bottles to make the milk flow faster, which of course completely destroyed the nipples fairly quickly.
Bottle innovations have come a long way since then, and one of the most important lessons I learned as a mother with regards to bottle feeding was to ensure that you’re choosing the right nipple for your bottle.
The new Playtex Nipple Variety Pack contains four distinctly different nipples for your little one so that finding the perfect match is easy.
For a mother that’s both breast and bottle feeding, the NATURALATCH nipple is a great choice since it most closely mimics breastfeeding. For older infants, the angled nipple lets a little one drink while upright.
It’s funny that I didn’t realize back then that not just any bottle and nipple would work for my boys. I had been exclusively breastfeeding for so long that I had never had to go through the trial and error process that most mothers do. Making sure that I had the best bottle for my boys sure would have saved me some frustration, and money replacing ruined nipples too!
Almost all mothers, even those that breastfeed for an extended period as I did, use a bottle at some point for their baby, whether it’s because a woman needs to go away for a few days, a child has started drinking milk as well as breast milk or a family is heading out on a long trip and wants to minimize the feedings during the journey.
If you do decide that you’re going to supplement breastfeeding with formula, check out my comparison of Hipp vs. Holle organic formula to see which one might be best for your little one.
But when using a bottle isn’t something that you commonly do, it can be tempting to just grab whatever bottle you have in the house and use it for your little one.
Just remember, bottle feeding is a lot more effective if you take the time to find the right bottle for your baby, and thanks to Playtex, that doesn’t have to be a long, frustrating process. I only wish I had known what a difference a nipple could make when my boys were using bottles!
Great read Kat! It is so true that many people use bottles for their baby at some point, even if they do breastfeed.
P.S. That photo is too cute <3
Aww, thanks Jody! Seems like so long ago now that Benjamin was that small! Lol Bottles are such a wonderful thing to have on hand I found; even though my boys breastfed probably 98% of the time, I still needed an effective feeding method for that other 2%!