Bottles for babies and kids

Picking the Right Bottle for Your Kids

Whether you are breastfeeding or bottlefeeding you will need a couple of bottles. It is always good to have a
 4-ounce, 8-ounce and a 10 or 12-ounce bottle handy. Bottles come in three different types:

Traditional Bottles which have straight necks and bodies

Angled Neck Bottles which are made to reduce your baby's air intake by keeping the nipple filled with liquid.
The less air the better because it will cause less gas for the baby.

Disposable Liners are liners or plastic bags that are reusable and collapse as the baby eats which also minimizing
air swallowing.

You can sterilize the bottles in your dishwasher or you can wash them hot water. Your doctor may recommend
that you submerge the bottle and nipple into a pot of boiling for a few minutes before each use to make sure the
bottle is sterilized. Another way to sterilize the bottles is to buy a bottle sterilizer that is the brand of the bottle
you choose. You rinse out the bottles and then out the bottles in the sterilizer face down. Put 7-10 ounces of water
in the bottom of ther sterilizer. Then place it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. Rinse and then fill the bottle with
new formula.

Never Heat breastmilk in the microwave because it will kill the nutrients in the breastmilk.  If you heat formula
put it in a pot of warm weather or run warm water over the bottle. Never put a formula bottle in the microwave
 because the formula may warm unevenly and create "hot spots" that can be hot and burn your babies mouth.

Preparing formula bottles:
I have found that if I made my sons bottles ahead of time and let them sit in the fridge he had less gas.  I would
pour the correct amount of water and formula into a cup and mix it properly and then pour it into the bottle. Put
the nipple on it and place it in the fridge. The air bubbles would have time to settle a little bit before I gave it to
him and he would not be as fussy afterwards.

Remember when trying to move your kids to a sippy cup rather than a bottle do it slowly. Alternate each feeding
with a bottle then cup so they get used to the idea and feel like a big kid when they use their sippy cup.