Baby Bottles

It's been a long time since I last posted but I'm definitely back now. A couple months ago, my daughter, Penelope, was born and I've had to learn the art of baby bottle design. At first it seemed simple, I bought a brand I was familiar with from when my sister was a baby, not really thinking it mattered too much how the bottle is designed. Now, two months and three brands later, I'm still trying to find the perfect bottle.

Most bottle brands claim to reduce colic and gas because of some special design feature. Playtex offers two versions: the drop-in style and a vented bottle. The drop-ins are great because after feeding, parents can toss the liner and the bottle stays clean (for the most part). It doesn't really change the fact that parts still need cleaning so I can't say it's a huge time saver. However, because the liners compress as baby eats, there is less air going into baby's tummy. That is a nice feature.

The vented bottle is pleasant to use because it feels sturdy and high quality. However, there are more parts to clean and assemble and the caps fit too snug on the bottle.

When combined with the use of a bottle warmer, the experience of using both these bottles becomes flawed. I learned quickly that the smell of a heated drop-in liner is pretty nasty, even when barely warmed in the steamer. Being BPA-free, I don't have a concern about leaching chemicals, but it smells scary, so I now sit and wait for the drop-in bottle to warm in a glass of water. Because the liner doesn't press against the bottle, it is very difficult to run the bottle under the faucet to warm it. This means I sit and wait with a hungry, crying baby and definitely don't use this style for overnight feedings.

The vented bottle doesn't have a nasty odor when heated but after removing the bottle, it drips hot water for several minutes out of all the crevices around the top and vented bottom such that wrapping it in a towel while feeding has become necessary.

There is a third bottle I enjoy using - Avent. It's a basic shape but very sturdy. The ounce measurements seem to be more accurately printed on the side, and the baby doesn't fight the flow as much. Because these bottles are wide, they barely fit in the steamer but I don't have lingering drips of hot water and there are no smelly liners. I would switch to these 100% if I could but unfortunately the cost of good design is the increased retail price. In the meantime, little Penelope drinks out of three different bottles but at least that means she won't get attached to any particular style.
--------------------
I will be back to work next month and back focused on saving the world from horrible software and website experiences. Look for new blog posts (not all babycentric) coming more frequently this spring!