Dee Kassing's Recommendations for Bottle Nipples

I don't recommend the Dr. Brown bottle, even though one of the nipples they make does have the right shape. A number of parents have been reporting that their babies spit up a lot after feeding with this brand's slow-flow nipple. I can't explain it, but nonetheless that's what I am hearing. The nipple is firmer than the cheaper brands, so has more potential to mis-shape the palate. Also, the internal vent system in the bottle that is supposed to keep air out of the baby, and hence cut colic, requires you to lean the baby back for feedings so it can work correctly (at least that's what it stated in its directions when I last read them). When young babies are not sitting upright, there is more tendency for their tongue to fall back toward their throat, where it doesn't belong. And if you try to take the long vent out of the bottle, so that the bottle can be held horizontally, the milk leaks all over the place.

Where I live, the brands that have the shape and slow flow that I prefer are Evenflo, Gerber, and Parents Choice. These are the brands available right now. Brands and styles change from time to time, so may be different by the time you read this. And the brands that are available where I live may not be the brands that are available where you live. I really don't care what brand as long as baby can sit upright for feedings, the nipple is a slow-flow, and the nipple has a narrow base--about 1 inch in diameter--that tapers to a long, straight shaft that's round on the end. Not orthodontic, not short and stubby, and doesn't have a wide base like Avent or look like a miniature breast (because silicone doesn't stretch in the mouth the way flesh does).

Updated Sept. 27, 2007

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