Baby Bottles & Soothers

Baby Bottles with maximum drinking comfort on kidsroom.de

No matter if you are breastfeeding or bottle-feeding your little one. Holding your own child in your arms while you feed them is one of the best and most precious moments of parenthood.

If your baby gets only some or all of their meals from a bottle, you should always make sure to choose the right baby bottle: one that doesn't interfere with those peaceful moments by leaking, by creating air bubbles, or by teats that don’t respond to their sucking movements or even collapse. Choosing the right baby bottle can also help prevent colic, avoid nipple confusion and ones that control the right portion size of a meal.

Before you decide on a baby bottle, you should do a thorough research to find out what the market offers in terms of types, materials and shapes. Before you buy a baby bottle, you may ask yourself the following questions:

Do I need baby bottles at all?

Yes, the majority of all families with babies use baby bottles. If your little one is fed with formula, it is essential to use baby bottles. In addition to this, the use of baby bottles is necessary if you intend to go back to work within the first year of your baby's life, and so others need to feed your child with expressed breast milk or formula. Even if you have planned to stay at home and breastfeed only, it is not wrong to always have a baby bottle ready at hand, because this way other family members, such as dad or grandma and grandpa can bottle-feed your tiny human.

How many baby bottles do I need?

If you only feed your baby with a baby bottle, you will need about 6 to 8 bottles, so you can keep some of them ready for use while others are cleaned or being sterilised. If you only use bottles occasionally, 3 to 4 bottles are sufficient.

What kinds of baby bottles are there on the market?

Standard bottles: These simple and convenient bottles are suitable for most babies.

Bottles with an angled neck: So-called angle-neck bottles are bent at the neck of the bottle to prevent air from getting into the teat. This makes feeding easier and helps prevent colic. However, the angled shape can make cleaning difficult.

Wide-neck bottles: These bottles feature a wide neck, which means that the teat is also wider. These bottles are ideal for babies who frequently switch from being breastfed to being bottle-fed and ensure a pleasant nursing experience. A baby bottle with a wide neck also makes cleaning easier.

Bottles with anti-colic teats: Baby bottles, such as the NUK First Choice+ Glass Baby Bottle with an anti-colic silicone teat, are particularly popular because they feature the so-called anti-colic air system. This was developed to prevent colic and to give the baby a natural drinking sensation.

Special-Needs bottles: Special-Needs bottles were developed for babies who cannot create a vacuum due to medical issues such as a cleft lip or palate. These bottles have special valves that prevent air from entering the teat and regulate the milk flow.

Most bottle brands offer different teat sizes, each of which offers a different flow of milk. They are available in sizes 1 (0 - 6 months) and 2 (6 - 18 months) as well as in hole sizes S (extra fine holes/ suitable for breast milk), M (medium-size holes / suitable for formula) and L (extra-large holes/ suitable for pureed foods).

Regarding the bottle size, you can choose whether you want to buy a few smaller and larger bottles or whether you only want to buy large bottles right from the beginning and only fill them halfway with milk in the first months. The drinking amount per meal is between 50 and 60 ml for newborns and between 180 and 250 ml for babies around the age of six months. Bottle sizes common on the market are 125 ml, 260 ml and 330 ml.

What material are baby bottles made of?

Most baby bottles are made of plastic, glass, stainless steel or silicone. Every material has its advantages and disadvantages. Which of the baby bottles are the most suitable, depends on your baby, your lifestyle and the intended use.

Plastic: Polypropylene, the hard plastic that is typical for bottles, is light and unbreakable, but can wear out faster. After health concerns regarding plastics were brought to light, plastic bottles must now be free of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Plastic is more ephemeral than stainless steel or glass and should be cleaned carefully to avoid scratches. Plastic bottles should also be replaced with new ones every few months.

Stainless steel: These bottles are slim, sturdy and often with insulating properties to keep the milk at your baby's preferred drinking temperature. Stainless steel bottles are preferred by parents who want a more durable option. They can be more expensive than plastic or glass bottles, but do not need to be replaced as often.

Glass: Baby bottles made of glass are heat and impact resistant and are often also supplied with silicone cases that serve as an additional protective layer. The Philips AVENT Natural 2.0 glass bottles are particularly popular.

When deciding which baby bottle you wish to purchase, it is quite difficult to predict which bottle type with which teat your baby prefers. We therefore recommend first buying a starter kit from one brand, such as the NUK Nature Sense Perfect Start Set, or putting together a sample box with bottles from different manufacturers and then testing which bottle your baby likes best.

Soothers – the best dummies for your baby

Dummy, paci or binkie – there are many names for soother. For most parents, it is a total lifesaver in many everyday situations with their tiny human. However, it is quite difficult to know in advance which soother your baby will prefer. That is why, it is advisable not to tie yourself down to a particular model before giving birth, but rather to wait until your baby has arrived and then test which model will win the race.

Here are some quick tips:

• Soothers are relatively cheap compared to other baby equipment.
• Since 1999, all soothers on the market have had to be BPA-free – even without the label "BPA-free" on the packaging. In addition to this, BPA is not normally found in latex and silicone, the two most common materials that soothers are made of.
• Regardless of what you may have heard, there is no evidence that soothers can cause nipple confusion or interfere with breastfeeding. Introducing your baby to a soother can even have advantages.
• Prolonged use of soothers can lead to orthodontic misalignments and dental issues in young children. It is therefore advisable to wean your little off the soother at the age of 2 or 3 years.

How many parts does a soother have?

A traditional soother consists of three parts: sucking part/ teat, guard and ring. In addition to this, nowadays there are also many soothers that are made from a single piece of moulded silicone or natural rubber.

The teat of a soother is made of silicone or latex. The teats are available either in a round cherry-like shape or in a slanted, orthodontic variant that adapts optimally to your child's mouth.

The guard ensures that the teat is not sucked into the mouth and thus prevents the risk of suffocation. It is important that the guard has small ventilation holes on each side. This prevents saliva from collecting between the inside of the guard and the skin, which can cause irritation or rashes. There are now soothers, such as the NUK Space Soother that come with a guard that has particularly large openings and which are therefore particularly pleasant for your baby’s skin.

The ring acts as a handle so you can easily take the soother out of your baby's mouth. With the ring, the soother can also be attached to a soother chain so that it does not fall down or gets lost.

What materials are soothers made of?

Most teats are made of silicone or latex. Silicone is used more often for the teats than latex and is almost always dishwasher safe, unless otherwise stated on the packaging. It is more durable and odourless. Latex, which is softer and more flexible than silicone, wears out faster, is not odourless and has to be cleaned by hand. Please note that some infants are allergic to latex. So, if you suspect that your baby has a latex allergy, you should avoid such a soother. In addition to the soothers made of latex and silicone, there are also special one-piece soothers made of thick, robust natural rubber, such as the Grünspecht Organic Soother made of natural rubber. These are usually a little more expensive than soothers made of silicone or latex. Some babies like the texture of this material very much, while others prefer the more flexible latex or silicone teats.

What soother sizes are there?

Soothers are sold depending on age and size: small (6 months or younger), medium (6 to 18 months) and large (18 months or older). The sizes of the individual brands vary depending on the material and shape. Therefore, you should always choose a soother that matches the age of your child. A soother that is too big or too small for your little one’s mouth may not calm them down and, in addition to orthodontic problems, can also pose a safety risk. When your baby grows, it is important to move on to a bigger soother.

What is an orthodontic soother?

A catchphrase that you will often find on soother packaging is "orthodontic shape". This means that your baby's upper and lower jaws are in the correct position when the soother is in the mouth, so that the growth and development of the jaw is not affected. When purchasing a soother, you should make sure that the soother has the right size for your child.

Find the right baby bottles and soothers on kidsroom.de

No matter if you are looking for a baby bottle or the perfect soother for your baby, you are definitely at the right place here on kidsroom.de. In our online store, you will also find what you are looking for when it comes to accessories. In our shop we have everything you need from bottle warmers, to insulated bags and drying racks, to bottle brushes or soother chains – that way, you are well equipped for every occasion. If you are unsure about what product to buy, our experts will be happy to help you decide on the phone or via email.

Your team at kidsroom.de