Breastfeeding Bottles

Bottles designed to ease the transition from breast to bottle

More working moms mean more breastfed babies are drinking breastmilk from a bottle. As a mom who wants to have that experience, it's important to try and avoid nipple confusion ‑ when a baby forgets how to nurse properly from the breast. While some parents have found that standard bottles work fine, others turn to bottles that are designed specifically to closely mimic the experience of breastfeeding. To mimic breastfeeding, some bottle manufacturers have come up with nipples designed to allow babies to control the flow of milk, while others focus on the shape of the bottle or nipple.

The Adiri Natural Nurser (*Est. $10 for one 8-oz. bottle) is designed to make a baby's bottle-feeding experience as close as possible to breastfeeding. The Natural Nurser isn't shaped like a traditional bottle, and it doesn't have a standard nipple. Instead, it has a large round top with an integrated nipple made of a soft thermoplastic elastomer called P-Flex. The cover, core and cap are made of a non-BPA polypropylene copolymer. ZRecommends.com names the Adiri Natural Nurser a top pick because of its completely BPA-free construction, and StyleBakeryMom.com picks the Adiri Natural Nurser as the best bottle to mimic breastfeeding. Parents.com says the Adiri Natural Nurser is easy to use once you get the hang of it, and editors also note that the venting system works well for allowing air to flow into the bottle instead of baby's tummy. LilSugar.com also selects Adiri as one of the five best baby bottles, noting that the shape of the bottle and nipple encourage open-mouth latching, which is more similar to breastfeeding than most other bottles.

Because nipples are integrated into the Adiri Natural Nurser, parents will have to purchase additional bottles in order to switch between flow rates. Adiri Nursers come in three flow speeds: slow, medium and fast. Parent feedback is mixed for the Adiri Natural Nurser, with more than 160 reviewers posting to Amazon.com contributing to average ratings between 3 and 3.5 stars out of 5 (reviews are separated among flow speeds and color rather than being lumped together). Feedback on Diapers.com is similar, with nearly 60 reviewers contributing to an average rating of 3 stars out of 5. The most common complaints are leakage and poor durability. Some users on BabyGadget.com said that the flow was too quick for their breastfed baby, who choked as a result, and the short nipple was difficult for their infant to latch on. Some parents also dislike that the Natural Nurser has to be turned upside down for filling, meaning that milk or formula can spill out if the cap isn't on just right. Despite a few logistical issues, several reviewers say that with a little practice, the Adiri is a breeze to use, and the majority of reviewers say the Adiri Natural Nurser is the only bottle their breastfed babies would take.

Although The First Years Breastflow baby bottle (*Est. $6 for one 9-oz. bottle) is shaped like a standard nurser, it has the advantage of an unusual and highly rated nipple design. The double nipple system consists of a soft outer nipple and firm inner nipple. This combination is supposed to make the baby compress and suck in a way that mimics breastfeeding and allows the baby to control the flow of milk. The Breastflow bottle is marketed to nursing moms who want to switch between bottle and breast without risking nipple confusion, and to moms whose babies are reluctant to take a bottle after a period of exclusive breastfeeding.

The First Years Breastflow bottles get marginally better feedback from consumers than the Adiri Natural Nurser, with an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com, based on about 200 reviews combined between various sizes and multi-packs. Nearly 165 parents posting to ToysRUs.com also contribute to an average rating of 4 stars out of 5. Like the Adiri, there are several complaints of leaks, primarily due to milk becoming trapped in between the two nipples and eventually leaking out around the cap. MomFinds.com also recommends the Adiri Natural Nurser for transitioning between breast and bottle, but this review also points out a few complaints. For one, The First Years Breastflow bottles have a lot of parts, which makes cleaning cumbersome. In addition to mentioning the leakage problem common on other review sites, MomFinds.com also says that some parents complain about the venting system being inadequate to prevent babies from ingesting air. That said, many parents say The First Years Breastflow bottles are a good choice for breastfed infants.

The Medela Breastmilk Feeding and Storage Set (*Est. $17) is really just a standard baby bottle designed to fit directly onto a Medela breast pump. The idea is that you can attach the bottle, pump directly into it, and then use it to store expressed milk until you need it. Medela bottles are made from polypropylene and are BPA-free. Parents say they're durable, high quality and easy to use and clean. Reviews on Amazon.com and ToysRUs.com are mostly positive, with most parents appreciating this convenient storage feature. The Medela Breastmilk Feeding and Storage Set has an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 on both sites, based on nearly 80 and more than 70 reviews, respectively.

Parents reviewing this product are, for the most part, using it in conjunction with a Medela breast pump, and the consensus is that the overall system works well for pumping, freezing, storing and feeding. The most common complaint is leakage, although some moms say this isn't a problem if you plan to only use the bottles for expressing and storing breast milk. A few parents complain about the nipples, although the nipple rings are designed to work with most brands of nipples for easy interchangeability. Another issue for some parents is that the Medela bottles lack vents, meaning they may not be the best choice for colic-prone babies. While only Medela bottles are specifically made to fit Medela pumps, some moms and dads note that other models, including the Evenflo Classic Glass Nurser, work well too.