Our support line offers practical and emotional support in many areas of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood: 0300 330 0700. If you’re planning to breastfeed it isn't necessary to buy bottles ‘just in case’. Over 90% of maternity units in the UK are now Baby Friendly Accredited, which means a midwife on the infant feeding team should be able to support you if you do have any difficulties with breastfeeding straight after birth (UNICEF 2017). They’ll help you with hand-expressing your colostrum and feeding it to your baby using a spoon, syringe or feeding cup (Unicef 2017). Find out whether your maternity unit is accredited here. MAM has very high safety requirements for baby products. They are subjected to the strictest possible standards, which are laid down in international regulations and have to be strictly followed by the manufacturers. Every MAM creation has behind it a perfect network of medical and technological expertise. Internationally renowned scientists, medical practitioners, midwives and development psychologists work alongside designers and technology specialists in the MAM studios. Together they design products which support babies in their development in the best way possible.

It’s also recommended that babies stop drinking from bottles with teats by the time they are one year old as drinking through a teat leaves the teeth coated in milk and can lead to tooth decay (NHS Choices, 2015; Oral Health Foundation, 2017). Read more about this here. If they can't control the rate of feeding, they are more likely to over-feed. Non-responsive feeding has been associated with discomfort and fussiness in the short term (NHS 2021) and linked to obesity in the longer term (Hurley, 2011; Watchmaker 2020).If you plan to use bottles occasionally, or once a day, then it might make sense to buy just one bottle and teat. The self-sterilising function of the Easy Start™ Anti-Colic is proven to be effective for killing common household germs and bacteria. This method is completely sufficient and safe. For the best results, please follow all instructions carefully and use only as directed. European Commission (2011) Bisphenol A: EU ban on baby bottles to enter into force tomorrow. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_664 [Accessed 3 December 2021]

To some babies, yes teat size matters. This is because the size and flow rate of different sized teats might not always suit your baby’s feeding habits. But it’s pretty common for a baby to be perfectly content with one teat size the whole time they’re bottle feeding, but the flow rate will need to change over time as they develop. All Tommee Tippee teats are the same size, but with different flow options. Can a faster flow teat make reflux worse?Some advantages of using these bottles are that they can be easy to fill and clean. On the other hand, they can take more space in a steriliser so you probably won’t be able to clean as many bottles at once (Which? 2019). Ready-to-feed bottles

Step 3: Place the screw ring with teat in the bottle base. Place the bottle body on it (optionally screw in slightly to avoid pouring out hot water by removing the bottle from microwave). Place the protective cap on top. Herman (2021) How you offer a bottle can be more important than what’s inside, Available at https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/breastfeeding/paced-bottle-feeding/ [Accessed 6 December 2021] Step 2: Fill the base with silicone valve with 20 ml of cool water. The protective cap makes a practical measuring cup. Scheel, C. E., Schanler, R. J., & Lau, C. (2005). Does the choice of bottle nipple affect the oral feeding performance of very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants?. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992), 94(9), 1266–1272. Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2005.tb02087.x We support all parents, however they feed their baby. If you have questions, concerns or need support, you can speak to a breastfeeding counsellor by calling our helpline on 0300 330 0700, whether you are exclusively breastfeeding or using formula milk. Breastfeeding counsellors have had extensive training, will listen without judging or criticising and will offer relevant information and suggestions. You can also find more useful articles here.You may hear that you should keep the teat full of milk to avoid swallowing air. However where the milk flow is too fast and not in your baby's control, it is more likely to cause indigestion or gas (Kellymom, 2020). Anecdotally, babies whose parents use paced feeding suffer less from gas (Herman, 2021). Teats are made from silicone or latex. Silicone is less flexible but more durable than latex, which needs to be replaced regularly (Which? 2019). Sterilising bottles is recommended for babies under a year because bacteria can easily grow in any milk remaining on the bottle or teats (Unicef, 2019). Babies are more vulnerable to these bacteria. If your maternity unit is not yet on this list, you can speak to their infant feeding lead or call the NCT infant feeding support line on 0300 330 0700. What size bottle will my baby need?

Parents who bottle feed find that they may need to move onto using larger bottles as their baby grows and milk consumption increases. Every baby is different so there isn’t a set age for when this should happen (Unicef, 2019). It’s important to follow your baby’s feeding cues and signs that they need more milk, such as finishing each feed and seeming to want more (NHS, 2015; Unicef, 2016). What type of feeding bottle is best? Kimata, H. (2004), Latex allergy in infants younger than 1 year. Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 34: 1910-1915. Available at doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.02128.x

Bottles & Cups

These bottles are shorter and fatter than the basic ones but you can put the same amount of milk in them. They usually come with silicone rather than latex teats and have a self-sealing lid. Allow bottle to cool down before removing from microwave. Recommended cooling time: 10 minutes at opened microwave door. Step 1: Assemble clean bottle parts as follows: base with silicone valve, teat with screw ring, bottle body and protective cap.