Consider using a teat that is more suited to paced bottle feeding. This means it will hold enough milk when held in a horizontal position, rather than have to be tipped up so your baby can access the milk.

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. Step 1: Assemble clean bottle parts as follows: base with silicone valve, teat with screw ring, bottle body and protective cap.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? 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. 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 Being an essential part of the bottle, the teat is important for the growth of the baby and - if the correct flow speed is selected will ensure that babies are aided in their development. The mouthpiece and shape have been developed alongside medical experts with your baby's healthy growth in mind. The oval shape is modelled on a mother’s nipple during breastfeeding and the teat has been adapted for the low viscosity of breast milk. With newborns, especially premature babies, the teat flow rate can actually be faster than your infant can tolerate. If your baby is exhibiting any of these signs while eating, you may want to try a slower flow (lower level) teat:

Allow bottle to cool down before removing from microwave. Recommended cooling time: 10 minutes at opened microwave door. 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.

What size bottle will my baby need?

NHS (2021) Bottle feeding Advice. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/advice/ [Accessed 6 December 2021] 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. Perfect from newborn, our baby bottles help parents build a bond with their baby when bottle-feeding. Safety is our number one priority for your family, and our bottles are easy to assemble, leak-proof, shatterproof, are BPA and BPS free and are manufactured in the EU. Kellymom (2020) How to bottle feed the breastfed baby. Available at https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/ [Accessed 6 December 2021]

Comfort for your baby is vital, and our baby feeding bottles feature the MAM SkinSoft teat, which has a 94% acceptance rate*. Bottles come in two sizes, small ones which hold 150mls (5 fl oz) and large ones which hold 250ml (9 fl oz). For the first few weeks, newborns feed little and often because their stomachs are so small (Unicef, 2019). The smaller bottles are more suitable for this period. Babies who feed from larger bottles consume more milk, which may lead to overfeeding (Wood et al, 2016). Wood, C. T., Skinner, A. C., Yin, H. S., Rothman, R. L., Sanders, L. M., Delamater, A., Ravanbakht, S. N., & Perrin, E. M. (2016). Association Between Bottle Size and Formula Intake in 2-Month-Old Infants. Academic pediatrics, 16(3), 254–259. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2015.08.001 [Accessed 3 December 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). Before sterilising, all bottles and teats need to be washed, either by hand or in the dishwasher (NHS, 2018). If washing by hand, you will need a separate brush for cleaning bottles and teats (NHS, 2019b). When should I throw away my baby’s bottle?

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NHS (2019b) Sterilising Baby Bottles, Available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/sterilising-baby-bottles/ [Accessed 3 December 2021] You might find attending one of our NCT New Baby groups helpful as they give you the opportunity to explore different approaches to important parenting issues with a qualified group leader and other new parents in your area. Our self-sterilising anti-colic baby feeding bottles are multi-award winning, including the Loved By Parents (LPB) Platinum Award 2020, Mother & Baby Awards 2020 and Made for Mums Silver Award in 2019. MAM baby bottles feature an innovative vented base for an even drinking flow, so your baby isn’t swallowing air. This can reduce colic in 80% of cases.

As a baby’s feeding develops and they are taking a longer time feeding from a Level 3 teat, many parents choose to move up to a Level 4 teat. 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

Our support line offers practical and emotional support in many areas of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood: 0300 330 0700. Slow flow is generally preferable for newborns, while you’re both learning how to feed. If the flow rate is too fast it makes paced feeding more difficult. In which case babies would have very little control over how they feed: milk would flow into their mouth faster than they can swallow it. This might make your baby cough or splutter, or struggle to keep up with the flow of milk so it dribbles to the side of their mouth. This could also mean they feel upset, get indigestion and bring up lots of milk. Whether you're looking for an anti-colic baby bottle, a self-sterilising baby bottle, or an environmentally-friendly glass bottle for bottle feeding - the range comes in sizes from 130ml (4.5fl/oz) right up to 330ml (11/fl/oz) with suitable slow to fast flow teats and accessories are available.