How Many Baby Bottles Should You Register For

A Handy Guide For New Moms: How Many Baby Bottles Practice I Need?

Updated on 21 December 2021 • x infinitesimal read
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Overview

For many new parents , preparing for your baby's inflow tin both be exciting and overwhelming. You might have a lot of questions almost all the baby products you'll need.

Yous'll have to make decisions on whether yous'll breastfeed or bottle-feed your infant. Yous'll also have to make up one's mind which breast pumps to become from insurance, what cribs and mattresses y'all'll purchase for the nursery, etc.

Whether you've decided on chest milk or formula for your footling one , you might find yourself asking, " How many infant bottles do I demand? "

Keep reading to learn more virtually the number of baby bottles y'all should ready and other relevant information about canteen-feeding .

How Many Babe Bottles Do Y'all Demand A 24-hour interval?

There's actually no specific and absolute dominion well-nigh the number of bottles you should buy for your baby.

Often, this number would depend on many factors, including your babe'southward historic period and appetite, whether yous're breastfeeding or non, or if you lot need to gear up extra ones for daycare .

Here's a handy guide to the estimated number you'll need to prepare for your little one :

Two To Four Bottles

If you lot're breastfeeding and at domicile near of the time, you'll likely need just two to 4 bottles.

Yous probably won't demand these bottles unless you lot're taking your baby out or need to get out your little ane for a couple of hours.

Having some bottles on hand can also let your partner take office in feeding your babe.

3 To Six Bottles

If you programme on bottle-feeding your infant, you'll need effectually three to four bottles that yous accept to make clean multiple times a day.

You lot can also opt to purchase up to six bottles so you tin can minimize your cleaning fourth dimension considering you'll notwithstanding have some extra bottles to utilise.

Vi Or More Bottles

If you're a working mom who regularly needs to become out for several hours, information technology might be a good idea to accept more bottles.

It'south ideal to accept enough bottles to cover the entire catamenia your child is in daycare or left with a bodyguard at dwelling without needing to reuse the bottles or containers.

Depending on how often your baby drinks milk, yous might need to set one canteen for every two hours that you'll be away.

You probably need to gear up milk in at least five unlike bottles , depending on what your baby's daycare provider requires.

As your child grows older, the number of bottles needed for feeding increases at first. Merely this gradually decreases as they learn to utilize a cup or glass for drinking their milk.

Factors To Consider In Buying Baby Bottles

Did y'all know that there are many kinds of baby bottles yous can buy? In choosing the bottles, you have to think nearly what your baby needs .

The following are some of the factors you should consider in choosing baby bottles :

Types

There are several types of bottles with different designs to lucifer what your baby needs . Others were created to promote meliorate latching or easier feeding.

Simply you shouldn't experience bad if your babe doesn't like the bottle or fails to latch on rapidly. Annotation that babies might respond differently to diverse baby products .

Standard Or Classic

These babe bottles are thin and have narrow nipples. They might be ideal for preemies because the smaller nipples tin can better fit the baby's mouth .

Wide Neck

These bottles may provide better latching because the wider nipples mimic a mom's breast.

Angled-Neck Or Ergonomic

These bottles accept a curved or angled design oft touted to be an ergonomic shape, so your babe may better hold them with less effort. But some parents might find the unique blueprint more difficult to keep make clean.

Canteen Size

Practise I demand 4 oz baby bottles?

The post-obit are some of the dissimilar bottle sizes available:

iv- ounce bottles
v- ounce bottles
eight- ounce bottles
9-ounce bottles

Younger, smaller babies need less milk per feeding fourth dimension, while older babies demand more than. Then, you might like to choose the canteen size depending on how much milk the infant needs .

But many parents prefer getting the bigger sizes fifty-fifty if they'll only be half-filled with milk during the first few months. After all, babies grow rapidly within the kickoff yr. Soon, a four- ounce bottle wouldn't be plenty, and you lot'll demand to buy new bottles if you but got these smaller ones.

Others opt to buy one or ii smaller bottles for newborn babies , while the rest are larger bottles that yous can proceed using as your child grows.

Textile

For many decades, merely plastic bottles were available for babies. But parents present have more than choices:

Plastic

Although they've been used for decades, non all plastic bottles are rubber for babies.

Brand sure that if you're choosing this kind of bottle, check the label if information technology's BPA-costless . BPA (bisphenol-A) is a chemical used in manufacturing plastic products, but other much safer alternatives are now available.

Despite having other alternatives, plastic baby bottles remain the nigh popularly used because of their lower prices and ready availability.

Glass

They're heavier than plastic bottles and could shatter. Yet, some parents prefer drinking glass bottles considering they're safe from BPA and other harmful chemicals used in plastic products. They may also last longer than plastics.

Only glass bottles are also more than expensive and might not exist as easy to notice. If you plan on buying some, it'south a good thought to pick silicone sleeves to brand them safer for your baby.

Stainless Steel

These bottles are lightweight, unbreakable, and BPA-free . They could be the best choice for your babe. Only stainless steel bottles aren't piece of cake to discover and are too expensive.

Because many parents believe that it'southward more hygienic to replace baby bottles afterwards several months of use, they might prefer other cheaper options.

Silicone

Just like the stainless steel bottles , silicone ones are also BPA-complimentary , unbreakable, and lightweight. They may as well be safer options compared to plastic bottles .

Just they're also expensive and harder to observe than plastic ones.

Special Features

In choosing the bottles, yous might too consider these special features:

Venting Systems

Some babies are more than prone to colic, gassiness, and spit-upwards .

Y'all might consider getting babe bottles with special venting systems that foreclose your infant from ingesting air bubbles .

Bated from the ones with venting systems , y'all can also find anti-colic bottles with peculiarly designed nipples.

With Dispensable Inserts

Some bottles are designed for use with dispensable driblet-in liners or inserts that you can fill with babe formula or breastmilk .

These liners are intended for unmarried use only, simply they're handy when you're on the go and can't make clean the bottles immediately.

Factors To Consider In Choosing Baby Bottle Nipples

Bated from deciding how many and what kinds of bottles you'll demand to purchase, you'll also have to choose different baby bottle nipples .

These are the factors that you lot should consider in picking the right one to match your infant bottle and run across your baby's needs:

Nipple Styles

Standard Seedling Type

These standard nipples are narrow and bell-shaped. They're designed for narrow or classic bottles.

Because they're narrow, these nipples might also take a slower milk flow than wider ones.

Note that these nipples might make your babe more than prone to colic problems, spit-up , and gassiness.

Naturally Shaped Nipples For Wide-Neck Bottles

These products could promote better latching and feeding because they're designed to mimic the natural shape of a mom's nipples and breasts.

They're also wider than standard nipples and can't fit archetype bottles merely piece of work well with wide-neck bottles.

Because of their natural design, these nipples are preferred if yous're also breastfeeding . Using them might help your baby avert nipple defoliation, something that could happen when switching between breastfeeding and canteen-feeding .

Orthodontic

These nipples don't have a dome shape at the tip similar other nipple designs. Instead, one-half of the tip is flat and slopes at an angle from the half-dome portion.

Your pediatrician might recommend this type of nipple when your baby starts teething. Information technology stretches when your baby starts feeding.

Note that because of its asymmetrical tip, this nipple needs to be positioned properly to preclude leakage.

Expandable Nipple

These special nipples are designed to elongate as your baby feeds, only simply if your infant sucks hard to describe the nipple farther in and opens his mouth wider.

While these nipples may promote better feeding, you lot should avoid using them if you lot're breastfeeding . Your babe might develop lazy latch-on habits and refuse to feed on your breast.

Nipple Sizes & Period Rate

It's important to ensure that the nipples you buy will fit the infant bottles you lot already have.

It might be easier to simply pick a nipple from the same brand every bit the babe bottle when looking for boosted or replacement parts.

Make sure to double-check the size so that yous know you're buying the nipple that fits the bottle, whether it'south narrow or wide-neck .

Aside from the size, y'all should likewise check for the flow rate . Different brands might use dissimilar codes, but most will indicate the period charge per unit and the recommended age.

The number indicates the hole on the nipple (for example, size one has one hole while size 2 has two holes).

Information technology may exist safer to beginning with the lower numbers, and so gradually increase the catamenia charge per unit or size equally your baby grows.

Annotation that you'll probable exist replacing nipples more you'll exist getting new bottles.

Many babies tend to seize with teeth on the nipples and create bigger holes, especially when they're teething. Make certain to supercede these damaged nipples to forbid leaks and accidents.

Newborn Nipples

Best for newborn babies , these nipples are often in size ane.

Simply y'all can too get the boring period size zero for preemies or newborn babies who might have difficulty handling the faster size ane.

Slow Flow Nipples

Typically, the nipples for younger babies are ho-hum flow and have two or three holes (sizes 2 and three). These may be all-time suited for babies who are 3 to six months old.

Some brands also use "medium flow." If you're unsure, check the holes at the tip of the nipples.

Fast Flow Nipples

As your babe grows, in that location'll be an increased demand for milk. Y'all might discover that your baby might exist feeling frustrated during feeding time because the milk flow is at present too slow for him.

You can start using size 3 or four when your baby is around five or six months one-time.

Some brands offer size five nipples or simply label them every bit "fast flow."

These fast menses nipples are also useful if your pediatrician recommends adding more than formula to thicken your baby's milk.

Most pediatricians volition also recommend introducing your baby to sippy cups and gradually learning to potable from a regular cup later their kickoff birthday.

Materials

Latex

Nipples fabricated from latex may be softer, more flexible, and cheaper than silicone , but they also tend to rip easily. These nipples aren't durable, and some babies might too be allergic to the latex material.

Withal, many parents still adopt the softer latex. That's fine, but make sure y'all're buying BPA-gratuitous nipples.

You might consider also these disadvantages when choosing latex nipples:

They have amber or dark yellow color, which some parents might detect unpleasant.
Latex tends to retain odors and could be displeasing, particularly if the nipples previously had spoiled milk.
The material might deteriorate faster with exposure to direct sunlight or heat.
The nipple could develop a glutinous coating as the latex begins to break down within effectually ii months of apply.

Silicone

Nipples made from silicone are typically harder than latex and could make breastfed babies more prone to nipple confusion.

Silicone nipples are likewise more expensive than latex. But because they're more durable, many parents still prefer to buy them, especially for formula-fed babies .

Special Features

Anti-Colic Nipples

Aside from regular nipples, you lot might too consider anti-colic nipples.

Designs vary across brands, but these nipples typically have special valves that flex to your baby's feeding rhythm. This mechanism can brand feeding more comfy for your baby and too reduce air bubbles .

Disposable Nipples

Sometimes, information technology might be hard to clean and sterilize your baby bottles when you lot're on the go or taking a long trip with your baby.

Dispensable nipples might not have the best design, but these typically inexpensive items can assistance yous during these times.

Y'all tin can just discard them afterwards each use.

While these disposable nipples can be useful during trips and emergencies, some parents may still want to avoid them for their negative environmental bear upon.

Other Must-Haves For Babe Bottle-Feeding

The following must-haves tin help make bottle-feeding more efficient and hassle-free:

Tote bag
Bottle warmer
Cleaning materials ( bottle brush , etc.)
Sterilizer
Bottle drying rack
Dishwasher basket
Silicone sleeves for glass bottles

Safety Tips In Bottle-Feeding & Buying Babe Bottles

Have annotation of these safety considerations for bottle-fed babies:

Ever check for product recalls before buying whatever baby products , particularly bottles and nipples that straight touch on your infant's oral fissure and skin.
Make sure to choose BPA-free bottles if you're planning to buy plastic ones.
Never estrus plastic bottles in the microwave or put them in the dishwasher. Doing then could release harmful chemicals that your infant might ingest.
Regularly cheque bottles and nipples for cracks and damages that might pose a choking hazard to your baby. These cracks tin can also harbor bacteria and cause leakage.
Brand sure y'all're merely using clean water, bottles, and nipples when preparing your infant's milk.
Follow your pediatrician 's recommendations and make certain to consult them if your baby is having feeding issues.
Subsequently each feeding session, don't forget to burp your little ane .

Bottle-Feeding FAQS

How Often Should I Feed My Infant?

In general, most newborn babies feed every two to three hours. The frequency changes to effectually iii to iv hours every bit they grow older, and their tummies can hold more than milk.

If your baby has weight issues, your pediatrician might recommend more frequent feedings until the desired weight is achieved.

Note that there'due south no specific time range for feeding. Only you can as well feed on demand.

You can feed your infant when you notice tell-tale signs of hunger, such as nuzzling confronting your breasts, crying, or moving their tongues and lips as if they're suckling.

How Many 8 Oz Bottles Does A Baby Need?

Babies may accept different appetites and milk needs, but these are the typical corporeality they'll need, depending on historic period:

Newborn babies : 1.5 to 3 oz every two to 3 hours
Two to four months: four to 5 oz every iii to four hours
Four to six months: iv to 6 oz every three to six hours
Half-dozen months and above: 6 to 8 oz every 4 to six hours

How Long Should A Canteen-Feeding Take?

Again, this largely depends on your baby. Only bottle-feeding typically takes around 15 to 20 minutes.

Other moms opt to stop every ounce to burp their babies. It could increment the average feeding fourth dimension to effectually 45 minutes to one hr but tin can help avert spit-up.

How Long Does A Baby Bottle Concluding?

As a full general rule, an unused bottle of milk can last for one hr to 90 minutes at room temperature. Just y'all should discard leftovers from a bottle about an hour later on your baby starts feeding on it.

It might be tempting to put the bottle in the fridge to reuse the formula, but at that place'south a risk of bacterial contamination.

If in dubiety over how long the canteen has been in your fridge, throw information technology out.

It's better to but brand a fresh batch with a sanitized bottle than effort to save a couple of dollars, only for your baby to go sick from the spoiled or contaminated milk.

How Oftentimes Should You Purchase New Bottles For Baby?

It may exist ideal to supervene upon your baby's bottles every four to six months.

When Should I Switch From Slow Flow To Fast Flow Nipples?

Information technology's a skilful thought to follow the manufacturer's recommendation on the package. If your baby appears frustrated because the milk flow might be likewise slow, you tin can switch to a fast flow nipple ahead of the recommended schedule.

But make sure to cheque whether your babe can handle the faster menses if you had just switched from a slow flow nipple .

Recommendations For The Best Babe Bottles

Philips AVENT Natural Baby Bottles (All-time for Preemies )
Philips Avent Natural Glass Bottles
MAM Anti-Colic Bottles
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottles
Dr. Brown's Natural Menstruation Original Baby Bottle
Playtex BabyNurser Bottles with Driblet-Ins Liners
Comotomo Infant Bottles (Best Anti-Colic Bottle )
Nuk Simply Natural Bottles
Medela Breast Milk Bottles
L.A. Baby Ultimate Stainless Steel Bottles
Haakaa Silicone Bottles

Other Breastfeeding Essentials

Breast Pumps From Aeroflow Healthcare
Natural Curve Nursing Pillow
BabyCubby Multi-Use Nursing Cover
Boob-ease Organic Soothing Therapy Pillows