Without baby bottles, your child can’t take a drink. They are not old enough to be able to hold a cup, so they need special containers to drink their fluids out of. Since every baby needs them and they are always changing due to different concerns or fads, the shapes, styles, and features of bottles are hard to keep track of. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a few tricks up your sleeve when you go bottle shopping.
Glass vs. Plastic
Plastic bottles have been sold for a long time, but have recently gotten a major improvement. They are BPA-free, meaning they are made of plastic that doesn’t leech harmful chemicals as it breaks down. Plastic bottles will last a long time and will not shatter. However, plastic is constantly breaking down as you use it, so you can’t keep plastic bottles forever.
On the flip side, glass bottles have never leeched any type of chemical because they are made from a natural substance. They are also very reusable and are better for the environment than plastic. Nonetheless, glass is breakable, so you have to worry about this type of bottle breaking or becoming cracked if they are not handled properly.
It is up to you to decide what you want your bottle to be made of, and both of these materials are perfectly fine for baby, so it isn’t a huge deal.
Don’t Choose Just One
All bottles are not created equal. The type of bottle that one of your children liked may not work for your new baby. The best course of action is to look at a wide range of bottles and pick a few that you want to try. Bottles generally differ in size, shape, and the type of nipple. The nipple can either be made of latex or silicone, and the flow of the nipple can be very slow or fast, depending on how it is made.
Pick up a few bottles with different features to see which one your child likes to use. When you are comfortable that one type stands out from the others, then you can go back and get more of that type of bottle. If you get too many bottles before this time, you may end up with products that you never use.
Get a Bottle Brush
Although there are many gadgets for cleaning and warming bottles, most of them are expensive and unnecessary. One that is not is the bottle brush. It can help you get deep into the bottle, to make sure it is totally clean. All you have to do is use hot water and a mild soap to clean the bottle and then allow it to dry on the rack. You can also put many types of bottles in the dishwasher.
The Takeaway
There are dozens of types of bottles out there, but you don’t know which one your baby needs until you try them. Save your money until you are well informed, so you don’t have to stress or throw any bottles in the garbage.