Having a baby brings a huge change into someone’s life. It is accompanied by a lot of joy but also a lot of anxiety. The best thing to ease any negative emotions is to be ready for the coming of the baby. A lot of preparation needs to be done to welcome this new human into your home. Babies are very sensitive and have different needs compared to older children and grown-ups.
Once a baby comes out into this world, it is separated from the mother and can no longer gain nourishment via the umbilical cord. The mother will need to feed the newborn with milk flowing via her mammary glands. However, this is not always the case. If the mother can not express breast milk, then a baby feeding bottle is required, but not just any feeding bottle will do.
Types of feeding bottles
There are several types of baby bottles, and they can be categorized into material, make, and purpose. Here are the different types of bottle materials:
Glass
Baby feeding bottles made of glass have been around since the 1st century AD. Glass bottles are heavier in contrast to their plastic counterparts. However, glass bottles are easy to clean and are the safest feeding bottle as glass does not have harmful chemicals.
The biggest downside to glass feeding bottles is that they break and must be handled with extra care. A small nick or pit in the glass bottle can spell trouble. You do not want your baby to ingest even the smallest broken glass.
Plastic
Plastic baby feeding bottles are the most common type of feeding bottle and are available everywhere. The advantage of this material is that it is virtually unbreakable and lightweight compared to its glass counterpart. Plastic bottles are also cheaper in general than glass-made ones.
The problem with plastic bottles is that they may contain harmful chemicals, and these chemicals can affect your baby’s health and development. Scratches on the plastic, especially the inside of the feeding bottle, may also be areas of growth for bacteria and germs. Plastic bottles can also develop a haze from all the use, sterilizing, and cleaning.
Stainless Steel
The newcomer in the baby feeding bottle market, feeding bottles made out of stainless steel, offer excellent value with the combined characteristics of glass and plastic-made feeding bottles. Stainless steel feeding bottles are easy to clean and sterilize and are unbreakable, though they may dent after a significant drop.
One thing you have to pay close attention to when purchasing stainless steel baby feeding bottles is the grade. If made from the right grade, you are assured that stainless steel feeding bottles are free from getting rusty.
Anti-colic baby feeding bottles are designed to reduce or eliminate the air the baby can ingest and the milk it drinks. There are also special purpose baby feeding bottles such as those labeled as anti-colic. The buildup of gas in a baby’s stomach can cause pain, and the baby ends up crying.
Things to Consider Before the Purchase
Before you purchase feeding bottles, you have to take into consideration the age of your baby. A newborn baby will need a baby feeding bottle designed to handle the amount of milk and flow that a newborn can take. Bigger, older children will require bottles with larger capacity and nipples with flow levels that are appropriate to their feeding needs.
The quantity of feeding bottles you purchase is also a point of consideration. You should purchase ample feeding bottles so you won’t have to worry about running out of fresh bottles.
Price-wise there are plenty of feeding bottles for every budget. So you do not have to worry about the cost of owning some feeding bottles. Whichever type of baby bottle you choose, you should purchase the best that you can afford for your baby.
Conclusion
As a parent, you have to be cautious in picking what equipment your baby will use. Feeding bottles are no exception. You have to make sure that you choose the right feeding bottle for your baby.
Do your own research and only purchase from a reputable store. There are plenty of counterfeit baby bottles circulating in the market. They may be cheaper but do not have the same level of quality as the real ones. What is worse is that the fake ones may be made of inferior materials laden with harmful chemicals, which can negatively affect your child’s growth or cause health issues in the future.
And remember, whichever type of feeding bottle you choose, you need to buy the appropriate cleaning and sterilizing tools to keep your bottles clean and ready for the next use. Keeping your baby healthy and happy is the number one priority.
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