Which Bottle Nipples are Best for Breastfeeding?

Recently a question came in from an expectant mama as to whether the Avent bottles were best for breastfeeding.      

In years past, I recommended Avent bottles more often than not.  Today, with design changes to Avent and other great choices on the market, I thought I would help this mother and others with information on choosing the right bottle for your baby with today's blog.

Nipple Confusion and Flow Preference

First, let me say that introducing a bottle before six weeks can be problematic.  It is essential that your baby learn to latch well and nurse from the breast frequently during not only the learning period but also during the three week and six week growth spurt phase so that mom's milk supply can be stimulated by the increased suckling during those time periods.  Infant's nurse differently from a bottle which is why the term nipple confusion is prevalent.  When nursing from the breast, the baby uses a wave motion to draw the nipple into the mouth, but when using a bottle the baby traps the bottle nipple in the roof of the mouth or thrusts the tonged toward the bottle nipple opening to control the overwhelming flow from the bottle. In addition, feeding from a bottle gives the infant immediate gratification whereas the infant must suck for approximately 30-60 seconds from the breast to achieve let-down. As human beings, we tend to prefer immediate gratification even thought this is not best for the infant.  Suckling at the breast aids in tooth and jaw development in addition to many other benefits. If there is a medical need to supplement prior to the six week mark, a feeding syringe is best to avoid preference of a faster flow.  See our blog post on syringe feeding.

Introducing a Bottle

Once the infant has passed the six week growth spurt and you are ready to introduce a bottle, the type of bottle nipple used can make for a smoother transition from breast to bottle and vice versa.  I always recommend silicone slow flow nipples with a large area for the baby to latch.  See image below for an example of this type of bottle nipple.  

Shallow or narrow nipples do not allow for the infant to flare out or rosebud their lips like they do on the breast. Or at least not onto a soft are but only only onto hard plastic.  This shallow nipple discourages infants to take enough of the nipple into their mouths.  This behavior can transfer to breastfeeding causing the infant to only take moms nipple and not at least the recommended inch of the areola into their mouth.  If this shallow latch happens on the breast, it causes nipple pain in mom and poor milk transfer for the infant.  The milk transfer is not well achieved unless the infant latches onto the areola where the breastmilk pools in the milk sinuses.  Pacifiers with this breast-like shape are also recommended such as the Ninni Co Pacifier.

Below are some links to bottles and nipples that meet the criteria for the infant to latch well onto the bottle and back onto the breast:

Spectra Bottles with Nipples

Motif Luna Bottles and Motif Luna Nipples

Many experts believe that in addition to a wider base, a graduated sloped shape is recommended such as the Evenflo Balance Nipples as optimal for infants.  

Nipple Flow

In addition, breast fed babies feed more efficiently due to their increase in jaw development so there is no need for a higher volume flow when purchasing nipples.  You only need to purchase slow flow or newborn nipples in most cases unless your baby has suck difficulty or tongue tie, etc.  Bottle companies often put an age range on nipples to encourage moms to purchase more from the company, but you only need to replace nipples when they yellow or if they drip too quickly. If you baby needs an even slower flow, the Pigeon Super Slow Flow can be very beneficial and it is compatible with Spectra, Motif and Lansinoh wide-mouth bottles as well as the Evenflo Balance + GLASS bottle.

Pigeon Nipples

Best wishes as you prepare for baby!

Tanya