Tommee Tippee Express and Go

[Ange1369]

Hi, newbie-poster-1st-time Mum to be- here,

I'm considering investig i the tommee tippe express and go system. I've gone through the website but there are some questions i cant seem to find answers to:

1. can i push the air out of the pouches before feeding? i've heard that this can reduce colic and i can see other brands like playtex drop ins promote this
   

1. how much of the system is transferableto formula feeding? i'd like to avoid having to rebuy a whole new system should breastfeeding not work out for me
   

1. which steriliser kit should i get? i would prefer a microwave one, which - for the reasons mentioned above - will fit all the pieces should i swap to combination or formula feeding
   

1. are the pouches suitable for swapping to baby food when the time comes? i've noticed brands like Kiinde promote this, and it sounds like a practical idea for sterilised takeaway homemade good food
   

Thanks for any advice on offer!

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

I don't know the answer to your questions but I can give you some advice.

Bfing is free and so manufacturers will try to convince you that you need expensive equipment to bf, you don't.

Bfing is a new thing for both you and your LO and so you'll need a time to adjust. If Bfing is working for you, there may be no need for a pump. You may be able to express by hand or you may feel that you need a pump and get offered one by a friend. Using secondhand pumps is fine but I'd look for one with a closed system.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is wait. There's no need to buy any feeding equipment yet. If Bfing works, great, yiu can buy anything you might need as and when you do. If you decide to ff yiu can get everything you need at your local supermarket

[AlbusPercival]

Agreed. I have bf DS for 7 months. Have used pump maybe 10 times.

Wait til LO is here and see how it goes

[GreenGoblin0]

completely agree with above 2 posters- wait and see how you get on with bfing. you can also hire pumps to see if expressing works for you.

I BF dd1 for 2 years and used pump (handed down from sister) twice. I found pumping by machine difficult and time consuming and then DD wouldn't take to bottles so milk was wasted. when I went back to work and needed to express during day I found hand expressing easier.

[Ange1369]

Thank you ladies, sound advice indeed

So, this leads me into another subject, which I suppose is the main reason for my research.....

I'm REALLY looking forward to a glass of wine at Christmas (or maybe even 3 or 4 - shock, horror!!) . LO is due early September. Will that be feasible?? Nope, I'm not an alcoholic, but I I'd rather just be honest with you, and myself - being on the wagon indefinitely WILL have an impact on my efforts to BF, whether it's consciously or unconsciously. I'm much more likely to give up and crumble at the first hurdle.

I can't find any definitive, medical advice on whether alcohol affects breast milk...plenty (oh, plenty) of people have their opinions on whether it's safe to drink while CARING for a newborn, but I'd like to reserve the right to make that call for myself, in possession of hard scientific facts! Has anyone out there gone through these concerns before me??

[TeddyIsaHe]

Yes! Have your glass of wine, and don't feel guilty! I will hunt down some evidence for you that will put your mind at ease. Obviously don't go bananas and drink a vat of wine, but a glass or two is absolutely fine! And you are fine to care for your baby, you know your limits and as long as you're not falling down drunk you are capable. Honestly there is so much parental guilt you have to choose what's going to bother you the most. Sensible drinking should not be one of them, in my opinion!

[Lou573]

There won't be any medical advice on this - no one seems to want to commit. I did my research in levels in breast milk and was comfortable having one glass after a few weeks, probably not 3 or 4 but that was also to do with the fact we coslept and I had a baby who could want feeding at any time and didn't take a bottle.

[AlbusPercival]

Yes you can drink.

[FiftyShadesOfDuckEggBlue]

What I've read is that the odd glass of wine is ok. The KellyMom website is a good source of information about breastfeeding.

I'm exclusively breastfeeding my 8-month DD plus solids since 6 months. I had 4-5 drinks since she was born as I had missed it so much and I'm probably overcautious!

I had to buy a steriliser and heater for expressed breastmilk. She has 2-3 bottles per week (around 2 ounces each) when I'm out for work meetings. I have the Tommee Tippee ones, and their electric pump, but I'm not very happy with them. I guess you get what you pay for.

[Dragonfree]

FWIW I donate breast milk and am allowed "1-2 units of alcohol, once or twice a week". Given the milk goes to neonatal units, I think you're safe to have a glass of wine or two now and then.

I've also been told that the alcohol goes on / out the milk as it goes in / out your blood. So you could also time your wine correctly for added assurance.

[Ange1369]

Thanks for all the responses, sounds like I'm fairly safe then! Would still be better to be able to throw the scientific book at the people who will frown at me, but hey

@ FiftyShadesofDuckEggBlue, when you say 'you get what you pay for', are you saying that the Tommee Tippee pump is not worth the money? I'm looking at the whole system here and at about £200 it looks quite expensive to me. How much should I be looking to spend?

I was interested in this brand, as it looked like the only system that goes from breast pump, to fridge or freezer, then straight to bottle without transfers. Kiinde does a version, but it doesn't look like the bags are available in the UK. Has anyone else come up with this kind of solution?

[Rabbitykins55]

I have this and it's been a waste of money so far. I didn't read it all properly and the bags are for single use only which is annoying. I've expressed into a couple and then transferred to bottles but because we didn't get on with tommee tippee bottles due to colic. In hindsight I would have just got a job lot of bags that go in the freezer and transfer to a bottle as needed. Hope this helps.

[Rabbitykins55]

Sorry I should have added I use a Medela swing pump.

[Wreckingball25]

I bought mine when I was expecting, too and definitely haven't got my money's worth. It'd be good if you were planning on expressing a lot but I found expressing the worst of both worlds, all the faff of bottles with having to pump, too!

It's not transferable to formula (my little girl is seven months now and moving to mixed feeding).

My sister and best friend both told me to wait and see if I needed it and I ignored them oh well.

[Ange1369]

Interesting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

You've certainly helped me out here. I was this close to buying the whole thing!

[n0rtherrn]

Alcohol consumption advice is usually about the parents ability to care for the baby safely rather than it affecting your milk. A few glasses won't affect your milk!

Enjoy!

[Dragonfree]

Not sure if you're still thinking of expressing or not, that is one area I can definitely offer advice on. I didn't answer earlier as I couldn't answer any of your original questions.

I use a SpeCtra which was around £100 from Amazon. It's a bit of faff transferring, but it's honestly not all that bad. I also use a mini spatula which came from lakeland to make sure all the milk is out, especially useful if they've been in the fridge.

All the kit goes into a microwave steriliser and they're much of a muchness. A nice large one is Avent, but you must also have a large microwave (obviously, but I was nearly caught out!).

I've tried all the different storage bags available and my favourite are Boots. Secure, reliable, don't knock over easily and user friendly.

[LittlePear91]

OP, there is someone called Dr Jack Newman who has published research on drinking alcohol whilst breastfeeding. I don't know how to link you to the article but it's on his Facebook page and will also come up if you search on Google.

I often enjoy a couple of glasses of wine if we go out for food, but obviously stay within what I feel comfortable with so I'm still able to safely look after DD (4 months old and EBF). I think the biggest rule is to not co-sleep if you've had anything to drink. But other than that you're pretty much good to have a couple!

[Ange1369]

That is exactly what i'm after. I found the article straight away

en-gb.facebook.com/DrJackNewman/posts/422431411241244

I have a nerdy husband, who will only listen to 'the science' - that should do it!

Thanks very much Littlepear

[Ange1369]

Also, thank you Dragon Free. It looks like there's going to be some sort of transferring involved somewhere along the line, unless I go for this Tommee Tippee thing. So be it! Then yes, I will definitely take your advice on Boots bags and try them out when I get to that stage

I still feel it's a shame something like Kiinde isn't widely available in the UK. it looks great and you can transfer to formula and then even on to food

[FiftyShadesOfDuckEggBlue]

Ange1369 Sorry, I meant to reply earlier. I only have the Tommee Tippee electric breast pump, not the full kit. I only bought it when DD was around 6 weeks old as I wasn't that organised when pregnant! I guess it's ok for occasional use (I'm using it at the moment of typing!!) but if I was to pump on a daily basis I'd go for something better... Good luck!