Playtex Bottles

[Beccarollo]

Hi can anyone who have used this system tell me a bit more about it and also which one did you use there seems to be a few systems available and not sure which one to go for

Ta Muchly

Hi, Becca - I used it years ago and there was just one basic system then, 8oz liners/holders and brown latex teats. Having looked on the internet recently there are 2 sizes now and latex/silicone plain/shaped teats.

You only have to sterilise the teats and caps, not the holders - the liners (sterile plastic bags) fit in the holders and then the milk goes in them - as the baby sucks the bag shrinks, and in theory the baby doesn't suck in air so gets less wind. (If you squeeze out the air that is in them at the start they can be sucked on without having to be tilted, which can be useful - after he could walk DS2 used to wander about with the bottle hanging out of his mouth and had both hands free for playing!)

The plain round teats are supposed to let the baby suck in the same way as when breastfeeding, at least that was what they used to say, don't know if they still do - better for speech and jaw development or something.

HTH!

Beccarollo, like Janh we used the brown latex teats (flat-ended not the new round/"orthodontic" ones shown on the Lilliput link) and the 8oz "unformed" liners in the holders. We used them for over a year.

We ended up with this system on the recommendation of an American friend (it is US in origin and much more widely available over there). I would say from our experience it is a good system to try if your b/f baby is turning up its nose at other types of teat, as our ds did.

What I found was: that the latex teats went hard and unusable really quickly if steam sterilised - so I ended up salt scrubbing them and then washing them in hot water. Ds never came to any harm! Also: you can use Avent liners in the holders if you stretch the open end of them carefully beforehand (they are a bit smaller, but much easier to find in the shops). Also: a few mum acquaintances had a bit of a snigger at the teat shapes, but I didn't care as I was the only one of all of them to continue b/f successfully after returning to work full-time, and that was worth a bit of ridicule in the cafe!

Let us know how you get on. I am surprised this system is not more widely sold in the UK, I think it suits b/f babies really well.

Marina, I used to sterilise mine in Milton and they didn't go hard, but did kind of swell up after a while and eventually the rubber just perished.

(In America, where DD1 was born, I sterilised by boiling them in a saucepan - it always made me laugh, you know they call teats "nipples" over there? So I boiled my nipples in a pan!)

Ouch, Janh
One of the reasons I decided I had no future with my first childminder was that she customised one of my "infant nipples" with a darning needle, making the hole so large the milk just poured out...poor old ds nearly got washed away.

hi - we put ours in the dishwasher and then in Milton - never did them any harm. The only downside I can see with them is that they only go up to 8oz. You can get a starter kit with a variety of teats etc for not too much money which is a good way of seeing if your baby likes them. I liked the fact that you can enlarge the holes - ds was throwing all kinds of fit until some wonderful person on here suggested doing it - next feed, happy baby!

with dd1 i used to boil the teats but now just put them into dishwasher & replace them regularly. caught dd2 chewing the cats tail the other day so any attempts at sterilising pretty futile now . the bags - which are better than the avent ones imo - are £3.99 for a big roll, and I use them to freeze ebm.

Beccarollo,

When I was b/f'ing DS refused all the variations of silicon teats on the market, (obviously only after I had spent a small fortune buying the entire Avent range!!) But a girlfirend mentioned the playtex teats and hey presto, bobs your uncle he downed the bottle.

Instead of having to invest in a whole new range of bottles, Boots sell a "wide necked" version of their playtex teats which fit into all the Avent bottles. I steam sterilise them and replace them every couple of months (2 for £2) once they become a bit stick as the rubber perishes.

I suppose the best thing is just try to find one that your baby likes whether it be silicon, playtex, flat ended or round ended.