best sterilisers and best bottles

[fairyglo]

I've got the chance of an AVENT electric steam steriliser with new bottles (all with slow release teats) to use from birth of baby. Would you recommend AVENT for both bottles and sterilisers (sorry, if not the right place for sterilier question)?

Thanks

bump. Surely some views on different types of teats for newborns and sterilisers for the bottles etc?

Well, Avent do seem popular - if you discover you don't get on with it could you sell it on?

I wonder if people are avoiding commenting because you seem to be dismissing the possibility of breastfeeding before the baby's even born? Are you at least going to give it a try?

Agree with Mrs B if you've got he offer of it for free or much less than in the shops then take it and have a go. IMO bottles are bottles, teats do vary and you won't know what suits your baby until its here and you've tried them out but lots of wide neck teats fit the Avent bottles anyway.

Stick with the Avent bottles and sterilser but I would be inclined to use different teats as the avent teats are crap imo.

Mrs B, I hope people aren't avoiding commenting because I've not mentioned breast feeding in this thread. This subject area is titled both Breast and Bottle Feeding so there shouldn't be any particular reason why people should feel the need to query breast feeding plans before commenting on threads.

Red37, handy to hear you're not so keen on the AVENT teats. What was not so good about them and what other types (compatible with the AVENT bottles) would you recommend? Thanks.

Fairyglo-ds2 found teats difficult, avent teats work in 1- 4 flow,hence number of holes in teat, too fast and shape not good, found boots wide neck teats fitted perfect and shape of them great for ds2, hope this makes sense.

I liked the Avent variflo teats - have a cross cut in the top rather than holes, so the more the baby sucks, the more comes out. Worked v well for us.

Hiya - I haven't used the steriliser but I used the bottles with DS and didn't really get on with them - I ended up buying different ones in the end. (Although that was 2 years ago and I can't remember why...I think they leaked!!) The steriliser should be fine and as good as any other - at the end of the day all it does is produce steam! Might be worth checking if other type bottles fit into it and how many just in case you don;t get on with the bottles. :)

Thanks. I'd better look at the bottles more closely since I'm not actually sure if the ones which come with the steriliser have a cross or a hole or several holes.

However, this is all making me think I should buy at least one alternative teat in the pre-baby calm rather than realising there's a problem at 2 in the morning first day back from hospital :). AVENT seem to have really cornered the market. I think I may have used the Boots's ones first time round but that's 3 years ago so can't quite remember and again I think we were given them or they were bought in haste so they weren't really chosen IYSWIM. Trying to be more organised this time.

Someone mentioned Tommee Tippee nuby teats at my antenatal. Do these ring any bells? or any other rivals to the ubiquitous AVENT?

The Nuby bottles/teats are what I used with DS instead of the Avent bottles and they were great - no problems with them at all :)

At the moment with DD2 I'm using the Tommee Tippee bottles that are supposedly the same as a breast! They are really good as well. I'm also usind MAM anti-colic bottles with the anti-colic valve thing and I hate them! They are prone to leaking all over the place where the bottoms unscrew.....

I used Avent with both of mine and loved them.

Both went onto bottles at 3 weeks and I think, started on the newborn teat which has 1 hole. I think slow flow has 2 holes.

Tried DS on the Nuby teats but they kept collapsing and he hated them. Also found that Boots and Mothercare's wide neck teats collapsed whereas the avent ones never do.

Bear in mind that if you give formula in hospital the teats are orthodontic sort of ones, like the ones that come on the NUK bottles so depending on how many bottles the baby has in hospital it may get a bit confused.

Also, sorry to wang on, if you find don't like the avent bottles, other bottles don't fit in the steriliser (made the mistake of buying TT bottles and couldn't get them in the steriliser) so you'd have to buy a new sterisiler.

TBH if the baby has an avent bottle and teat from birth it probably won't bat an eyelid because that's all it's used to.

I'd say go for it.

My dd didnt get on with avent teats - the milk always dribbled out of her mouth no matter which flow I used - I think its because they are sooo solid (no give in them at all). I used tommee tippee Nuby teats on the avent bottles and the problem was solved. I wouldnt use Avent ones
again.

The avent steriliser was good though although I havent had experience of any others.

I used the avent steam steriliser with boots wide necked bottles. You can steam just about anything in it as (wouldn't recommend broccoli though ) as you get 2 steamer baskets and one with 6 holes cut out which any wide necked bottle will fit. I'm pretty certain that you are right that you will need slow flow teats.
You will need an absolute minimum of 6 bottles in my experience btw. I had 12 (otherwise I would have gone insane).

Damn, I always forget to mention something - Olihan says that the boots teats collapse - I found that too, but realised that I was actually screwing the bottle caps on too tight thereby creating a vacuum .
I think that Avent teats have a valve in them, which means that a vaccuum is never created. You just need to ensure that air is getting into the bottle - with the boots ones you end up with a bit of a milkshake thing going off if you get the top on at the right "torque" (obviously baby doesn't get the milkshake thang though, don't worry)

Read up on Dr Brown's bottles. They are expensive, but well worth it. They have a valve inside which prevents the teat collapsing, prevents the baby swallowing air, and prevents colic. Our little one was breastfed at first then got used to occasional bottles at about 2-3 months but didnt take to it at first. As soon as we put our Avent bottles to one side and bought the Dr Browns she was well away. A couple of weeks ago, they were 3 for 2 at mothercare (no I dont have shares!). They have a couple more parts than ordinary bottles because of the special valve. One of our GPs confided he used them for his kids too and they were really good.

The avent ones are OK, but for a newborn the teats seem a little hard.

Steriliser - get the largest one you possibly can - if you are a full time bottle feeder you will want to cram as much as possible in it. If you bottlefeed full time, dont buy one that takes less than 6 bottles. Steam are best.

P.S. Hi again Squarer. (This lovely lady gave me her Avent Steam Steriliser as I was managing with a microwave one which only took 3-4 bottles).

Hi Peaches...
Glad to see you here
Will be emailing you later in the week to see how you are

dd used the Avent steamer for the dgs's - must say it's excellent!

peaches - nice to see you back posting.

Never used a steriliser!!!! Or Avent teats too hard and milk drips out easily- used playtex soft breastlike latex teats and the pre-sterilised liners.Also because I wanted to breast and bottle feed so easy to express and store milk with this

Since I've been given the AVENT bottles I'll certainly try with them but just to avoid late night panics, where do you buy Dr Brown's bottles/teats or the Nuby teats?

Personally I used the cheapest bottles I could get hold of which were the traditional narrow ones and a cheap microwave steriliser off ebay for about £4 and latex teats. I wouldn't let the teats put you off the steriliser/bottles because these are an expendable part anyway - certainly in the case of the latex ones. Although IIRC I didn't get through as many with DD but she was bottle fed for less time and teethed slightly later.

The MAM teats fit Avent bottles and are much softer than the Avent ones. I think NUK fit too. (Cheaper than buying 2 sets of bottles).

Dr Brown's - Mothercare and Boots. I really cant recommend them too highly despite the cost.

I found that other teats in the Avent bottles were prone to collapsing because they didnt have the special vent. (Also Dr Browns unfortunately means use Dr Browns teats.)

I have two Tommee Tippee Nuby heat sensing bottles and teats still in the box, tried once, she didnt like them! If you want them Fairyglo please contact me and I will post them on.

Thanks all, this has been really helpful. Peaches, I'll hold off for a while, if i may, since I'm still hoping I can breast feed but a medical problem last time meant I had to move to mixed feeding very quickly. I'm not sure if it is going to be a problem this time but I want to avoid last times' panic. Trying to reduce stress early this time :). Thanks again for all the advice.