bottles for twins feeding

[tm1995]

Hi , any recommendations for which brand bottles to buy for feeding twins? How many bottles we need to buy?

[TheMagicDeckchair]

I used MAM bottles, I had a different colour set for each twin.

I started with 4 of each then bought some more when I knew they’d be fully formula fed (was intending to combi feed but it was a non-starter). I think we ended up with 6 or 7 bottles each and that was enough for the daily feeds.

[tm1995]

Thank you! Can we directly start with 260 ml mam bottles for newborn as they might outgrow of 160 ml soon?

[TheMagicDeckchair]

I had the starter sets with bottle bodies for smaller and larger bottles so we started small, but I don’t see why you couldn’t just start with the bigger bottles anyway, unless the markings are for smaller feeds?

It’s worth getting a twin feeding pillow too if you haven’t already, I had one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Handy not just for feeding but somewhere safe to rest babies in.

[tm1995]

Great! I’ll have a look at the starter pack as well. These are self sterilising bottles however wouldn’t it consume more time to sterilise each bottle in microwave? Or would you suggest buying any separate steriliser?

yeah I have bought twin Feeding pillow , so that should be useful too!
any recommendation for bottle warmer? I was looking at dualit double bottler warmer/ grownsy ? So that can warm up 2 bottles at a time if needed especially for night feeds. Also had a look at tommie tippee prep machine but have Heard mixed reviews so not sure whether to buy it or not.

[TheMagicDeckchair]

I used to sterilise them in batches in the microwave- I think from memory they stay sterile for 24 hrs.

We didn’t bother warming the bottles- just took them out of the fridge 1 hour or so before needed. I used to prep a days’ worth, chill and refrigerate.

[Donimo]

We found the mam bottles were best for our twins too. But Iq know some babies take better to certain brands over others. So I would reccomend getting a few to start with to see how your babies take them. Then once they are here see how it goes. In terms of the larger sized bottles the measurements on these didnt go small enough for my twins until at least 3 months old. When they first came out of hospital they would only take about 40ml of feed at a time. We had a seperate sterliser and tended to use this rather that sterlise in the microwave. Never used a bottle warmer but our twins were combi fed. So used pre mixed at night when needed

[Glitterbug86]

We also used the mam bottles. What's handy about them is the vent is in the base. Others have the vent in the teat and it's awkward to try to see if it's clear for air when feeding 2 babies on the twin pillow.

I'd recommend 12 bottles total (6 of each colour so you don't mix up their bottles during feeding). At first you'll need about 8 bottles per child per day so you'll need to sterilise multiple times but I believe 6 bottles is generally the max you'll fix in one steriliser.

Being able to sterilise in microwave is handy the odd time but you'll do so much sterilising day to day, I would definitely buy a separate steriliser. Some people prefer microwave, some prefer electric. It might depend on your counter space. We had 2 electric sterilisers.

Definitely definitely buy the perfect prep. Makes life so much easier esp with 2! You can also buy the little formula dispensers for a few £/€ that mean you can have your scoops done in advance so all you have to do is tip the formula into the bottle.

[Glitterbug86]

On and yes, just buy the larger size bottles from the outset! They outgrow the small ones very quickly and the teat is the same size on both

[Glitterbug86]

Wouldn't say a bottle warmer is necessary also

[tm1995]

Thanks all for the info! Been really helpful.
with the prep machine, I’ve heard mixed reviews like it upsets babies’s stomach, and water does not get to enough required temperature, etc?
Is that true?

[Unexpectedlysinglemum]

You can get little micro wave bags to sterilize you don't need a big bulky machine

[Donimo]

I would suggest the microwave bags are good for short term use or holidays. But as you can only get 1 bottle sometimes 2 small at a push in a bag and they can only be used max 20 times before you need to change them. T@hat these work out more time consuming, expensive and wasteful in the long term

[OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea]

Regarding perfect prep a recent study found that in 85% of bottle prep machines the hot shot was below 70c which is the temperature required to kill bacteria in the powder formula. This is why they are not recommended and that using the method of boiling the kettle and leaving water to cool to 70c is optimal.