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Do Avent bottles really leak? Teats?

14 replies

CaringForPod · 24/02/2011 10:50

Been reading reviews of avent bottles on the boots website, but can never tell if these reviews are real or not!

So, does anyone have any experience using avent bottles to supplement breastfeeding (husband seems really keen on doing some night feeds)?

These are the ones I'm thinking of getting to use with an avent digital steriliser:

www.boots.com/en/Philips-AVENT-Durable-BPA-Free-Bottle-6x260ml_998865/

Also, was thinking of getting these teats:

www.boots.com/en/Philips-Avent-Airflex-Variable-Flow-Teat-3months-2Pack_41464/

The steriliser comes with a couple of bottle and newborn teats, so trying to figure out what I'll need to take me through breastfeeding.

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soppypreggyloon · 24/02/2011 10:58

I had tommee tippee ones which only leaked if put too hot water in andthe steam did something to the valve.
Friends had the avent ones tho and yes they did leak. I'm re- buying tommee tippee for dc2 now.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 24/02/2011 11:01

Mine don't leak and I have the variable teats.

CaringForPod · 24/02/2011 11:07

How do you find the variable teats, KennDodds...

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mummyabroad · 24/02/2011 13:46

Advent never leaked for me. This was their best feature. I switched to tommee tippee and Dr Browns to help with colic, they helped reduced wind a lot but always leaked. Never did find the perfect wind reducing non leaky bottle...

Iklboo · 24/02/2011 13:47

We used Avent bottle, but with MAM teats and we never had any problems.

dreamofgenie · 24/02/2011 13:51

Mine never leaked either. Though I would hold off on buying a supply of bottles until your baby has tried them. My dd loved Avent bottles but hated Tommee Tippee. Just buy one or two bottles (Avent or whatever you'd like) and if your baby likes them, you can get more.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 24/02/2011 14:11

The variable teats have been really good, especially as DD got older. BF when she was little but with formula top up. They seemed to give DD less wind and improved her silent reflux.

Underachieving · 24/02/2011 14:18

My 4 month old daughter has an issue with sick. Consequently we have tried Tommee Tippee, Dr Browns, Avent normal, Avent gold and NUK bottles, with both the normal and the vari flow teats on the TT and Avents.

We have to have vari flow teats as her special formula milk is too thick to pass through any normal teat as the little holes are too small. Faster flow rates make no difference because the holes are the same size, there's just more of them. Variflow teats have a cross or a slit in rather than a little hole which is needed for the thick milk gets pass through.

If you are thinking of putting breastmilk or even any of the normal formula milks into a bottle then you will be fine with a normal newborn teat. You may find the vari flow ones just too fast for a tiny baby to start with. They were too fast for my daughter when she started using them at about 8 weeks, but because of the special milk we did not have a choice.

After much experimentation I use 4 Avent Gold and 2 Avent white, all with vari-flow teats. I honestly don't notice a difference between the gold and the white and there are no leaks when feeding. If you are a little clumsy with it you end up putting the lids on the bottles slightly wonky and the hole/slit in the end of the teat isn't in contact with the lid. That means you might get a bit of dripping if the bottle is rolling about in your bag. Once you've worked this out you can see if the top's not on properly and the teat is bent a bit and so you just whip the lid off and back on again. Even that explaination sounds trickier than it is. Honestly it's as easy as putting a cap back on a coke bottle straight, just look at it quickly when you've done it.

Of all the bottles I have been through Avent have been awesome. To look at them it's not obvious they will be any good, the design looks plain and even slightly dated, but actually I can not imagine using anything else ever again now I have found them.

So if you're going to use bottles then Avents are genuinely good. They're not the most expensive either. I second what others have said about buying one bottle and testing it on your child though, I wish I'd done that at the outset and I wouldn't have a full set of Tommee Tippee's cluttering up the kitchen cupboard. Then I could quite easily have bought half a dozen Dr Browns too, they DO leak.

Also, forget 4oz bottles, your baby may well want more than 4oz by a month old, so 4oz bottles are a total waste of money. I'm not even sure why they make them, they seem so very pointless when a full size (9oz) bottle is perfectly capable of being used for a 3-4oz feed.

So in short (sorry this was so long)... Use the bottles and teats you have with the steriliser and if you get on well with them get more. Don't worry about trying to be prepared in advance- all the big 24hr supermarkets sell Avent bottles (check out your local ones) so they're always available, no need to panic and get too much in to start with.

CaringForPod · 26/02/2011 12:51

Thanks for all the feedback, much appreciated. Am going to get a couple of Avent bottles and see how we get on. I can always top up supplies later!

OP posts:
puttingmyfingeronit · 26/02/2011 12:58

No they don't leak. The did some a while ago which needed assembling with a ring and those did leak (and were a pain to boot). Think they've stopped doing those now though.

If you are using them and wish to continue breastfeeding I'd recommend only using newborn teats. If you use faster ones you might find your baby starts preferring the easier flow that comes from a bottle (milk basically falls out of bottles, while breasts take a bit more work!)

Hardandsleazy · 26/02/2011 13:02

Never leaked in years I used em for dd

happycamel · 26/02/2011 18:34

If you're planning to bf then it's best to do so exclusively for the first six weeks as some babies have to work less hard to get milk from a teat and quickly prefer it to the nipple and then won't bf.

After six weeks expressing shouldn't cause any problems. If you're planning to ff or switch ff quickly anyway then probably don't worry about it.

Your mw should have the details of a bf support worker who can give you advice on how best to bf and express. My DH is also keen to help with feeding but my mum (a midwife) said not 'til six weeks and then it's fine. If he and I really want to express before then it's best to use a little cup or spoon so they aren't sucking from a teat.

minimuffy · 26/02/2011 20:48

avent only leaked bit when i made them up using boiling water then it only leaked when i was shaking it. not when i was feeding dd (after it had cooled!)

snowcake · 27/02/2011 06:59

Nearly all my Avent bottles leak. It's from under the white ring, not the teat on top. I've got new ones, too, the BPA free ones. Even new bottles leak ocasionally. I have to screw them really, really tight, it is a total pain.

I have at least 12 bottles and the teats that came with them plus Avent sterilizer. I can't switch to another brand as all the new equipment will cost a bomb!

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