Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottle Teats, Breast-like, Anti-colic valve, Soft Silicone, Vari-Flow, Pack of 2

Product Information

When it comes down to teat shape and feel, there is no evidence to suggest that one is better than the other, so it's really a question of which your baby prefers.

Ready-to-feed bottles can be a convenient short-term solution if parents have been advised to give their baby formula on medical advice. They’re more expensive and not great for the environment though (NHS, 2018; Unicef, 2019). Once they’re older and used to bottle-feeding, you could move to a medium flow. Just follow your baby’s lead to see what teat is right for them. Some babies prefer to stay on the slow flow teats for many months. You can also buy variflow teats where the flow rate can be varied by changing the angle of the teat (Which? 2019). Bottles come in two sizes, small ones which hold 150mls (5 fl oz) and large ones which hold 250ml (9 fl oz). For the first few weeks, newborns feed little and often because their stomachs are so small (Unicef, 2019). The smaller bottles are more suitable for this period. Babies who feed from larger bottles consume more milk, which may lead to overfeeding (Wood et al, 2016).Teats are made from silicone or latex. Silicone is less flexible but more durable than latex, which needs to be replaced regularly (Which? 2019). With this type, you place your washed bottles upside down in the steriliser, add water and switch it on. The water is then heated electrically. When sterilisation is complete, usually after about 10 minutes, the steriliser switches off automatically. Provided the lid isn't opened, the contents will stay sterile for a while (usually about six hours).

Slow flow is generally preferable for newborns, while you’re both learning how to feed. If the flow rate is too fast it makes paced feeding more difficult. In which case babies would have very little control over how they feed: milk would flow into their mouth faster than they can swallow it. This might make your baby cough or splutter, or struggle to keep up with the flow of milk so it dribbles to the side of their mouth. This could also mean they feel upset, get indigestion and bring up lots of milk. Cons: Pricier than other types of steriliser, the inside of the unit can get hot enough to burn your hands. Microwave steam sterilisers European Commission (2011) Bisphenol A: EU ban on baby bottles to enter into force tomorrow. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_664 [Accessed 3 December 2021] Teats are either latex or silicone. Although there's no great difference between them, silicone teats have a reputation for being more durable, while latex teats are said to feel more like a nipple.Whether or not you need a bottle warmer depends on whether your baby wants heated milk, and how happy you are with just using a jug of hot water to raise the milk temperature. Types of bottle warmers Standard bottle warmers If you’re planning to breastfeed it isn't necessary to buy bottles ‘just in case’. Over 90% of maternity units in the UK are now Baby Friendly Accredited, which means a midwife on the infant feeding team should be able to support you if you do have any difficulties with breastfeeding straight after birth (UNICEF 2017). They’ll help you with hand-expressing your colostrum and feeding it to your baby using a spoon, syringe or feeding cup (Unicef 2017). Find out whether your maternity unit is accredited here. These bottles, made by baby feeding brand MAM , don't require any additional equipment for sterilising provided that you have a microwave. You pour water into a chamber in the base of the bottle, arrange the bottle components on top and microwave for three minutes. If you think you'll be using the bottle warmer to heat jars of food as well as milk, choose one that has an adaptor for holding jars at an easily reachable height – otherwise you can end up having to reach down into the hot warmer for your jar. Some warmers have the facility to heat food in a bowl, too. Other types of bottle warmers

Baby bowl Plastic bowls with high sides and a ‘lip’ or gripper on the edge for you to hold are convenient for when you're feeding your baby. Once they are trying to self-feed, bowls with lower, gently curving sides and a textured easy-to-grip rim can help them stay in control. NHS (2021) Bottle feeding Advice. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/advice/ [Accessed 6 December 2021] Pros: Nothing to heat up so no chance of painful accidents, no need for electricity or a microwave so you can use it anywhere. Pros: Most widely available, most likely to fit accessories such as bottle coolers and sterilisers, the least expensive type of bottle.Most traditional bottle warmers will heat up one bottle of milk (or jar of food). You place the bottle in the central vessel of the warmer, fill around it with water from a jug and switch it on. An element heats the water, which in turn heats the bottle. You’ll want to have six bottles or more if you're solely bottle-feeding. If you're breastfeeding, or planning to, some people still like to have one or two bottles to hand. And you’ll need them if you plan to express breast milk. It's useful to buy one with a timer so you know how long the milk has been in and you'll need to descale regularly unless you use softened water. Argos sells products from a range of popular baby feeding brands including Tommee Tippee, MAM, Medela and Philips Avent.

These types of steriliser use UVC rays. They typically come as boxes with reflective surfaces inside, which allow the UV light to cover all surface areas on the objects where you put it. As with other sterilisers, it's crucial to wash your bottles and teats in warm, soapy water before placing them in. This is because any dirt left on the bottles and teats will make the UVC rays less effective. Disposable baby bottles These aren't so much disposable bottles as disposable sterilised bags that fit into a bottle. They can be convenient for use when you're on the go. These warmers normally have an indicator light that goes off when the milk reaches the right temperature, and a thermostat, which keeps the temperature of the water constant.It’s also recommended that babies stop drinking from bottles with teats by the time they are one year old as drinking through a teat leaves the teeth coated in milk and can lead to tooth decay (NHS Choices, 2015; Oral Health Foundation, 2017). Read more about this here.