Bottle Teats

Babies usually find bottlefeeding much easier than feeding from the breast, they can suck harder as the teat goes further into the mouth, and the milk flows more quickly. Some bottle teats are made to mimic the breast but generally come in a standard shape with different 'flow sizes', which means they have either more holes or larger holes.

For your newborn baby it is best to start with slow flow bottle teats until he becomes used to bottlefeeding. Once baby seems to be able to feed happily with this teat then you can think about changing to medium flow bottle teats but always make sure baby is not being overwhelmed with the flow of milk - indications such as spluttering and milk leaking out of his mouth could mean he is unable to keep up with the speed of the milk flow and it may be better to stay with the slower bottle teats for a while longer.

Only use fast flow bottle teats for an older baby when you can be totally confident that he will be able to suck at the pace needed to keep up with the flow rate.

Bottle teats with a variable flow rate are also for older infants and have an asymmetric hole so the flow rate can be changed simply by turning the bottle.

All bottle teats are made from either latex, which is more flexible, or silicone, which is more durable. Anti-colic teats are also available as are disposable bottle teats for a single use during days out.

Bottle teats should be checked on a day to day basis as they will deteriorate, especially once baby has teeth. Also, if sterilisation is acheived by boiling be aware that this will quickly make the bottle teats sticky and unusable.


To read about methods of sterilizing bottles click here