bottle maham

I remember when I was pregnant and preparing my registry for my upcoming baby shower I was completely overwhelmed. There are so many gadgets and do-dads that a mom's head can spin. But I remember the one thing that just about made my head spin off my neck was selecting bottles.

There are bottles that prevent gas. Bottles that for colic. Glass bottles. BPA free plastic bottles (which they all are, now). Bottles that fed the baby without your assistance. So many choices... What was a mom-to-be to do?

I planned (and did) to nurse, but thought I should be prepared in the event that didn't happen - immediately or ever. So I registered. I thought I wanted glass bottles, but I got the opinions on those. And I was in some agreement. Since plastics had all become BPA free, it made sense to venture down that road for when we get to the point that the baby could hold their own bottle. Finally, I settled on the basic, BPA free Evenflo bottle that didn't have any bells and whistles. At least big bucks weren't spent should it not be used OR it be the wrong bottle all together.

Then Hadley arrived. And while we did the nursing juggle the first couple of weeks, she was able to nurse. But these bottles... The no frills bottles fed her so much quicker that she preferred them over my boob, making nursing a bit of a challenge. But could you blame her? She's a hungry growing baby, who would want to work for food?

Off to Babies R Us I went... Again. In search of something else. Something that made her work for her food until we could make it work together. There I stood. With all my baby gear that I thought I had to have on me... Baby in the car seat, popped in the shopping cart. The hated diaper bag with enough diapers and wipes for a week, plus two changes of clothes (It was a ridiculous amount of stuff and I learned to minimize in the coming weeks). This nice woman with an older newborn saw that my new mommy head was about to spin again and offere

d her two cents. "Try the Born Free." Of course, they were the priciest of the bunch at $10 per bottle. But I grabbed the $50 starter pack and off to the counter I went to shell the cash out.

The same day, my mother arrived to help with Hadley. We went to Day One baby center, which was up the street from our house. It's one of those one stop shops... The sell clothes, strollers, toys, baby wearing gear, books. They offer lactation consulting,

baby care classes, and new mom groups. It's an awesome place (and pri

cey, too). There, my mother purchased a bottle that looked like a boob. Literally. It looked like a big ole boob. And that sucker was pricey, too. Like $14 or so.

So we went home with our wares and took them for a test drive. The boob leaked. Like my boobs were leaking, only worse. Which was a pisser considering it was so expensive. That boob found it's way into the trash can that evening. But the Born Free seemed to slow my ravenous child down.

We still use those Born Free bottles with sippy lids. They are the only cups that Hadley will drink milk from. She will use regular cups for juice and water, but milk must be in the Born Free's and nothing else can go into them.

With Hayden... Well, nursing is a different struggle. The lactation consultant recommended that we use First Years Breastflow bottles. These bottles are $5 or so a bottle ($12 for a three pack) and are awesome for a baby you are trying to teach to nurse. Maybe more awesome than the Born Free's. Basically, there are two nipple chambers that the baby has to suck the milk through, replicating what it is to nurse. The feeds take some time because the babies have to work, but considering I am trying to get her onto the boob I feel like she isn't getting used to a quick flow.

When moms-to-be ask my opinion on bottles I recommend the following... Wait till the baby is here! Figure out if they will nurse. If they are gassy. Don't spend a lot of money on bottles until you are sure you know the kind of eater your child is. And don't let the process make you lose your head... Your baby will eat, whether its from your boob, or a Born Free, or Breastflow, or Dr. Browns, or Evenflo. It will all work out.