There are many types of baby bottles in the market today; the traditional feeding bottles for babies are made of plastic and are quite inexpensive. However, there are also glass baby feeding bottles that are safer to use but much more pricey. You will also have to check on the types of teats that are appropriate for your baby’s age. The teat or the nipple of the baby bottle feeding controls the amount of milk that your baby gets. While there are teats that only let in a small amount of milk into your baby’s mouth, it is important for you to remember that it would still be more than what your baby gets from breastfeeding. Feeding bottles have to be washed and sterilized a lot since your baby would need about 8 feedings in a day. Additionally, you might be raring to go back to work and would need extra bottles to store your own milk in for your baby when you are at work. This means that you need to have a load of feeding bottles at home that are sturdy and can last for a long time.

Plastic feeding bottles for babies are safe for use, regardless of bad publicity that made a lot of parents want to switch to glass bottles. There have been reports that some trace chemicals in the manufacturing of plastic feeding bottles could be harmful to your growing baby. However, FDA has already released a statement that this is not true. The only disadvantage of plastic feeding bottles would be that they should be changed as soon as the plastic is already blurred. This is not to say that it becomes less safe but only because you will have a hard time reading the demarcations for ounces. Glass baby feeding bottles made a comeback right after the concerns on chemicals in plastic bottles surfaced. They are still a viable option though, if only to make you feel at ease with what you use to feed your baby. The only trouble is that because it is glass, it is much heavier and easier to break.

The idea of bottle feeding your baby need not be overwhelming. There are several reasons why parents have no choice but to begin bottle feeding. Some mothers simply are not able to produce enough milk to continue breast feeding, while others choose not to do it in the first place. When making the decision to bottle feed, it is important to be aware that there are some specific steps involved.Located below are some of the things you need to do before bottle feeding your baby:

1. Find an Appropriate Bottle Nipple – Depending on the age of the child, the speed at which the milk should flow through will vary. An infant will most likely need a slow-flowing bottle nipple, whereas an older child prefer one that allows fast flow simply because he drinks much more. There are also square bottle nipples and round bottle nipples. Likewise, there are also larger and smaller bottle nipples. Choosing the appropriate shape and size may take some time and experimenting with what your child likes the best. It shouldn’t be difficult finding out what your child prefers because he isn’t likely to take to a bottle nipple that he does not want. Try not to make the mistake of assuming that your child isn’t interested in bottle feeding before you experiment with different types of bottle nipples.

2. Find an Appropriate Bottle – Most children prefer a certain type of bottle, and you are sure to discover this fairly quickly. If your child is colicky, he will need a different bottle that reduces those symptoms. A lot of babies experience gas or acid reflux no matter what. Fortunately, there are different types of bottles out there to suit every child’s need. If breast feeding, make sure to continue feeding your child when he is refusing the bottle. For parents who are having trouble with getting their child to drink from a bottle, try letting them sip from a small cup until the appropriate bottle has been chosen.

3. Find the Appropriate Formula – This particular step also shouldn’t be very difficult, but is undoubtedly one of the most important. The formula that you choose for your child has the ability to provide them with the essential vitamins and nutrition, as well as the ability to ease them of any symptoms they are experiencing as far as gas and acid reflux. Likewise, certain formulas may irritate your child’s stomach and cause allergic reactions. Any negative reactions should be taken note of in order to avoid anymore complications with formula. Also remember to notify the child’s pediatrician about any allergic reactions he may experience with certain formulas. There are organic, soy-based, regular, liquid, cow-milk based, iron-fortified, and elemental formulas to choose from.