How to choose a pacifier for feeding a baby?

Today, the baby food market offers many different types of nipples and feeding bottles. Their forms, materials, marking and classification are different. How to find yourself in this crowd and make the right choice? In this article, we will cover the main types and features of nursing nipples to make it easier for you to navigate the range of products available.

doctor p. farm. Maria Kaspshak

The pacifier material is rubber or silicone.

The vast majority of nursing nipples on the market are made from high quality materials. silicone. This material has a number of advantages - it is strong, flexible and resilient, resistant to high temperatures, has no taste and smell. Does not cause allergic reactions. Silicone can be colorless or colored in different colors. Occasionally, contact with colored food (such as juice or tea) can cause discoloration of the pacifier, but a food-colored pacifier is most suitable for continued use. The disadvantage of silicone is that it is not biodegradable.

Nipples are more “green” from natural rubber. Some children may benefit from being softer and more flexible than silicone nipples, and for parents, they may be cheaper. However, rubber teats are not as durable as silicone teats and remain less heat resistant. In very rare cases, natural rubber can cause sensitization, i.e. an allergic reaction.

How to read the labels on bottle teats? food flow rate

The main characteristic of feeding teats is the flow rate. It is, of course, about speed of passage of food through the nipplewhich is regulated by the number or size of holes in the nipple. Manufacturers refer to this feature in different ways in their products, the most common terms being: low-flow/low-flow nipple, medium-flow/medium-flow nipple, and fast-flow/fast-flow nipple. In addition, information is provided on the age of the child for whom the pacifier is intended. In general, the faster the milk flows through the nipple, the older (larger) the baby can drink from it. This is an intuitive classification because babies are known to drink less and more slowly than six-month-old or one-year-old babies. Sometimes manufacturers provide other methods of classification, for example, by analogy with sizes. S, M or Lor in stages: stage 1, 2, 3 d., additionally specifying the age range. The point is the same - the higher the number or "size", the faster the flow of food through this nipple.

When choosing a pacifier for newborns, start with the pacifier with the slowest flow and lowest label number. Some companies even offer "mini" "0" or "very slow" nipples for the very beginning of feeding your newborn baby. All markings are indicative and it may happen that some children enjoy drinking from a given nipple even if they are a little older or younger than the nipple's marking suggests. When in doubt, it is better for your child to drink from a nipple with a slower flow than from a nipple with a too fast flow. Drinking milk or drinking too quickly can lead to choking, overeating, colic, or stomach pain after eating.

Tri-flow nipples and porridge nipples

In addition to the standard slow, medium and fast flow nipples, these are sometimes found. three-way nipples. They have the ability to adjust the speed of feeding depending on the position of the nipple. As a rule, this is a stamp that should be set in a certain position during feeding, for example, in relation to the baby's nose. Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions for exact information, as each brand may have slightly different ways to adjust the flow of a teat.

If you are giving your baby a thick liquid from a bottle, such as "R" formula or porridge, use a nipple with a slightly different hole shape to suck up the thick liquid effectively. These pacifiers are marked nipple porridge, for thick products or "X" because they usually do not have the usual holes (punctures), but only an X-shaped notch.

What is important in no case should you cut or enlarge the holes in the nipples yourself! This can damage the nipple and detach a piece of rubber during feeding, and the baby may choke or choke on it.

How do I teach my baby to use a pacifier while alternating between breastfeeding and bottle feeding?

What catches the eye when browsing the range of bottle nipples is their shape and width. Some nipples are narrow - they resemble the "traditional" nipples that were fed to babies twenty/thirty years ago or earlier. However, nipples with a wide base and a small tip, which the baby sucks, are becoming increasingly popular. Such nipples imitate the structure of the mother's breast, which is also wide, and only a small nipple protrudes from it.

Some babies are only bottle fed. This gives parents more choice of pacifier, you can give your child to drink from a pacifier that suits him (not every child will accept this type of pacifier). In this case, both narrow and wide nipples will fit, just choose a nipple with a flow rate that suits the needs and age of your child. However, if the mother decides to alternate (mixed) feeding - sometimes breastfeeding, sometimes bottle feeding - then you should choose a wide nipple that mimics the breast. This will make it easier for the baby to "switch" from one feeding method to another and to accept the pacifier. Manufacturers offer many types of wide nipples - some of them are asymmetrical to make it easier to hold the bottle at the desired angle. Some are round, others are oval in cross section, so that the baby can “tighter” grab the nipple. Some pacifiers have a textured, silky leather-like surface.

Usually, breast-like nipples are labeled by manufacturers as "natural","natural feel","natural care“Or similar terms. The choice of a pacifier model is an individual matter – all products presented on the Polish market are certainly of good quality, tested and made from safe materials. You just need to check which pacifier your baby will accept and which one will be best for him to suckle.

However, it is worth remembering that when alternating feeding, a teat with a slower flow should be used. The breast does not have a faster flow or additional holes, so sucking milk from the breast requires some effort from the baby. If sucking on the pacifier is much faster and easier, your baby may become "lazy" and not want to suckle later, and breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed your baby.

Mother's milk nipples

Some manufacturers (e.g. Medela, Nanobebe, Kiinde) offer special bottles and nipples for feeding with previously expressed breast milk. Breast milk has a slightly different consistency than formula, so it may happen that accessories designed specifically for breastfeeding are not ideal for formula feeding. However, most of the popular brands of bottles and nipples on the market are suitable for both bottle and bottle feeding. Before buying, you should make sure whether the product is universal or intended for breastfeeding only.

Anti-colic nipples

Colic and abdominal pain are common complaints in babies. They are mainly caused by the immaturity of the digestive system and their frequency decreases over time. However, the symptoms of colic can be aggravated by improper feeding of the baby - when he drinks too quickly, he swallows air, and after eating he no longer “comes back to normal”. To reduce the severity of post-feeding colic, most nipples come standard with a base. special vents or valveswhich let air into the bottle. Thanks to this, a vacuum is not created in the bottle, and the milk flows to the nipple evenly, and the baby does not have to stop drinking or increase the effort when sucking. For colic babies, there are also special anti-colic nipples and bottles that further reduce the child's swallowing of air.

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