Bottles and Pacifiers

[jamie w]

So the current plan is to deliver my baby at 32 weeks. I know he will not come home with us right away but I also know we will be quite busy during that time. I plan to breastfeed/pump and feed but would like to have a few bottles too. I probably won't buy many but feel the need to have a few of those things covered before he is born. Both of my girls used different bottles- one used Avent and the other Dr Browns. One sucked her thumb and the other used Avent pacifiers. So my question is this... What bottles and pacifiers did you find worked best for your preemie? I know all babies are different but I'm thinkning maybe I can get a consensus here. Thanks in advance!

[hols537]

Alexander liked Gerber Nuk bottles and pacifiers. He was a fan of the wide bottle/nipples. We tried a lot of different ones because he didn't feed well. These were recommended by the lactation consultant and NICU nurses.

Jonathan (was full term) liked standard Gerber nipples, but generally HATED bottles. He liked the Avent pacifiers.

Good luck with preparations!

[lola1971]

My baby girl loved the Soothie pacifiers (i that is what the hospitals use too). She didn't like any others.

Bottles: She liked the Avent and the Playtex Drop In bottles/nipples.

[bernadic]

Mine loved the Soothie paci from the hospital and the plain old Gerber bottles and nipples. That is what he used in the hospital so that is what I continued to use at home. Good luck!

[amanda]

Jamie - Anna Grace loved the paci's they used in the hospital - I don't know the brand but they come with a special preemie nipple. It has a little cut out at the nose for oxygen if needed. For bottles she liked the little bottles they had at the hospital with a small gerber (again, preemie) nipple. After she got a little bigger I used Avent with the adjustable nipple and she did great again.

We're using the Nuk pacifier now as the others you can only get on ebay! But, they come in orange, blue, and pink!

[tree]

My daughter loved the gumdrop pacifiers from the hospital. You can buy them and the soothies online really cheaply from the manufacturer if you just google "gumdrop pacifiers". I just ordered them 10 at a time until we stopped leaving them around for the dogs to eat...
We used Avent bottles and hated them because they leaked. In hindsight, my Mom was right about the cheapo Gerber bottles and nipples from the hospital and the Playtex drop ins. They are much easier. My daughter didn't care at all, and I should have given us all a break with the bottles that were easier to clean and didn't leak all over the place.

[torian0319]

My daughter Khayla (born at 28 weeks at 1 lb 12 oz in 2003) hated the Platex (dorp-ins) and gravitated towards the Avent bottles. I did not experience the leaking as others have reported. But, she loved the nipple and they were easy to clean and price is reasonable.

[jgia]

My daughter (born 35 wks) prefers Dr. Browns bottles (standard neck/nipple) and will take any paci she can find! I have had more luck with MAM pacis staying in her mouth while she sleeps. I like this because I've heard that sleeping with a paci can help reduce the risk of SIDS (not sure if it is true, but worth the piece of mind for sure!). MAM has a new paci called "Perfect"...which is very nice, but expensive!

[bernadic]

Our hospital used disposable bottles and nipples. They supplied them for free to NICU parents you may want to look into that. They were very similar to the Gerber basic nipple/bottle. Both the Gerber and the hospital ones attached to the Medela breast pump that I used. Maybe wait and see what the hospital suggests and see what works best while in the hospital. We did try the Advent ones and the Soothie ones when he came home but had a hard time sucking on them-he got used to the hospital ones. You could always buy some and keep the receipt if you have to return them once the baby arrives. Good luck.

[michelarea]

Both my girls love the Nuk nipples (with both of them I have been mixing breast and bottles, my first Viola is the preemie while Maddalena is a 37 weeker). Viola loved the pacifier (Mebby...may ba an italian brand, it's natural gum) while Maddalena doesnt' want any pacifier (she is 4 months now)