MAM Teats Size 1, Suitable for Newborns, Slow Flow SkinSoft Silicone Teats for Baby Bottles, Fits all MAM Bottles, Baby Feeding Essentials, Pack of 2

Product Information

Slow flow is great for breastfed babies when switching between bottle and breast; mimics the slower flow of breastfeeding

Bottles come in two sizes, small ones which hold 150mls (5 fl oz) and large ones which hold 250ml (9 fl oz). For the first few weeks, newborns feed little and often because their stomachs are so small (Unicef, 2019). The smaller bottles are more suitable for this period. Babies who feed from larger bottles consume more milk, which may lead to overfeeding (Wood et al, 2016). Knowing when to move to the next teat level is an important – and sometimes confusing – part of a comfortable and happy feeding experience for you and your baby.Slow flow is generally preferable for newborns, while you’re both learning how to feed. If the flow rate is too fast it makes paced feeding more difficult. In which case babies would have very little control over how they feed: milk would flow into their mouth faster than they can swallow it. This might make your baby cough or splutter, or struggle to keep up with the flow of milk so it dribbles to the side of their mouth. This could also mean they feel upset, get indigestion and bring up lots of milk. Ready-to-feed bottles can be a convenient short-term solution if parents have been advised to give their baby formula on medical advice. They’re more expensive and not great for the environment though (NHS, 2018; Unicef, 2019). MAM baby bottles feature an innovative vented base for an even drinking flow, so your baby isn’t swallowing air. This can reduce colic in 80% of cases. If you’re planning to breastfeed it isn't necessary to buy bottles ‘just in case’. Over 90% of maternity units in the UK are now Baby Friendly Accredited, which means a midwife on the infant feeding team should be able to support you if you do have any difficulties with breastfeeding straight after birth (UNICEF 2017). They’ll help you with hand-expressing your colostrum and feeding it to your baby using a spoon, syringe or feeding cup (Unicef 2017). Find out whether your maternity unit is accredited here.

While most bottles offer various teat levels that are tied to an age range (for example, 3 months+), every infant has their own feeding style, which is not necessarily a reflection of their age or size. Our self-sterilising anti-colic baby feeding bottles are multi-award winning, including the Loved By Parents (LPB) Platinum Award 2020, Mother & Baby Awards 2020 and Made for Mums Silver Award in 2019.Some advantages of using these bottles are that they can be easy to fill and clean. On the other hand, they can take more space in a steriliser so you probably won’t be able to clean as many bottles at once (Which? 2019). Ready-to-feed bottles European Commission (2011) Bisphenol A: EU ban on baby bottles to enter into force tomorrow. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_664 [Accessed 3 December 2021] These baby bottles feature patented teats, made with SkinSoft silicone. Not only are they the ideal shape for babies, but the soft lip rest makes it easier for your little one to feed. Plus, these options allow extra-slow drinking flow, for safer feeding. This will depend on how frequently you’re planning to use bottles to feed your baby. Newborn babies generally feed between 10 and 14 times in 24 hours, with feeds becoming a little less frequent as they grow. If you are exclusively bottle feeding your baby, whether formula or expressed breastmilk, you might want around four to six bottles and teats to get you started. This allows for sterilising them between feeds.

You might find attending one of our NCT New Baby groups helpful as they give you the opportunity to explore different approaches to important parenting issues with a qualified group leader and other new parents in your area. Consider using a teat that is more suited to paced bottle feeding. This means it will hold enough milk when held in a horizontal position, rather than have to be tipped up so your baby can access the milk. If you are mixed feeding (feeding from both bottle and breast) it may help to choose a teat that will encourage your baby to open their mouth wide and take in the whole teat rather than just the tip. Those with a medium wide base and a short to medium nipple length encourage babies to open their mouth wide and cup their tongue around the teat (Pearson-Glaze 2019, Bahr 2010). This article describes it well. When should I change bottle teat size? Powdered formula is not sterile, so you need to use water at approximately 70 degrees to kill any bacteria that might be present (NHS, 2019a). If the water is too hot it can reduce the nutritional benefit of the powder, but if it is too cold it may not kill the bacteria in the powder. ‘Ready-to-feed’ bottles contain ready-made milk that has already been sterilised (NHS, 2018; Unicef, 2019).Scheel, C. E., Schanler, R. J., & Lau, C. (2005). Does the choice of bottle nipple affect the oral feeding performance of very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants?. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992), 94(9), 1266–1272. Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2005.tb02087.x If they can't control the rate of feeding, they are more likely to over-feed. Non-responsive feeding has been associated with discomfort and fussiness in the short term (NHS 2021) and linked to obesity in the longer term (Hurley, 2011; Watchmaker 2020).

Step 2: Fill the base with silicone valve with 20 ml of cool water. The protective cap makes a practical measuring cup. There is no “right” time to change your baby’s teat level. Some babies are content using Level 1 throughout their feeding days, while more aggressive eaters may advance sooner than expected. Your baby will offer signs if the flow is not fast enough and it’s time to move up a level. Typical signs include baby:We support all parents, however they feed their baby. If you have questions, concerns or need support, you can speak to a breastfeeding counsellor by calling our helpline on 0300 330 0700, whether you are exclusively breastfeeding or using formula milk. Breastfeeding counsellors have had extensive training, will listen without judging or criticising and will offer relevant information and suggestions. You can also find more useful articles here.