Checklists for parents-to-be (Milk bottles and Prams)

I’ve been hearing friends or spouses of friends or colleagues who are expecting a new baby. I find that there’s just so much marketing that advertisers do to make sure parents-to-be spend and spend. Some of the major purchases that first timers would do before the baby arrives (I was guilty of a few)

Prams/strollers

This can be bought AFTER the baby comes, and you would have a actual “model” to test the prams/strollers for size. If it’s a hand-me-down or a pre-owned version, do look at the condition first, especially for the wheels.

Things to look out for:

• weight of the empty stroller — too light weight, it may not be sturdy for new borns, too heavy, you will not bring it out often if you don’t drive or you don’t stay in a place where there’s lifts every floor
• One hand operation — aka whether you can manage carrying a baby, folding the pram up, opening it…ALONE. It helps when you are out alone.
• Cushioning: “Breathable” material? Can air flow freely? Washable? Is the pram wide enough to cater for large babies :PI used to think this is really important…but it depends on how often you use the pram, whether you would really take out the material and wash it. More padding may also add weight to the stroller, and you won’t be able to fold it too much.
• Wheels -> Wider rims, more sturdy. Would it be able to support your child from birth to 3 yrs?
• Cost -> There are many options, for those who drive, you may want to consider a multi-system pram which allows you to convert from a baby bassinet/car seat to a stroller in future.

  I got a Korean branded pram, which is able to recline fully, it’s sturdy, wide enough so that the kid is not squashed into the seat. My only issue with it is the weight as I need to carry it down the stairs each time we go out.

• Brand/Colour/Design: There are many choices in the market, this is very much a personal choice. Having a recognised brand does help to ensure certain reliability, but it’s more important to look at the actual model of the stroller to see if it fits your needs.

Milk bottles/Teats

Wide-neck, anti-colic, plastic, glass bottles, latex teats, silicone teats….So many choices, so much headache.

Latex teats are said to be softer, and better for the baby, but it would need to be replaced quite often as the multiple sterilising (especially through boiling or steaming methods) may break down the material. Personally, I just feel that the rubbery texture is quite yucky 😛

We tried a number of brands of teats and the bottles, here’s some of the more popular ones:

Avent

UK-brand of baby products ranging for breast pumps to bottles, and toiletries for the mum-to-be.

Selling point: Wide-necked bottle, with their silicone teats that is said to be close to the real thing, with anti-colic properties.

The design of the teat prevent the air in the bottle to transfer to the baby while drinking.  For this to work, make sure the teat is screwed on to the bottle tightly. There is a tendency for the liquid to flow out if this is not tight. There is an advice that you may hear from other parents to not screw on the teat so tightly, to allow for the air bubbles to escape, but this technique would not work for Avent. (For that matter, it didn’t work for me for any bottles I used because between tight and not-so-tight, it’s a fine line, and I really don’t want to messing around with trying to tighten the bottle when the baby is drinking, and the milk is dripping.

Note: Avent teats only works on Avent bottles. If you are happy with sticking to one brand, do try this. Cost-wise, it’s slightly more expensive than other brands. Also, when you switch to formula-milk, the wide bottle opening is a great feature as it’s easier to clean, and less spillage when you are pouring in the formula.

Some babies take it well, my older twin was ok with it from 0-3 months, after which she didn’t want to drink from it, and the milk was leaking from her mouth. The younger twin had problems drinking from this since day one, so we didn’t use the wide teat for her.

NUK

Another brand of teats we tried, and are still using. They have 2 versions – wide neck (Orthodontic NUK shape) and the normal size teats which would fit most bottles.

The design of the teats help the air escape from the milk, before reaching the baby’s mouth. There is a sunken area with a tiny hole near the base of the teat which allow the air to escape from the milk, before reaching the baby’s mouth.

Unless you are using the wide neck version, these teats can be used on normal size bottles. The height of the bottle cap has to be high, as NUK teats are longer than the normal teats.

The bottles are expensive, but do last awhile. A friend said that their bottles are still in a good condition after a few years.

Pigeon/Tollyjoy

These brands carry the universal teats (which has the rounded top, similar to a hump of a camel). The cost is quite reasonable, and I’ve seen friends who use the Pigeon wide neck teats with the babies, and it works well for them. The bottles are cheap and the design on the bottle is cute. What we did was to use Pigeon bottles, but with Nuk teats. We bought the Nuk bottle caps with the teats and screw it onto Pigeon/Nuk bottles.

There are definitely much more information to be shared…I’ll compile another list for sterilisers and the various methods in another entry….

More to come!