After exclusively breastfeeding your newborn for a couple of months, you may start fantasising about sleeping through the night again… at least once! Then you ask yourself, “Where did I put those bottles?!” A few months back, you might have purchased the cutest 150ml bottles from Pura Stainless, or perhaps received them as a shower gift. You washed them, read the instructions (or not), and then stored them away in Baby’s room. Now, how do you get started?

 

Here are a few helpful tips when feeding infants with Pura bottles and Natural Vent Teats™

 

Tips and Tricks

 

• Do not over-tighten the stainless-steel collar. The base of the teat acts as the “gasket” between the metal collar and the metal bottle. This prevents leaking. However, over-tightening compresses the silicone and can affect the venting system. When assembling the bottle, stop threading the collar as soon as you feel it start to tighten.

• For proper venting, the “Pura” logo on the silicone teat should be facing down by your child’s chin. This ensures the vent is in the correct position. If you look down while feeding and can see the Pura logo, give the bottle a 180-degree turn.

 

Flow Rate

The age range listed for each flow rate is only a guideline — every child is different. For example, a premature baby that hasn’t developed a strong suck may need a slightly faster flow rate than the Slow Flow (0m–3m), because you don’t want them to work too hard. Preemies need plenty of sleep, but not during feeding! On the other hand, a larger baby may need a slower flow rate so they don’t suck in too much milk with those strong orofacial muscles and gag.

There are four different flow options to choose from — experiment with different flow rates to see what works best for your little one.

• If feeding takes longer than usual, you may need to try a faster flow rate teat. Pura silicone teats are a little slower than most leading brands.

• Y Cut – The “Y Cut” teat has an opening shaped like the letter Y. It widens as your child sucks harder and is ideal for thicker liquids.

• If the teat collapses into the bottle, it’s likely your child is ready for the next flow rate teat (assuming the bottle is positioned correctly for proper venting (see the second tip).

 

Pumping and Storage

• Pumping for a feed later in the day? Try pumping directly into the Pura bottle. While the fit may not be perfect, it saves you from washing two sets of bottles or wasting plastic with storage bags. The Pura Kiki® Silicone Sealing Disks will make the bottle completely airtight.

• Store milk in a silicone ice cube tray. The square milk cubes fit neatly through the opening of Pura 150ml and 325ml bottles. Drop a few into the bottle, then pop it into your electric bottle warmer. The cubes thaw quickly and safely.