Dr. Brown's 3 Pack BPA Free Polypropylene Bottle, 8 oz
by Dr. Brown's
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List Price: Our Price: $12.99 You Save: $4.00 (24%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $10.00 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Dr. Brown's 3 Pack BPA Free Polypropylene Bottle, 8 oz
Customer Review: They work for us!
Summary: 5 Stars
These are probably not necessary for every baby, but for mine they were a lifesaver! My 5 week old formula fed son was having a terrible time with spit-up and gas. Actually, I think it would be more accurate to say he was vomiting up ALL of his formula pretty much every time he was fed. I was using Playtex Drop-ins and following all the advice I could get (using special formula, keeping his head elevated after feeding, feeding fewer ounces more often, burping often...) but the vomiting was getting worse. The pediatrician assured me that he was in good health, just a "spit-up baby," but after a particularly bad night where he accumulated well over a basket full of laundry I had enough. The next morning I purchased 10 of the Dr. Brown's bottles (one to try and three sets to use if I liked it). This bottle made all the difference in the world! He much prefers the nipple on this bottle so he feeds more quickly and enthusiastically, and amazingly the food actually stays in his belly. Since we started using these he has only spit up one time, and it was just a small amount. I have noticed that he rarely has to burp with these bottles...just a small one every now and then but nothing like before. The best part is that he is so content. After a night feeding he easily drifts off to sleep, with no stomach pains at all. Yes, there are a lot of parts to wash and figure out how to use. But I was willing to do anything to help with my baby's stomach issues! My advice on these would be to try the "simpler" bottles first, but keep these in mind if your baby has gas, spit-up, or colic.
I also wanted to add some tips on using these that I learned from trial and error.
1. I prefer the Munchkin Deluxe dishwasher basket to the Dr. Brown's one. It takes up much less space because you only put the parts in it, not the bottle itself. I put the vent reservoirs in the straw holders, the vent inserts and nipples in the top section, and the collars, caps, and discs in the bottom section. Then we just make sure to put the basket on the top rack. I have 10 bottles so I got two of these baskets to hold parts for 8 bottles at a time (4 bottles per basket). You could probably fit more but I like to give everything enough space to get clean! We have a two story house so I bring one basket and cleaning brush upstairs each night. That way I can rinse the parts right after they are used and put them right in the basket. I fill up the second basket the next day and then run the dishwasher that afternoon/evening.
2. I think it would be a good idea to hand wash all the parts with the brush every few days or so, even if you use the dishwasher.
3. I see no need for most of the "accessories" you can buy to go with these bottles. The exception is the formula mixing pitcher! It makes it much easier to make bottles ahead of time without shaking them and introducing more air.
4. These will fit in most bottle warmers. Just make sure you remove the disc first (oops...). Mine is The First Years BabyPro Nursery Warmer. I do have to take the nipple and cap off to make them fit in the cooler section, though. This is not really a big deal because I have the discs to seal the top.
5. If you assemble everything as the directions say and screw the collar on tight, these should not leak. So far I haven't had one leak yet.
Customer Review: Try another brand first, but if it doesn't work try this one
Summary: 3 Stars
We have both the Dr. Browns and Avent bottles. We started our baby on Avents when he was born but switched to Dr. Browns as he has some gas issues. I'm not so sure that the Dr. Browns bottles made any difference, or if there is it might just be psychological. I'd recommend starting with the Avents or another brand if you can and if your baby does fine with those use them. If they get gassy try these. Because even though I don't love the Dr. Browns, all their cons are worth it if they help your baby not be gassy. But from a use perspective.
Pros:
1. I'm assuming they reduce gas but have no proof.
2. They have been fairly durable, as long as we follow instructions (see cons) they do not leak and we have not had them break or become moldy. On a note, we put our used bottles in a tub of warm soap water within a few hours of ever use and this may not be convenient for everyone.
Cons:
1. Since the measurements indicators are clear you can't see them in the dark, we ended up marking the spots we needed with a sharpie. I find it hard to believe they couldn't have colored these as the logo seems to be holding up to repeated rinsing just fine.
2. There are way too many parts (and they're oddly shaped) to clean. With Avents, there are five parts (including the cap). With Dr. Browns there are seven (including cap and that annoying stopper circle). I was able to fit all the parts of six Avent bottles on our munchkin sprouts drying rack (which I highly recommend). With the Dr. Browns it's like playing tetris (not the fun part) with all the parts. You also need a special brush to clean certain parts, which they provide but doesn't last long so you have to buy they're replacement ones.
3. They'll leak. When you transport them the only way to keep them from leaking is to insert a circular piece of plastic between the vent portion and the nipple. It also means when its time to feed you have to open the bottle to remove it. This has led to several times when I have either forgotten to put it in leading to a leaks, or forgotten to take it out, which has led to baby sucking on air until I realized what was happening. Again, it's in the instructions, but in the real world, it's easy to forget. Again the Avents don't need that, just put the cap on and you're good to go.
4. Narrow bottles. Ok so this is clearly a preference thing, but the narrow necks make it harder to clean them. We use an oxo bottle brush (also highly recommend). The brush fits you just have to be careful putting it in and pulling it out or you're going to get yourself wet. Also being narrow tends to make the 8oz size taller than most bottle cooler bags I've seen which makes storing them on the go difficult.
Also, formula and breast milk stink. It's sticky and messy and a pain if it gets all over you or anything. So imagine all the above with that in mind.
Customer Review: Great bottles, but not a magic cure for colic
Summary: 4 Stars
We first used these bottles when our seven year old was born. He had severe colic (crying for seven to nine hours at a time with no break). We bought every single product on the market that claimed to help ease colic. We were absolutely desperate to find something, ANYTHING, that would help. I'm sorry to say that these bottles did not make a bit of difference.
However, they WILL help babies with gas and spit ups. (Some parents think this is colic. Trust me, crying for an hour isn't colic, kids!) That's why I recommend these bottles. We currently have a four month old who spits up prolifically, so we brought out the old bottles (buying new nipples and other parts, of course), and it has helped tremendously with her fussiness and vomiting.
Some important points so you don't have the same experiences as those who posted negative reviews:
-- It's important to hold the bottle at enough of an angle so the bottom of the tube is above the formula, so air can escape and not be reingested by your infant.
-- I highly recommend purchasing the Dr. Brown's dishwasher racks (made specifically for these bottles.. watch your sizes though, there are wide bottles and racks and standard bottles and racks) as well as the drying rack. These purchases will make your life so much easier and prevent mold build up. With our first born, we didn't buy the racks and and had to replace parts due to mold. However, this time around, we spent the extra $25 up front and will not need to spend more than that later in replacement parts.
-- When filling the bottle for a feeding, do not go above the fill line. Otherwise, the bottle will leak. It's also important to make sure the rubber stopper is tightly inserted for the same reason.
-- When taking a bottle on the go, be sure to insert the travel disk below the nipple, or the bottle will leak if tipped over in your diaper bag.
While this sounds like a lot of work, these bottles are no more cumbersome than any other bottle, especially if you puchase the racks as I recommended.
They do not help ease severe colic and quite frankly, nothing will. Nothing. If you're dealing with a severely colicky baby, save your money on the CDs, books, expensive formulas and other "magic cures" for easing colic and just ride it out as best you can. Many children overcome it within three months (which can sound like a lifetime, I know).
However, I recommend these bottles (and the racks!) for parents of gassy babies and babies who can't seem to keep their formula down. (Enfamil Lipil AR is also a great help with spit up issues.)
Customer Review: Terribly designed
Summary: 2 Stars
If my twins grow up speaking in a vocabulary rich in four-letter words, it will be entirely the fault of these gosh darn bottles. Of many curse-inducing problems with these things, here are but three.
FIRST, they don't hold milk. They leak all over the place, even in normal use. Do a feeding and you'll end up with milk spots all over your shirt and pants, even before the little one starts spitting up. Put filled bottles in a diaper bag and the liquid will pour right out. Yes, there's a little sealer doohickey you're supposed to use, but using it requires opening the bottle, dripping water/milk all over yourself, inserting a little disc, and then sealing the whole apparatus right back up. And then you have to remember to remove the disc when the feeding begins, or you, like I, might just spend 25 minutes wondering why baby "just doesn't seem to be hungry today". (Under normal circumstances, your memory would be working fine, but don't forget to factor in sleep deprivation!) The cap is just for show -- it doesn't do anything aside from, I suppose, keep the nipple clean.
SECOND, it's near-impossible to measure the water you put in or to see how much the kids have eaten, since the markings on the side are just bumps in the clear plastic and are printed in very small text. What about inking and coloring the markings so that they're readable? Making them larger so that when Dad's doing the 3 AM "dream feed" (ie, all is dark and quiet), you don't need 200 watts of light to see whether baby's eaten 3 ounces or 4? It's not a dream feed if the light you need to read the bottle makes the kids think it's 8 AM.
THIRD, they're a pain to clean. Even with minimal accessories (no cap, no sealer disc), each bottle still requires 5 separate pieces to wash and dry, every time you use the thing. With twins, we go through 14 or 16 bottles a day, so that's a lot of time at the sink. Dishwasher you say? If you don't buy their dishwasher rack -- and at this point I refuse to -- the parts will go all over, and even better, the plastic pieces that drop will melt on the dishwasher's sanitizing heater.
As for reducing colic, who knows? We sometimes just attach a nipple and ring to the pre-made Similac bottles, and we haven't noticed a difference either way.
Now that I'm locked into the Dr. Brown's system, I guess I'll stick with them until the kids grow out of 'em. But if I had it to do over again, I think the cheap bottles would do just fine.
Customer Review: Great for preemie's
Summary: 4 Stars
Some of the negative reviews on this are true. They do leak. BUT the bottle say at the top where the markings for the ounces are "Do not fill above this line or this bottle will leak" It says something to that effect. I am not quoting the warning correctly. It will leak if you fill above the line at the top above the 8oz. if it is an 8 oz or 4oz if it is a 4oz. bottle.
My husband and I had twins two months early and believe me, it was frustrating when the twins would gag and refuse the bottle! Then I took them to a feeding therapist and she gave me two Dr. Brown's bottles to go home with and see how the twins ate. Plus some exercises. When I started using these bottles on my twins they were easier to feed! They were not getting too much or too little. Before this, I was going through nipples like crazy! I tried fast flow,medium flow nipples and slow flow nipples. My twins were very hard to feed. It was much relief when I began using the Dr.Browns bottles instead. The writing on the bottles do disappear. I cannot speak for the glass ones. I have no issues with smell in the bottles. I gave these bottle 4 stars because the cleaning. The inserts that are used HAVE to be in the bottles to be used or they will leak indefinitely. When cleaning them you have to take the whole bottle apart and clean the inserts thoroughly. You must use the wire brush that comes with it because your original bottle brush is not small and skinny enough to get into the tube. We have lost these due to them falling into the garbage disposal. These brushes come inside the bottle when you buy them. And last complaint is,they are expensive!! After the therapist had given the babies the D.B bottles and I seen that they liked them, I went and bought them more. From a local store they cost me 18.00 for a 3pk! and for just one 6.00! It was well worth it if it meant sleeping and babies not losing weight! After speaking to the neonatalogist and nurse at the twins 6 month evaluation, they told me that some people who have had preterm babies have used these bottles as well. So if you are looking for a bottle your infant will not struggle eating with, I recommend this bottle highly. Ignore the negative reviews. they are not even worth considering. First buy one from your local Walmart and then if you like them consider buying more from where ever you can. If you can get it cheaper, kudos to you! I still recommend these bottles!