Dr. Brown's 8 oz. Natural Flow Wide Neck Bottle, 3 Pack
by Dr. Brown's
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Our Price: $23.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $19.99 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Dr. Brown's 8 oz. Natural Flow Wide Neck Bottle, 3 Pack
Customer Review: Pretty good Dr.Brown Bottles
Summary: 4 Stars
My twin sons are going to be 10 months old soon, were colicky, and the Dr. Browns were the only bottles that could help them...
First off, from the beginning... DONT BUY THE SMALLER SIZE... especially since you can put 4 oz in an 8 oz bottle, but not 8 oz in a 4 oz bottle... There ya go, just skip the smaller ones.
The Dr. Browns are GREAT for helping with gas or acid reflux or what not, but I do advise possibly trying another brand if your baby is "fine", just because the Dr. Browns are annoying to assemble. They have the bottle marks clear on the bottle, and its easy to see how much my son drinks. Washing the bottle is simple, but if you do not have a dishwasher, PASS ON THESE BOTTLES! That said, if you do have a dishwasher, (1) wash EVERYTHING on the top rack, not the bottom, (2) buy baskets for the nipples/rings so they dont get "lost" and (3) buy a larger basket for the long "vents" oh yeah, and (4), the bottles can be washed by draping it over the "stick" on the top rack. That cleans the bottles well, but I must add that I do rinse off and "scrub" them before I place them in the dishwasher... if you clean your bottles with care, you wont need to spend the money for a sterilizer. Its also easy to transition breast-feeding babies to the Dr. Browns, the WIDE NECKS are the way to go, but they are harder to find than the regular ones.
Now there is the one question, how easy is it to make a bottle... Quite frankly, other bottles are easier... and that's why I transitioned to VentAirs after the boys started eating solids, and they are now also taking sippys. First of all I connect the vent to the nipple and ring, and measure the amount of formula in the bottle. THAN I have to pour the formula from the bottle into one of the few other brands I have (about 2 Avents and 10 VentAirs) to shake the bottle so the formula is ready. You CAN NOT SHAKE THIS BOTTLE, which is also a reason to purchase back-ups for when your baby discovers the joys of chucking bottles. THAN you can place the assembled nipple, vent, and ring on the top... There's a cover for traveling in the diaper bag, but I would never put it into the bag without something around it, like a Ziploc... So I wound up just putting them in the pocket... Or I would have to carry two Dr. Browns, and some formula powder and water in 2 other bottles so I can mix it well.
I highly recommend the VentAirs if (1) you cant afford the Dr. Browns, (2) if you cant stand the process of assembling a bottle, (3) if you dont have a dishwasher (although a dishwasher is always easier), and (4) if your baby doesn't have any gassy problems. For us it was worth it to spend 5-10 minutes assembling bottles to save our boys from pain, and after it wasn't "necessary", we switched.
For the pure annoyance of assembling a Dr. Brown, I have to deduct a star, which also goes along with the high price... although I dont mind a high price for a good product. Good job Dr. Brown.
Customer Review: Dr. Brown Bottles are SIMPLY THE BEST!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was given a Dr. Brown's bottle as a shower gift and am so glad that I got it!
When I stopped breastfeeding I started using 4 oz. Avent bottles for several reasons. First, because I ended up with 8 of them after purchasing other Avent products and second, because the lactation consultant that taught my breastfeeding class recommended them stating they were more like the breast.
When I started looking at purchasing larger 8 oz. bottles I remembered that I had received a Dr. Brown's bottle and decided to try it to see if my daughter would take it. The wide-mouth nipples look very similar to the Avent ones. My daughter "smacks" a lot when she nurses and subsequently takes in a lot of air. She spit up often and would sometimes spit up what looked like half her bottle when she had trouble burping. She took the Dr. Brown's bottle instantly and so I decided to buy a few more and switch for a week or two to see if there was any benefit. I'm so glad that I did!
Once I got past the fact that the bottle looked as big as my daughter's head (the 8 oz. wide-mouth bottles are very large!), I realized that she was burping much more easily and hardly spitting up at all.
I truly believe the benefits of using this bottle outweigh the extra parts you have to clean. After doing some research I discovered that one of the main reasons bottle-fed babies get more ear infections is because of the "vacuum effect" traditional bottles have. As the baby sucks on a traditional bottle they have to gradually suck harder and harder as pressure builds in the bottle. This also creates pressure in their ears which can disturb the fluid balance and cause inner ear problems. The baby also has to frequently break the latch (and the nipple collapses at a certain point of pressure which causes them to unlatch) so that the pressure can equalize in the bottle. This causes them to take in more air. Now, when my daughter is really hungry, she can take practically the whole bottle without ever having to break her latch!
I really like the nipples as well. They are much thinner than the Avent ones and mold better to my baby's mouth. I suppose this is because the Avent ones have to be thicker and stronger to resist collapsing under pressure?
Others have stated that leaking is a problem. They WILL leak only if:
1) you heat them without loosening the top (collar/nipple)
2) you travel with them without putting the disk in the top designed to keep them from leaking
Don't do these things and you shouldn't have any problems.
I definitely recommed you at least try these. I will definitely be purchasing these as shower gifts for new moms! I do recommend the wide-mouth bottles rather than the skinnier ones if your baby has been breast-fed for an easier transition.
Customer Review: A little higher maintenance, but better for baby...
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I'm sure you have read all the comments about "extra cleaning time". Trust me -- running the little brush through the vent and the tube takes an extra 3 seconds per bottle (yes, I counted), so do not let that scare you off using these bottles.
The second most common complaint is leaking. We also had some leaks at the beginning, but there are 3 things you can do to prevent leaks (and yes -- prevent, not just reduce leaking; I have a "leak free" feeding history now that I follow these rules):
1. If you are re-heating the bottle, unscrew the collar a little to let the hot air escape. If trapped in the bottle, the expanding hot air will force milk/formula up into the vent tube and you will have a leak. We use the Night & Day Bottle Warmer, and I had leaks after warming the bottle until I figured out the problem.
2. Do not shake the bottle if you are preparing powdered formula or have reheated the bottle. Swirl the bottle or stir the formula (pop a few PLASTIC spoons in your sterilizer - microwaves don't like metal!), or shake it without the vent and tube in place. Shaking also forces liquid up into the vent.
3. MOST IMPORTANT: Make sure the tip of the vent tube is clear of liquid when feeding the baby. Sounds obvious, but when you're focusing on your little guy/gal, you don't always pay attention to the bottle angle. If the tip of the tube is covered in formula or just barely above the surface, liquid will slop down the tube and leak out the vents under the nipple collar.
We have been using the small 4oz bottles for our newborn son (now 3 weeks old), and he has very little burping and spitting up compared to nieces and nephews I have fed using other bottle brands. The Level 1 nipple flow seems to be fine, but there is also a Newborn nipple if your baby likes to feed more slowly.
The biggest challenge with these bottles have been sterilizing all the parts. We have a microwave sterilizer (which works fine once you figure out where all the parts go). However, we switched to the Philips Avent iQ24 Sterilizer, because it holds 6 of the 4oz bottles and all the parts (bottles, vent tubes, and 3 caps on the bottom, collars and beige vents in the middle basket, and nipples and 3 caps plus the assembly tongs in the top basket). I don't know how well all the parts and larger 8oz bottles will fit (or how many), but the convenience is there -- you can set a 24 hour sterilization cycle and leave it on overnight.
All in all, we're very satisfied with these bottles, and would definitely recommend them.
Customer Review: YOU are probablly making mistakes, the bottles are wonderful!
Summary: 5 Stars
At first, I HATED these bottles, although they are GREAT for gassy twins, they were just annoying me so much!
First of all, its more-likely that YOU are doing something incorectly, not the bottle. When you travel with them, you NEED to use the white disk that comes with a purchase of the bottles to keep the liquid from going into the vent and leaking. OR you can purchase the new travel caps, but carrying around the vent and vent insert seperatly was too annoying, so we stick with the white disks. Okay, so that solves the annoying leaks while traveling, but what about making formula? We either (a) use pre-made formula, and just pour it in, or (b) we make a pitcher of formula from powder, and then pour it into the bottles. This saves time, and money (pre-made formula is more expensive). Or if you are expressing breastmilk, you can either (a) shake it in another off-brand bottle, or (b) stir it inside the bottle. You CANNOT shake these bottles, unless you have the white disk in (do not forget to remove it before feeding your baby!). Okay, so that was my mistake as well, but what about CLEANING?! First of all, you do not need those thin brushes they provide, atleast we found a way to work around them. We put the dirty bottle into hot soapy water, whether its 3 minutes after a feeding, or if it has been sitting in my diaper bag for an hour or more. We let them sit for about 10-15 minutes, enough time for me to get the laundry done! Then I use a SPONGEY bottle brush to wipe out the gunk in the bottle, and use a nipple brush for the nipples. The vent and vent insert are just rinsed off, and then we throw em in the dishwasher. They come out beautifully clean, and it really isnt too much work. Also, the wide-neck bottles are easier to clean with a bottle brush, and my boys like the nipple better, so I suggest buying 1 or 2 of each (the wide necks and the regulars) so you can see which your baby prefers. by the way, the reason the nipples on the regualar 8 oz Dr.Browns are different than those on the wide-necks are because they are different styles. Most bottles have a few nipple shapes you can purchase, along with different flow speeds. Thats like what this is, only the two nipples arent interchangable. Oh, dont bother with any bottle lower than8 oz, as they are expensive bottles and the 4 oz ones dont last more than a month or two. These bottles (like many reviewers say) reduce gas, or help with reflux (along with the mycolin drops) and are a true blessing! Maybe they can come out with a lower maitenence bottle, but for now, Dr.Browns rank supreme in gas elimintaion (if your baby isnt really too gassy, try the ventaires, they are pretty good too, but the Dr.Browns are better).
Customer Review: if you've ever had a colicky baby...
Summary: 4 Stars
My second daughter had terrible colic and when I found out I was pregnant again, I was determined to do everything I could to head colic off at the pass. These bottles have been worth every penny (if you have problems with a colicky baby I'd also recommend getting an Amby baby hammock BTW) - I couldn't give them 5 stars though because of the hassle with mixing powdered formula (see below).
Tips: I agree that you should just go straight to the 8 oz. bottles; don't bother with the little ones.
To clean them, if you use a dishwasher it's easy after the initial sterilization in boiling water. You will want to get two dishwasher baskets: the kind that is specially designed to hold nipples and a large open one with no dividers of any kind. We got ours at Babies 'R' Us. I simply disassemble the bottle, put the long thin pieces standing upright in the large basket so the dishwasher can clean them throughly and the second part of the vent piece fits in there as well and I place them around the base to keep the tall pieces from falling over. I put the nipples and the rings in the other basket. When I'm putting together a bottle, I grab the two venting pieces from one basket and snap them together, the nipple and ring from the other basket and put them together, screw on the lid and I'm done!
If you don't use a dishwasher, they give you a little brush. And, since they give you a brush in each package of bottles, you'll easily have extras to leave at grandma's house for bottle-washings there.
As far as leaking, I have discovered this: all over the literature it says, don't shake the bottles, don't shake the bottles. They aren't kidding!!! We have used both powdered formula and concentrate. Concentrate is easier, you can just pour the mixed formula into the bottle. For powder you absolutely CANNOT mix it in the bottle. If you swirl it, the powder doesn't dissolve. If you shake it, the bottle will leak. This is true even if you shake it w/o the valve, just with the lid screwed on. You just can't get around it. If we are travelling with these bottles, we have to pack the powder, bottled water, the empty bottles, and one clean empty jar (like a jelly jar) with a lid for each bottle we want to make. We measure the amount of water using the lines on the bottle, pour it into the jar, add the powder, put the lid on the jar, shake it thoroughly, pour the mixed formula back into the bottle and put the rest of the pieces on it. Because this IS kindof a hassle, I have to give these bottles only 4 stars... but as far as a happy and colic-free baby goes -- you won't ever have cause to complain!