When is a good time to upgrade nipples?

Melissa - posted on 12/31/2009

they say to switch to faster flow nipples at 6 months, however, my daughter had the same problem with it coming out to fast but she would throw a fit with the slow flow because it didnt come out fast enough. I had to just keep trying with the flow, it took 3 days and she figured out how to not choke on the milk.

Michelle - posted on 12/31/2009

every kid is different and gets used to a specific type of bottle, there is no need to to change nipples on the bottle my son never went to medium or fast he liked the slow flow so that is what we used consistently with him....with my daughter who is now 8 months she uses the nuby no spill bottles with the no spill nipple they are harder suck through but she likes them and we have less mess

Lori - posted on 12/31/2009

It all depends on your baby. My sister used slow flow only with all of her children until they switched to a sippy cup. However, soon after starting to ween my son off the breast he began getting frustrated my the slow flow nipples. I realized that it always took him forever to finish a bottle, while he seemed to be satisfied very quickly when breastfeeding. I figured that the milk was probably coming out faster from me. When I switched him to medium flow he finished his bottles much faster and with a lot less squirming! Now at 8 months I debating whether or not to try a fast flow, just to make his bottle feedings quicker.

Jeanette - posted on 12/30/2009

My son is almost 9 months and when he drinks formula we still use the slow flow nipples. We tried the fast flow ones for about 2 days and he still couldn't get the hang of it. He doesn't get frustrated and he still eats all the bottle, so I just am sticking to the slowflow ones. His doctor said it was fine to stay with those if that is what he is happy drinking with. But if you want to change them it is possible to switch nipples up. We use Nuk bottles and have bought Playtex and Gerber nipples for his bottles. :) Hope that helps :)

Missy - posted on 12/30/2009

I switched to fast flow when my son turned 8 months because he seemed like he struggled to get as much as he wanted as fast as he wanted and would fall asleep and be sooo hungry when he woke up.

Elena - posted on 12/30/2009

My sone is 9 months and still uses the slow flow. I still breastfeed while I'm with him but when I am at work he gets bottles

Tabitha - posted on 12/29/2009

My son is 8.5 months old and bottle fed only. He is also still on the slow flow of the playtex bottles. I have tried to switch but I have the same problem as you, which is strange because he takes sippy cups as well at daycare and at home. He still can take a 6oz bottle in 10 mins or less with the slowflow so I have decided that I am not going to switch him. He seems to be doing fine with them so I figure why switch...

Crystal - posted on 12/29/2009

Quoting Crystal:I mean my first son. Opps!

My son used slow flow the whole time he had a bottle. Some kids just like the sucking thing. Then on the other hand some get mad like me friends kids and have fast flow from 1 month on. So I would say what ever makes her happy.

Crystal - posted on 12/29/2009

My son used slow flow the whole time he had a bottle. Some kids just like the sucking thing. Then on the other hand some get mad like me friends kids and have fast flow from 1 month on. So I would say what ever makes her happy.

Amber - posted on 12/29/2009

If she's happy with them, there's no need to change to a higher flow. We as still breast feeding a bit (low production) and just started a straw. She's still not too sure about it, but she's getting the hang of it. I'm planning to pick up a couple of Take N Toss sippys this week and see how that goes. If she doesn't like them, we'll try the nubby ones. Good luck.

Corrie - posted on 12/29/2009

In the meantime we tried the variable flow nipples (we use the Born Free glass bottles), but it seemed to flow too fast, and he refused to drink, so we will just stay with the slow and use medium flow nipples when he is really tired. Still nursing, so I prefer he has slower flow nipples for the bottle.

Orshi - posted on 12/28/2009

My son is 8 mo and we are on fast flow. He started struggling with the medium and not eating because it took too long, thats when I switched to fast flow. If your daughter is feeding ok and is not showing signs of being hungry or struggling i would stay with what you are using...

Jennifer - posted on 12/28/2009

My 8 month old girls are still on slow-flow nipples. One of them can handle the medium flow nipples, but it's too confusing keeping two different types of nipples in the house, so they are both using slow-flow right now!

Jane - posted on 12/27/2009

I still use the the #2 flow nipples for my 8 month old. I also tried the faster flowing ones & he hates them & will stop eating if it's to fast for him. So I'm going to stick with the slower flowing ones until he's completely on the sippy cup. I enjoy the extra cuddle time too, with all his crawling & moving around that's the only time I really get to hold him & he sits still.

Donna - posted on 12/27/2009

Lawson uses the sipper cup teats in the Nuby bottles. These allow him to control the flow of the formula.

Alexis - posted on 12/26/2009

We use the drop in bottles, and once my son started taking a decade to eat his bottle we upgraded. Trial and error is the best way to find out if your baby is ready :) When I first had my son I didnt even know there were different nipples! But I soon realized when he started choking on the fast flow ones : / I think if you are questioning the upgrade, its probably time to try it out :D

Michelle - posted on 12/26/2009

Depends on your child. If things are going well, keep using those nipples. I had aggressive eaters. Both went through the stages (we use Dr. Brown's) like lightning. #1 could have handled stage 4, but they didn't make those at the time. #2 is on stage 3 & I think that's where he's happiest. Both were also 2-spoon-shovel-method baby food eaters.

Samantha - posted on 12/26/2009

My son is the same way. He was born on the 15th of April and spent 6 days in the NICU when he was first born. I tried other bottles and he didnt like them. I have him on medium flow nipples and he loves it. He used to get fustrated with the slow nipples and when he was about 6 months I changed it.

Corrie - posted on 12/26/2009

Our son is 8 months old and we are still using the slow flow nipples, because I am also breast feeding, but do not have enough, so we have to supplement. We are thinking of switching to a faster flow, as he is getting a little frustrated with the slow flow and often falling asleep after 3 or 4 ounces.

Whitney - posted on 12/25/2009

i had a hard time finding any nipple upgrades for my modela and avent bottles so i just bought some medium flow gerber bottles (the only ones they had at the store, no fast flow) They are cheap and work fine, and dont flow too quickly. even if your child is struggling with the flow, id stick to it because she was eventually get the hang of it.....i went through that with sippy cups with mine. it took time but she doesnt spill at all now

Shirley - posted on 12/25/2009

It is perfectly fine to stay with the same nipple on the bottle if that is what your baby is happy with. You will know when it is time to upgrade when your baby gets frustrated each time she feeds and you'll see that she is working too hard to get the milk. There is no rule to it, use what works best for you :)

I use pigeon bottles and they have what is called a "y" teat, the harder your baby sucks on the nipple/teat the more the hole opens and lets formula out ( a bit like the breast), it is a no drip teat so unless the baby sucks on it none comes out. Perfect for when other teats are too fast flowing. if your baby gets milk too much too fast you may fine she gets a stomach ache or bad wind, so use what makes you and your baby happy.

Catherine - posted on 12/24/2009

My daughter is still on mixed feeds (one breast feed and two bottle feeds a day) so I still use the slow flow teats that better mimick breast milk flow. I'm due to return to work in just over a month so in the next couple of weeks, I'll be stopping the last breastfeed and then moving her onto bottles with medium-flow teats. I use Philips Avent bottles and teats and find that I can vary the flow of the milk from the teats depending on the position of the holes. I guess I haven't helped all that much with my ramblings. sorry.

Tania - posted on 12/23/2009

I used the playtex bottles and nipples also but i changed to the fast flow nipples when my daughter was 4 months old because she was always falling asleep on her bottle and not eating as much as she should... as soon as i changed nipples she drank much more and stayed awake a lot longer! The first time she tried it, she coughed because the milk does come out a little faster but she was fine after and now it only takes about 10 minutes to drink 8oz instead of like 30-40 minutes!