The baby bottle is a tool for feeding infants and young children with bottle food. It consists of a bottle and a bite-sized attachment made of antibacterial and easy-to-clean material.
What is the baby bottle?
For newborns, there are very small baby bottles because they do not have a large capacity yet. For larger babies and toddlers, there are baby bottles with a capacity of up to 240 ml and more. Not all babies are breastfed, although this is recommended by the World Health Organization. Even breastfed babies sometimes have to be fed with pumped milk if the mother cannot or will not give them the breast. This is where the baby bottle comes in. It is a construction of a glass or plastic bottle with a screw-off attachment made of soft, easy-to-clean materials. The attachment is modeled on the mother’s breast, especially for very small babies and breastfeeding babies; pure bottle babies are given attachments that are easy on the mouth. Bottle feeding can be prepared in the baby bottle by mixing the powder with warm water and shaking the bottle. To give breast milk with the baby bottle, it must first be pumped, then it can be given to the baby by bottle. Baby bottles are part of the basic equipment for the baby, even if he is fully breastfed at first. They can be used well beyond the first year of life.
Shapes, types and kinds
Parents who need to shop for their first baby bottles are understandably overwhelmed by the wide selection at first. Baby bottles come in a great many different styles. The differences start with the size. For newborns, there are very small baby bottles, as they do not yet have a large capacity. For larger babies and toddlers, there are baby bottles with a capacity of up to 240 ml and more, as children drink more at a feeding. There are specially adapted attachments for the bottle for premature babies, but they are often not available in regular stores. They are adapted to the small mouth and help the premature baby to overcome a weakness in sucking. The most important differences in ordinary attachments for the baby bottle lie in their shape. There are attachments that are modeled on the mother’s breast to make it easier for a breastfeeding baby to switch to the bottle or not to wean him too much from the mother’s breast if he is still to receive it. In addition to this shape, commercially available attachments for baby bottles also include anti-colic attachments, which prevent air from being swallowed as much as possible in order to alleviate tummy aches and three-month colic. In addition to the various attachments, different materials are used for the baby bottle itself. Glass and plastic dominate the market, with many parents preferring glass bottles due to their safe toxin-free nature.
Structure and mode of operation
The construction of a baby bottle is very simple and is easy even for new parents. The baby bottle consists of the actual bottle, which in addition to an attractive design usually also carries a milliliter indication. This allows you to measure exactly how much the baby has drunk and how much food was originally in the bottle. To calculate how much milk the baby has drunk from the baby bottle, the remaining amount of bottle feed is subtracted from the original fill quantity. Especially in the first months of life, accurate observation is important because parents want or even need to document it. The attachment has a ring made of plastic with which it can be screwed onto the baby bottle. For shaking prepared powdered bottle feeds, there is a small plastic plate for the baby bottle that is placed between the bottle and the attachment so that nothing leaks out during shaking. The only slightly more complicated part of the baby bottle is the attachment itself. When feeding, the bottle must be held the right way up, as then the air can escape through an air hole in the attachment and not be swallowed by the baby. The right side is the one where the attachment has a small dent – it is hard to miss, even if it is small. If you observe it closely, you can even see how the air in the milk escapes from the baby bottle through this dent.
Medical and health benefits
Not every baby can breastfeed long enough or at all.Medication treatments of the mother, breast infections, alcohol or cigarette consumption make it partially or completely impossible to breastfeed the baby. Some women also simply do not have enough breast milk for their baby. In these cases, babies used to be in mortal danger – today, they can be fed with artificially produced bottle feeds without any major problems. Some women take advantage of this and decide against breastfeeding and in favor of bottle feeding for very individual reasons. In this case, at the latest, baby bottles are indispensable. Modern baby bottles are designed in such a way that typical breastfeeding problems, such as stomach ache caused by swallowing air during breastfeeding, can be almost completely avoided. Baby bottles are medically recommended if there is no way around bottle feeding or if the mother had to pump breast milk. The recommendation in medical circles is still that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for the baby, as it contains everything the baby needs. In principle, a baby may be breastfed as long as the mother and child want it and get along well with it. After that, at the necessary time, it is recommended to give supplemental or main formula with a suitable baby bottle.
