Bottle size question

I'm planning on breast feeding, but when they are about 4 or 5 weeks old, I will be giving them 1 bottle a day so I can get started in pumping (will be going back to work). I need to get some more bottles, but I'm not sure what size. Right now I have two 5 oz. bottles and two 9 oz. bottles. About how much does a 1 month old eat at a feeding? Should I just get the larger size?

 

My guys were still taking less than 4 oz at a time at one month. Keep in mind that babies will take more from a bottle than from the breast, so if you're planning to primarily breastfeed, you may never need a lot of the larger bottles. I still prefer to use the little ones for occasional bottles.

 

they won't be eating that much in the beginning but IMO I would get the larger bottles b/c then you won't have to go out and buy new ones when they start drinking more. I think it was about the 3.5-4 month mark that DS started drinking 6-7 ounces at once and we had to retire his small bottles. At one month DD was eating 2-3 ounces, DS 3-5 ounces each feeding.

 

Be careful stocking up on too many bottles. I bought a TON of Avent bottles and my girls hated them and would not use them. I pretty much have over $150 worth of bottles sititng in a box that I have no use for. Dr. Browns ended up being the only ones that worked for us. GL!

 

bf babies rarely take more than 3-5oz's at a feeing. I had either 4 or 6oz bottles and those were fine, never had to buy any others. Bf babies tend to eat more often (breastmilk is digested faster and easier), so at 6 months they are still eating 6 times a day, whereas a lot fo ff babies are eating 4 times a day.

HTH

 

our boys are only taking 2-4 oz. right now and they just hit the 1 month mark

 

I used 6 oz. bottles for the longest time. I think I switched to 9 oz. around 6 months.

 

QUOTE(excitedk @ Feb 15 2008, 10:33 PM) [snapback]624297[/snapback]
bf babies rarely take more than 3-5oz's at a feeing. I had either 4 or 6oz bottles and those were fine, never had to buy any others. Bf babies tend to eat more often (breastmilk is digested faster and easier), so at 6 months they are still eating 6 times a day, whereas a lot fo ff babies are eating 4 times a day.

HTH



That's good to know! Do they continue to only eat about 5 oz when they get a bit older?


Oh, and about stocking up, yeah - I'm keeping them in the package until I need them, just in case!!

 

Here are some good links to check out:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

In exclusively breastfed babies, milk intake increases quickly during the first few weeks of life, then stays about the same between one and six months (though it likely increases short term during growth spurts). Current breastfeeding research does not indicate that breastmilk intake changes with baby's age or weight between one and six months. After six months, breastmilk intake will continue at this same level until -- sometime after six months, depending in baby's intake from other foods -- baby's milk intake begins to decrease gradually
The research tells us that exclusively breastfed babies take in an average of 25 oz (750 mL) per day between the ages of 1 month and 6 months. Different babies take in different amounts of milk; a typical range of milk intakes is 19-30 oz per day (570-900 mL per day).

HTH