Thank you, Playtex Baby for sponsoring today’s post. #PlaytexMoms #ForBetterBeginnings
Hi Mamas,
I want to share more early motherhood stories with you based on my experiences and the experiences of other moms I chat with on a regular basis. Did your baby have a favorite bottle? One of the things I never realized was a thing was that babies have a preferred bottle. Did you know this before you became a mom? I certainly didn’t and thank God for my big sisters and their experience with the Playtex Baby™ Nurser® bottles over 20 years ago. Here’s why…
If you have been following me for a while, you may remember the saga that was Baby E and his refusal to take a bottle. To say it was an easy experience would be a flat out lie. It was hard for more reasons than one. I was truly happy when Baby E was able to breastfeed which is something Zoe didn’t get to do for very long not to mention she was always supplemented. My breastfeeding journey with Baby E started out so rough but I was determined to breastfeed and after about 7 days, my milk supply came in and we were off to the races.
BUT…
In my mind, I always thought we would have a breastfeeding and breast milk (via pump and bottle) experience. To be quite frank, I did not want to exclusively breastfeed although I wanted him to have breastmilk exclusively. Does that sound crazy? It’s actually pretty common that moms decide to pump and feed via bottle instead of exclusively breastfeed and that doesn’t just apply to working moms. Stay at home moms do it too.
BUT…
Baby E was not a fan of the bottle. I tried and tried with the three types of bottles we had on hand left over from Zoe’s bottle days. Let me pause right here and just say it… A fed baby is a healthy baby! Cool? Cool. But Baby E was not here for it and soon exclusively breastfeeding became a source of stress for me. This is another thing not necessarily shared in the mom community. But it is real and after joining several mom groups and going through the journey with several really close friends at the same time, I know it is important to share this. I am actually still overwhelmed with the amount of support I received from moms all over (the world) about their struggle with exclusively breastfeeding and their baby refusing to use a bottle.
So yes, it took me buying a ton of bottles, lots of tears, getting other people to try to feed him and just giving up on bottles altogether for me and Baby E to finally work something out. Well not exactly. My sweet baby boy is a biter (yes it’s because even now he bites). So after a few too many bites and several suggestions from other moms, we were back on the perfect bottle search. In comes my sister with her great memory “Why aren’t you using the Playtex Nurser bottles?” and to that, I did not have an answer besides “I don’t know”. So we went out and bought one.
#MamaTip:
After months of crying, trying and broken skin, we found a winner. I still have no answer as to why this wasn’t the first bottle I started with. My sisters both breastfed and bottle fed breastmilk and, yes, formula with Playtex Baby™ Nurser® with Drop-Ins® Liners. These bottles have been around a very long time. My nieces will be 24 this year if that’s any indication. Of course, the bottle has been redesigned and what they say they do, they actually do.
They give tired and overwhelmed moms the break they need sometimes. You read my struggles above so, yes, sometimes mama’s sanity has to take priority.
The drop-in liners are like magic because they collapse as baby feeds which helps to eliminate air bubbles from mixing with the milk. Ever dealt with a colicky or gassy baby? I’ve dealt with two and it’s no fun.
Clean bottle anywhere. My babies both preferred warm breastmilk/formula. I would keep their milk in an airtight thermos and then pour it into the liners (which are pre-sterilized) as needed. Easy peasy. Warm bottle, easy to dispose of (or recycle) and a great set-up for moms on the go.
The design of the bottle and the liner makes for a similar feeding experience for breastfed babies. This is especially great for mamas and babies that breastfeed and bottle feeding throughout the day.
My baby loved it! Is there any better reason? Ha.
So mamas if you are struggling with breastfeeding or finding a bottle that your baby loves, try the Playtex Baby™ Nurser® with Drop-Ins® Liners. They may just save your sanity while keeping your baby fed and happy. This is what #PlaytexMoms is all about, sharing our stories in the hope that they will help another mama out. Target remains my number one place to buy baby supplies (because the Dollar Spot is so necessary and Target is an unofficial mommy hangout). But you can grab them on Playtex Baby, Amazon, Walmart or BabysRUs.
Listen, my family and friends love this bottle so much, we have already cast our vote for it to win a Playtex Baby™ Nurser® bottles Moms’ Pick Best of 2017 award. Make sure you vote for the best bottle ever aka the Playtex Baby™ Nurser® with Drop-Ins® Liners or vote for the Playtex® Ventaire™ Bottle (it’s a winner too).
Did you struggle with breastfeeding or did your baby have a favorite bottle or refuse one altogether? Share your stories with me and know that I always have virtual mama hugs for you all.
4 Comments
Donna Shana
February 26, 2017 at 10:46 PMToo cute. He is holding on to that thing.
M J
March 3, 2017 at 3:10 PMLOL. He was attached. But I was happy for it because breastfeeding was so stressful at this point.
Mimi Green
February 27, 2017 at 6:36 AMI had a favorite and it worked for both of the kids. I breastfed them both and pumped breastmilk while I was at work. The Playtex drop-in were perfect for this process.
M J
March 3, 2017 at 3:09 PMYes girl. I know that pumping life too. My word but these bottles are definitely perfect.