Breastflow Bottle Review

For moms planning on breastfeeding and supplementing with a bottle, there are a number of options for breastfeeding-friendly bottles.  One of the very popular and highly-advertised bottles is the Breastflow Bottle by The First Years.  The manufacturer claims that these bottles come as close to natural feeding as possible, using a unique double-nipple system that requires both compression and suction to cause milk flow.  The bottle is supposed to help make the transition between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding seamless.  They are made of BPA-free plastic, are a wide-mouthed design, and come in five and nine-ounce sizes.

I have personally used the bottles for a few months with my son.  I planned on breastfeeding before he was born and did a lot of research as to what the best bottle would be to supplement.  Overall, the Breastflow bottles get great reviews, so I decided on these.  I first introduced a bottle to him when he was three weeks old.  To my surprise, he took the bottle immediately and had no problems finishing it.  We had also tried the Medela bottles that came with my pump, but he would not take to it.  The Breastflow bottles were superior in this way.  Over the months that I used the Breastflow bottles, there were no problems with nipple confusion when I’d switch between breast and bottle.  I thought they were the perfect bottle and recommended them to my friends.  At this point the only thing I did not like about them was having the extra nipples to clean.

However, once my son reached about three months old, I started noticing some problems.  The outer nipple would collapse every time he fed with it, no matter how tight or loose the nipple ring was placed.  The shape and design of the outer nipple made it impossible for him to make a seal with his mouth when it collapsed, making his feeding long and frustrating for him.  I also noticed that the bottles were building up a permanent haze that could not be removed with washing, which is common for plastic bottles.  I finally got frustrated enough with collapsing nipple and decided to go with a completely different bottle, the Evenflo Glass Nurser.

Here is a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of these bottles.

Pros: Easy for baby to latch, mimics breastfeeding, wide-mouthed opening makes it easy to add liquids or powder, cute design, BPA-free

Cons: Double-nipple means more parts to clean, film builds up on plastic, nipple collapses, bottle doesn’t fit Medela breast pumps

Despite the fact that I had a bad experience in the end, there are definitely some good things about the Breastflow bottle.  I was definitely into it at first, but later we had to make a change.  Maybe the Breastflow bottle will work for you and your baby.

If you’re trying to make a decision on a bottle for your baby, please read this article on glass versus plastic baby bottles.

What do you think about the Breastflow bottle?

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