Some bottle-fed babies are perfectly happy with the first nipple you pop in their mouths, but others are much more selective when it comes to their first set of utensils. And when you find one that works, it feels like a victory – and it is! That doesn’t mean it’s the last time you’ll be wrestling with bottle-nipple choices until it’s time to graduate them to straw cups, though. There are two main reasons to switch bottle nipples – the first is to replace nipples that need to be retired because of the wear and tear from Baby’s fearsome jaws, and the second is to change the size of the opening on the bottle nipple to a faster flow as Baby grows.
All worn out
Both latex and silicone bottle nipples can wear out after several months of use. This is especially true if you use a dishwasher or once Baby’s teeth are in, and the nipples are used for a little bit of teething time. Most bottle manufacturers recommend checking nipples for signs of wear when they’ve been in use for 3 months, although they can certainly wear out more quickly. If you notice them wearing out earlier, take them out of use right away.
Obvious signs of wear on both latex and silicone nipples are discoloration, pieces coming off, and changes in the nipples’ shapes. Worn-out silicone nipples also may look like they have cracks in them. Any one of these signs is a good reason to retire a nipple. The less obvious reason, change in flow from the nipple, is easy to test by filling two bottles with warm water, fitting one with the old nipple and one with a new one, and watching the two flows against each other.
Taking the next step
The problem with graduation from one flow speed of nipple to the next is that there is no standardized level for nipple flow. Instead, it varies based on the brand. Each brand will give you their recommendations. Because every bottle brand’s nipple flow is different and every baby is different, the guidelines for when to switch bottle nipples are almost completely arbitrary. They can only really be used as very rough guides. A size 1 may feel very slow to your baby in one brand, while Size 1 is a super soaker in another!
The real thing that determines when Baby should move up to the next nipple-flow speed is of course Baby, and what they need. Age alone is not a reason to use a bigger size if they are happy and eating well. They might be ready for the next nipple grade if they are sucking hard enough to collapse their bottle nipple regularly or seem frustrated by how slowly the milk from their bottle is coming out. If, on the other hand, you switch up to the next grade of nipple and Baby has a hard time swallowing all of the milk as it comes out – coughing or choking – they might not be ready to make the switch. In the end, if they seem happy with the speed at which their dinner is getting to them, there really is no reason to change nipple sizes at all.
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