Dr Brown Bottles - anyone use them?

[i_am_amy]

They seem really complicated!! I got a few to try to relieve LO's colic but they're daunting me lol. I don't understand how they work and tried one earlier only to have it leak all over me and Abby Have you found them to leak quite a lot or did I maybe not have it assembled properly? Also, on the instructions it says not to shake the formula but to stir it instead...do you actually do this or do you just shake? Any tips would be excellent Thanks.xxx

 

[MrsRH]

Hi there

we use Dr Brown bottles and they are very good for colic but the do leak!!!
You do need to screw them tightly and make sure the inner chamber is fixed together correctly.
They also leak more if you put warm water in then screw the cap on. Let it cool then screw up...

good luck
xxx

 

[MrsRH]

also I shake not stir.. it's impossible!
xxx

 

[genkigemini]

I have heard that shaking the Dr. Brown bottles breaks a seal in them and that is why they leak. That's why they tell you to stir. (It's also why I do not use them.)

Good luck!

 

[Scally]

We use them and we dont shake them, we mix formula in another bottle and pour into the dr browns. As for the leaking- do not heat it up with the funnel in it, or if u do make sure it is emptied before u put the teat on.

 

[bloodbinds]

i warm and shake in an avent bottle then pour into Dr browns - never had any problems with leaking - i think they're amazing. My LO had such bad wind/colic and now she is a perfectly happy baby!!

 

[puddingqueen]

Hi

All our bottles are Dr Brown, don't be worried about them, they are the best bottles we have ever had.

To make them...... we sterilise them, add cooled boiled water, add dried milk, then we mix with a small circular motion before adding the inside bit, add the creamy brown top which is assembled on to the plastic spouty thing(tightly), then add the white ring with the teat included, then put on the top but do not shake........you could just give it smooth cicular movements again just to make sure the milk has mixed well.

We would never ever use any other bottle now.........also so handy for dream feeding too.

Hope this helps.

xx

 

[vinnypeanut]

Hi my cousin tried using them when he little boy was first born as her first baby had terrible colic. She stopped using them after a couple of days because it was taking baby so long to feed and the milk came out so slowly. Anybody else had trouble with this??
Hes been very restless and windy recently but she doesnt want to try him back on the dr browns cuz he takes so long to feed on them.
Any advice?? x

 

[jojo2605]

Hi my cousin tried using them when he little boy was first born as her first baby had terrible colic. She stopped using them after a couple of days because it was taking baby so long to feed and the milk came out so slowly. Anybody else had trouble with this??
Hes been very restless and windy recently but she doesnt want to try him back on the dr browns cuz he takes so long to feed on them.
Any advice?? x

Hun this is more likely to be teat flow rather than the bottle itself. She perhaps could do with moving up a size on the teat, wr had to quite early on as the number 1 teat was way too slow for my LO x x

 

[Katieeeee]

I've used them and I thought they were a nightmare! They just didn't fit in with the way I do things. For starters, this is gonna sound really weird but I'd fill them up with water (I put the boiled water straight in and put the lids on and then use them when I need them) and when I went to use them, I'd put them in a jug of hot water to heat them and about an ounce of water would dissapear from the bottle! It was really bloody annoying. It wasn't leaking or anything..still haven't worked that one out. Also the not being able to shake the bottle was a bit of an inconvenience. Also they didn't fit very well in my microwave steriliser so in the end I just put them in the back of my cupboard and haven't used them since shame really cos they were good and Aiden seemed a lot less windy after using them.

 

[Eala]

Due to the positive pressure system the pipettes in the bottles create, you can't warm them/have hot or warm fluid in them with the lids (white ring) screwed tight. This makes the fluid suck up into the pipette, thru the yellow/brown wheel thing, and then go everywhere. Sometimes traps in the lid, sometimes just leaks out.

The way to get round that is to leave the bottle lid (white ring) slightly loose until the water is cool (our LO takes her bottles room temp) or when you're warming it. This stops the build-up of pressure that sucks the liquid up the pipette. Only tighten the lid just before giving it. Also, make sure the yellow/brown part is tightly fitted in to the bottle, and that the pipette is firmly connected to it.

As for mixing, I've tried 2 ways. I got some screw-on flat lids for the bottles on ebay, so would put one of them on, and give it a good shake. Now I just tend to swirl it round. Maybe give it s slight stir with the pipette as I put the yellow thing on, but generally it's just a swirl. Seems to mix fine, not causing us any problems

I'd never go back to another bottle, our LO is like a new baby with these ones. No more 45 minute winding sessions!

 

[codegirl]

I love my Dr. Brown's. I use them with EBM though so I'm not sure about the whole stirred not shaken thing.

Never had a problem with leakage either, but maybe that's because I'm not mixing formula in them?

 

[jojo2605]

Also I do shake mine with lid on with no probs! Make sure you loosen then retighten White ring to release any milk in the pipette and then when u shake do it with bottle always vertical - doesn't leak for me!! X

 

[lisaptas]

Hi,

My name is Lisa and I am a mom to two boys. I also work for Dr. Brown's and saw your post. I am sorry you are having trouble with the bottles. They should not leak and are designed to help with colic and to relieve gas. You do not want to shake them because that will cause them to leak. Here are some other tips to make sure they are assembled correctly. I hope this helps. Good luck!

LEAKAGE TROUBLESHOOTING:

1. Make sure the nipple collar is not screwed on too tight, you should just twist the collar enough to close it. When the collar is screwed on too tight the liquid level in the bulb of the reservoir is higher than the liquid level in the bottle vessel.

2. When warming a bottle, do not warm the bottle with the components (vent reservoir and vent insert). Warming the bottle completely assembled causes expansion of the fluid causing the fluid to rise up the reservoir tube and leak from the collar area.

3. When mixing formula, you should always stir with a knife, fork or spoon instead of shaking; shaking leads to air bubbles in the formula which leads to expansion of the formula. If the formula expands in a fully assembled bottle the fluid will rise up the reservoir tube and leak from the collar area.

4. Make sure that the vent insert is properly sealed within the reservoir tube.

5. When feeding your baby, make sure that the end of the reservoir tube is always sticking out of the back- end of the fluid. Letting it dip in and out of the fluid can cause too much fluid in the reservoir tube. This tends to be a problem when the baby starts holding their own bottle.

6. Leakage can also occur when the nipple on the bottle is treated like a pump. If the nipple is squeezed with air in it, the air is forced down in the bottle, which forces the fluid to expand and rise through the reservoir tube. This can happen with the standard neck bottle, but particularly with the wide neck bottle as it is bigger and can hold more air.

7. It is important to make certain that the nipple and the vent insert is not clogged.

8. Make sure the fluid in the bottle is not filled past the “do not fill above” line on your bottle.

9. We do not recommend allowing baby to self feed.

10. If baby is not content with the flow of the nipple he will suck harder in an attempt to get a faster flow. If this happening, the seal between the nipple and the nipple collar can be broken allowing the fluid to leak from the opening of the nipple collar.

 

[jelix9408]

i use Dr.Browns bottles and there a life saver!
before i started using them Willow got to many air bubbles and was very whinny.
she used to get so many that it was hard for her to burp ..
after i started using the Dr.Brown bottles she burps ALOT easier .. shes a much happier baby with the Dr.Brown bottles lol.


they may take alittle more time to wash and put together but its totally worth it!
i wouldnt let Willow use any other bottle but the Dr.Brown bottles.

and i shake the bottle .. there is no way you can fully stir them .. plus shaking them is a bit faster lol.
and yeah the bottle leaks for me .. but ONLY when i shake them.

 

[porkypig]

yes we use them, you need to make sure that you dont fill OVER the line ontherwise yes, they will leak. we use them as my little one had colic and they were brilliant. the only downside is washing them as there are a million bits to them and when youve got a few bottles to wash, its annoying!!! xxx

 

[letia659]

after reading this thread I decided to go buy some of these bottles because my LO was having some gas problems he would wake screaming every few minutes at night well they are the BEST! he slept for about 8hrs that has never happened! he had some good sleep and never cried out like he usually does...yeah there is extra work for these if you do them right but Id rather take the extra time with the bottle if its gonna make him so comfortable mine havent leaked but I do go by directions so that may be why and I stir them with a bottle brush (new one not used) and have no problems with clumping...

 

[bjl1981]

Hi

To make them...... we sterilise them, add cooled boiled water, add dried milk, then we mix with a small circular motion before adding the inside bit, add the creamy brown top which is assembled on to the plastic spouty thing(tightly), then add the white ring with the teat included, then put on the top but do not shake........you could just give it smooth cicular movements again just to make sure the milk has mixed well.

This is exactly what I do, then put them in the bottle warmer when we need them. We have had a few leaks, but I'm sure thats down to us, not the bottles.

 

[Tsia]

I used these since Mylo started with colic at 3 weeks old.. never looked back.. before I was using tommee tippee
(see profile pic<<)

Yes they can leak but thats only cos I am lazy and shake them and tighten them too tight and put in warm/hot water! lol.. but they dont leak all the time.. just when I am being lazy. haha

I darent use anything else.. I dont want a revisit of that awful colic and gas probs for my little boy!

 

[i_am_amy]

We're getting on a lot better with these bottles now, they're making a huge difference to Abby's colic. I wouldn't go back to using another bottle now. We just make up the formula and warm it in another bottle and then transfer when ready. It is a lot more work with washing etc but it has totally been worth it.