Keeping it Simple! Feeding Time
Avoid clutter and keep things simple. Discover what you really need to take care of your new little one’s feeding needs and what you don’t.
When you think of babies, the words “Eat, sleep, and poop” seem to pop into everyone’s head and for good reason. Before kids, I never realized how much or how often they ate! As a newborn, Dom would be up every 2-3 hours wanting to be fed. At first, it was a mad rush to get a bottle ready but we soon figured out it made a lot more sense to make a new one right after he finished.
During the first couple of weeks, if you use bottles either with exclusive pumping or formula, you may feel as if your kitchen has been taken over by them. They will be in the fridge, on the counter, in the sink, on the drying rack, and, if you’re like me, you may trip over one that somehow ended up on the floor (don’t ask, I don’t know how it got there either!). There are ways to get it under control, however, and not have your house looking like you just had triplets.
In this post, I’ll go over the bare necessities for feeding your little one (before they start on solids) so you don’t have everything completely overrunning your kitchen, pantry, and everywhere else.
Feeding Necessities
- Bottles
- Nipples
- Bottle Brushes
- Drying Rack
- Formula
Bottles
There are several thousand options for bottles these days. Some claim to help colic, others focus on being as close to natural breastfeeding as possible, while others look like they have their own filtration system built in.
I recommend starting with something simple that can grow with your child. The tiny 4 oz bottles will not last long if your little one is anything like mine and you don’t want to have to refill it in the middle of a feeding. Stick to the 8 oz size so you’re not buying a second set after a few months.
You also don’t need to have 50 of them. We bought 6, 8 oz glass bottles (Amazon.com : Evenflo Feeding Classic Twist Glass – 8oz, 3pk : Baby at the time, were 6 for $15.99) and have used those the entire time. They are a bit heavier than the plastic but much easier to clean and sanitize. By only having 6, it forces us to wash them daily instead of finding our limited counter space taken up by dirty baby bottles. Since I also detest doing dishes, it keeps me from having to spend an hour washing a week’s worth at a time because I guarantee I will find something else that is more interesting to do at that point. If you’re like me and tend to procrastinate doing chores you dislike, do yourself a favor and limit the number of bottles available to procrastinate with. You’ll thank me later.
Nipples
As with the bottles, we kept the nipples simple as well. On the advice of our pediatrician and other moms who exclusively pumped, we use Dr. Brown’s Original Level 1 Nipples (Amazon.com : Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Level 1 Narrow Baby Bottle Silicone Nipple, Slow Flow, 0m+, 100% Silicone Bottle Nipple, 6 Count (Pack of 1) : Baby). Level 1 is for newborns and is about the same flow level as breastfeeding. Many people who either exclusively pump or formula feed increase the flow as their child gets older but we found that by keeping it at 1, that we had less issues with gas and burping. Since each child is different, find one that works well for yours and then stick with it. They’ll be onto solids before you realize it anyways!
Bottle Brushes
When you’re washing multiple bottles, nipples, and possibly pumping parts daily, a good set of bottle brushes is a necessity! There are foam ones, silicone ones, nylon ones, and several others.
Because I was exclusively pumping from the start, I needed a set that would not only clean the bottles but all the little parts of my pump bottles and flanges. Thanks to my EP Facebook group, I found the Boon Cacti set (Amazon.com: Boon Cacti Bottle Cleaning Brush Set – Includes Bottle Brush, Nipple Brush, Detail Brush, and Straw Brush – Baby Bottle Brush Set for Bottle Drying Rack – Baby Essentials – 4 Count) and can attest that these are the best, hands down, for any possible size you might need.
We had a silicone one from the hospital which was fine for the bottles but didn’t clean the nipples or collars really well. The Boon set has now been in use for over 6 months straight and has been able to clean everything from bottles, to sippy cups, to pumping parts.
You don’t have to go with this exact one but find a set that will easily clean everything you need it to for your little one. If it has its own storage like this, all the better!
Drying Rack
When you wash your bottles, you’ll need someplace to dry them. We found the best way to do that was to use a drying rack built for that purpose.
In keeping with our simple, space saving theme, I got the Boon Sprig Countertop Drying Rack (Amazon.com: Boon Spring Countertop Drying Rack, Green (B11139) : Baby). It takes up minimal room, has plenty of options for drying everything at once (nipples and collars on the bottom with bottles on top), and looks cute which is always a plus since it will be on your counter for the next year or more.
If you want something that can be more easily stored in between, look at the Boon Grass (
Amazon.com: Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack, Green : simon, c: Baby) which is one of their original drying options that is more easily stored between uses and holds things like baby spoons better than the Sprig.
Formula
Formula vs breast milk has been a point of contention for quite some time among moms. Most moms want to breastfeed because breast milk has been shown to have certain benefits to babies. Unfortunately, breastfeeding isn’t simple, easy, or even possible for all moms.
In my case, my son was born 4 weeks early, has a tongue tie, and had trouble getting much out on his own. At first it was assumed that was because of latch issues but it turned out that I had the same problem my mom did and didn’t produce enough. Since fed is best (even if you feed formula from day 1, you are an amazing mom!), we have supplemented formula from early on. Choosing the right formula took a bit and I highly recommend trying those samples the formula companies will send you the moment you start signing up for baby stuff to see which will work best for you.
In our case, the Enfamil NeuroPro became our staple. We tried a couple types of Enfamil and Similac and everything else gave him gas. Once you find a type that works, be sure to keep extra on hand.
If you sign up with the company for mailings, they will send you coupons to help cover the cost. Buying in bulk from Amazon also helps keep the cost down. As an exclusive pumping mom, having formula on hand also lowered my stress levels tremendously. I wasn’t worried that my baby would go hungry if I didn’t produce enough that day. Let’s face it, being a new mom is hard enough without the concern that your little one might go hungry.
Conclusion:
Depending on what and how you feed your little darling, you may not need everything on this list. Some moms are able to breastfeed from day one and never need to see a bottle, brushes, or deal with finding a formula that doesn’t cause gas. They are the lucky ones. Still, no matter how you choose to feed your baby, remember that fed is best and no matter how good that expensive set of “anti-colic” bottles looks at 2 in the morning, you don’t really need it. The bottle warmer that was another midnight Amazon purchase also never saw much use as 2 minutes may sound fast, but when your baby is screaming, it feels like an eternity!
Have you found any feeding items that you couldn’t live without? Please feel free to comment and let other moms know!
Kate Nagorny
I’m Kate Nagorny – introvert, writer, photographer, and mom. My life can get a little crazy but through it all, I always look for the good in every situation.
Live light, travel light, spread the light, be the light!
