Glass or plastic? Bent or straight? Latex or silicone? Choosing the perfect bottle and nipple is a decision only your baby can make. Your goal? A healthy baby who eats willingly and happily. Be ready to try more than one style of bottle and nipple — your baby will let you know which is best.
Bottles: Selecting Shapes and Sizes
You'll find bottles in lots of styles: liners, no liners, bent, straight, glass, and plastic.
Bent bottles, and those with liners, are designed to reduce the amount of air your baby will swallow. Bottles with disposable liners are a snap to clean, but more costly.
Glass bottles are sturdy and easy to clean, yet they are heavy and can shatter when dropped. Plastic bottles are lightweight and shatterproof.
Smaller bottles, 4 ounces or less, are nice when your baby is small, but you'll need to replace them with larger bottles as your baby grows. And on the practical side, be sure the bottles you choose will fit into the pouch of your diaper bag. When your baby's hungry, you'll want fast access!
Back to Top > Nipple Know-how
Nipple shapes, sizes, and flow speeds need to mesh with your baby's sucking style, so it's important to experiment to find the right one. If the hole is the wrong size, it might cause your baby to feed too quickly or too slowly, or to swallow too much air.
The size of the hole determines how quickly or how slowly the milk flows. Some nipples are labeled with sizes.Size One is for ages 0 to 6 months and has a small hole. Size Two nipples have a larger hole and are for older babies. Special nipples for preemies also are available.
The ideal bottle nipple will allow a few drops of milk to fall out as soon as you turn the bottle upside down, and then the dripping should stop. If you think the milk is flowing too quickly for your baby, try a nipple with a smaller hole. If you think your baby is getting frustrated from having to suck too hard, try a nipple with a larger hole.
Standard nipples are tall and dome-shaped. Orthodontic nipples are shaped to fit the inside of your baby's mouth — wide at the bottom and tip, and narrow in the middle. Other nipples mimic the shape of your breast.
Bottle nipples typically are made of latex or silicone. Latex is softer and can hold the odor of the milk. Silicone is sturdier and easier to clean, but not as soft as latex. Silicone nipples last up to a year, while latex wears out more quickly.
The "best" bottle nipple is the one your baby likes the most. Replace nipples as your baby grows and needs a larger size. Replace any bottle nipple that shows signs of wear.
Back to Top > Keeping Them Clean
Wash bottles and nipples in hot, soapy water, or in the dishwasher, before using them. After every feeding wash them again, and check the bottle nipples for wear and tear. The nipples provided with Similac® Ready-to-Feed formulas are not intended for reuse. With the exception of the Similac Cleft Palate Nipple, all Similac nipples are to be used only once.
The Skinny on Storage
Formula Storage
For more information on formula storage, please visit our Formula Prep and Storage page.
Breast-Milk Storage Store pumped milk in clean containers such as:
- Screw-cap bottles
- Hard plastic cups with tight-fitting lids
- Zipper-type freezer bags
Breast milk can be safely stored:
- At room temperature (less than 77°F) for four hours
- At the back of a refrigerator for up to 48 hours
- At the back of a freezer for up to three months
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