Breast and Bottle Feeding

Page Updated on July 28, 2007

Nursing pillow (1) Nursing pillows are designed wrap around your waist and support your baby while you're breastfeeding, but they have so many other uses. Holding a baby, even while you're sitting down, can strain your back, neck, and arms; by using the nursing pillow, you can reduce a lot of that strain. They can also be used to prop your baby in a semi-reclined position after a feeding to reduce spitting up or whenever your baby needs just a little time to sit back and relax next to you on the couch. Some nursing pillows have soft toy bars that can be detached for feeding and reattached for play time.

The Fisher Price Nurse N' Play Pillow is an excellent nursing pillow that has so many other uses. It has a flap that can be tucked away when being used as a nursing pillow or flipped over the top to help support baby in a semi-reclined position. It also has a toy bar that holds soft detachable toys that a small infant can look at and an older infant can play with. The pillow is firm enough to offer support in a variety of positions for a pregnant mom. Unfortunately, I don't see it being sold anymore. My second choice is the Boppy 5 in 1®. It too goes from nursing pillow to play center and can support mommy, but it doesn't have a supportive back to help baby sit up.

Your Maternity Shirts When you breastfeed in public (and you eventually will need to), a button up shirt seems like it would be the most logical way to do it, but in practice, it is easier to have a large shirt that you can pull over your baby. Believe me, boobs pop out, milk actually squirts, and all sorts of other unsuspected events can happen making you feel a bit embarrassed. If you have a large shirt (such as a maternity shirt) you just pull the shirt over your baby's head, look down the top of it to make sure everything is in position, and then feed 100% covered (and you don't have to worry about the blanket most women use for privacy falling off your shoulder).
Nursing bras or comfortable sports bras (3) If you will be breast feeding, you'll need comfortable bras. Some people swear by nursing bras while others (such as myself) opt for sports bras, which are much more comfortable to sleep and relax in. Just pull it up, and you're free to nurse.
Washable nursing pads (3 pairs per day) Washable pads are so much more comfortable than disposable. I stared out with disposable, bought washable because I thought they were more economic, but soon discovered that after using soft flannel pads I never wanted to wear scratchy paper again. You'll need one pair for night, one for day, and a third pair in case the pair you're wearing gets soaked.

Lansinoh Nursing Pads® are the most comfortable ones I've found.
Disposable Washable Nursing Pads (1 large box) These are good to have as a backup to washable nursing pads for traveling when you won't be able to wash your regulars. Keep a pair in your diaper bag. If you still have some left over after you finish breast feeding, they do a great job of padding scrapes and boo-boos.

Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads® are the best ones I've found.
Pure lanolin breast ointment (buy one at a time) During your first week of breastfeeding this is a must. Lactation consultants will tell you that it should never hurt to breastfeed, but I, and all of my friends who are/were breastfeeding mothers, disagree because all of us were in pain during the first week. The pain will go away after the first week, but until then you will beg for lanolin on your nipples. It makes them feel much better and helps them heal while they get used to breastfeeding. If you don't need the lanolin anymore for your nipples, use it for diaper rash or even as hand cream. It's so good for your skin.

Lansinoh Lanolin for Breastfeeding Mothers® is pure, clean lanolin and is a product endorsed by the Le Leche League.
Breast Soothers (1-2 pairs) Breast soothers are products designed to relieve the discomfort of engorgement, blocked ducts, and sore nipples. It is best to wait until you start breastfeeding before you purchase them because you won't know whether or not you'll need them beforehand. Some soothers are simply gel packs that fit in your bra. They can be heated or chilled. (You can make your own cheap cold packs by soaking your breast pads in water, freezing them, and placing them on your breast. Wrap them with a washcloth or flat baby diaper if they're too cold to put directly against your skin. Seal them in plastic bags to keep them from leaking if you are going to go out of the house with them.) Others, are glycerin gel pads that can also be chilled, but not heated. Glycerin gel pads help keep your nipples moisturized to prevent cracking and promote healing. (You can coat the inside of your homemade cold packs with purified lanolin for a similar effect.) Then there are breast shells that are designed to keep your clothing off of your nipples. (Walking around your house with your shirt off and your curtains tightly closed is the free way to try this.) You'll probably have to try a variety of products to figure out what will work best for you. Start with the cheapest and work your way up.

Breast pump (1) Every breastfeeding mother needs a breast pump. You never know when you will need to express some milk for your baby or to relieve engorged breasts. Manual pumps work great but take effort. Expensive electric pumps work great too, but they're simply so expensive that it's sometimes just cheaper to rent them, and you can't use them when the power goes out. Battery operated pumps don't usually get very good reviews. Everybody has their own preference, and my preference is a manual pump. Most manual pumps are easily portable and very inexpensive, and you don't have to worry about a source of electricity. Good manual pumps are very efficient and don't take much time to do their job.

Avent's Isis Breast Pump® is the best that I've found. I pump several times a day because I bottle feed my baby breast milk in addition to breastfeeding, so I wanted something that had good suction and was comfortable, easy to wash, and took minimal effort. I found all of what I wanted in this pump. I highly recommend the Isis Back to Work Breast Pump® kit because you never know when you'll need to pump while traveling, at work, at school, etc. The best part is that Avent offers no-questions-asked replacements and awesome customer service, so if any part of your pump (or any other Avent product) breaks for any reason, you can call their 800 number and get a free replacement piece (no shipping fees either).

Bottles (4-16) If you're breastfeeding you'll need at least 4 bottles for expressed milk. If you're bottle feeding, expect your child to eat 8 to 12 times per day, so if you only want to wash all of the bottles once per day you'll need at least 12. I recommend having 16 because you never know when your child will simply want additional feedings or all of the other bottles are dirty. Plus, it's a good idea to keep a couple in your diaper bag. Don't bother buying smaller bottles (such as 4 oz. bottles) unless you plan to use them in your diaper bag until your baby requires more than 4 oz. per feeding. You will eventually need larger bottles, so just buy them in the first place.

My favorite bottles go with my favorite pump, Avent® 9oz. reusable bottles. They're easy to clean because they are so wide.

Nipples (same as the number of bottles you have) Silicon nipples are best because they won't break down like latex. Purchase nipples that have a slower flow to begin with. If the flow is too fast your baby will gag and gulp air.
Bottle brush (1) These are good to have to scrape out any crusty formula or milk that you forgot to rinse out. If you rinse your bottles immediately after you use them, you won't need to use a bottle brush. Have one on hand just in case. When you're not cleaning bottles with them, you can use them to clean lots of other dishes.
Bottle warmer (1) Whether or not you'll have use for a bottle warmer depends on what you'll be feeding your child, the layout of your home, etc. If you'll be giving your baby expressed breast milk, skip the bottle warmer. You'll need to go to the kitchen to get the milk out of the refrigerator anyhow, so you might as well microwave a bowl of water for a minute or two then put the bottle in the bowl of warm water to warm it up. It takes just as long as a bottle warmer. If you'll be giving your baby formula, you can mix the formula right in your bedroom/nursery by filling your bottles with water before you go to bed and adding the powdered formula when needed. To save yourself a trip to the kitchen, a bottle warmer would come in handy in this situation. If you're giving your baby a formula from liquid concentrate, most likely the can of concentrate will be in your refrigerator, so you'll have to walk to the kitchen anyhow. If you need to go up and down stairs to get from the baby to the kitchen, a bottle warmer and small refrigerator (if necessary) may come in handy to avoid stumbles and potential injuries in the middle of the night while you're half asleep.
Bottle sterilizer (Unnecessary) Bottle sterilization is something that is currently under debate. Some doctors insist that you don't need to sterilize bottles because our tap water is so much safer than when bottle sterilization was initially recommended. Other doctors insist that you absolutely must sterilize your bottle every single time. So, the choice is up to you. Do you trust your tap water? Fortunately, if you have a dishwasher that has a water temperature of at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit, your bottles will be sterilized each time you clean them in the dishwasher. If you don't have a dishwasher, you can always boil your bottles, nipples, etc. for 5 minutes initially after you purchase them and whenever your family catches a germ, and just wash them by hand after that if you trust your local tap water.
Formula (1 can - 1 case) Even if you plan to breastfeed exclusively, a can of formula is a good thing to have on hand. You never know when there will be an emergency that will keep you from breastfeeding. You could get trapped away from home while your babysitter starts wondering what she'll feed your child when the expressed milk runs out. You could become suddenly ill and require medication that could harm your baby. Even if you think, "I won't have to worry about emergencies because I stock up my breast milk in the freezer" consider what would happen if the emergency occurred and your electricity went out, causing all of your frozen breast milk supplies to thaw out. Without refrigeration all of it would only be good for a maximum of 6 hours, so keep a can of formula on hand. By law all formula is nutritionally complete. Some have extra additives that are supposed to make it more like breast milk while others are predigested to make digestion easier. You'll have to decide which options are best for you. If you plan to formula feed, don't buy a whole case of formula right away. You might by an entire case only to discover after the first bottle that your baby is allergic to it. Start off with a can or two, and see how it works out first. You'll also want to try out different forms of formula. There is the ready-mixed, liquid concentrate, and powder. Ready-mixed is only worth the money if you use liquid concentrate and want to have some formula ready to go in your diaper bag. Otherwise, just put some pre-measured powdered formula in a bottle (or in small plastic bags) or bring a small canister with you and carry some bottled water with you for immediate mixing when necessary. Powdered is the most inexpensive and easy to store because it doesn't go bad soon after you open it, but sometimes it doesn't mix very well, which can clog nipples. Liquid concentrate is better, but it can really stretch your budget.
Burp cloths / flat cloth diapers (12-24) Flat cloth diapers are the most inexpensive, ready-to-go burp cloths you can buy. You can always make your own for less money, but you'll have to cut the fabric, sew the edges, etc. Flat cloth diapers are also good because in a pinch you can use them as a diaper. Don't bother purchasing fancy burp cloths with embroidery and decoration. Your baby is just going to spit up all over it. It will end up stained and smell like sour milk.
Pacifiers (stock up, at least 2) Pacifiers don't exactly fit into the feeding section, but I put it here because it involves a baby's need to suck which is a reflex designed for feeding. Some people swear by pacifiers while others have banned them in their homes. There are tons of pros and cons when it comes to pacifiers, but they aren't the evil devices that some parents or doctors make them out to be. They're great if you have a baby that simply must suck ALL THE TIME, and some babies simply do. Some babies with high sucking needs just aren't satisfied with their hands or fingers, and most moms just can't breastfeed 24 hours a day (and you certainly don't want to give your child a bottle all day long because their tiny tummies just can't hold that much). This is when a pacifier is a good idea unless you want to listen to a frustrated crying baby all the time. There are lots of different shapes when it comes to pacifiers. Try to avoid using a pacifier during the first couple weeks if you can. If you must use a pacifier during that time, try to get one that most resembles the type of nipple you will be feeding with. (Again Avent has some great newborn pacifiers with such a design.) You can later go with a shape that is more orthodontic than breast nipple-like. This way the baby will begin to understand that food doesn't come out of the orthodontic shaped nipples and will spit them out when he's hungry. Of course, babies tend to spit out pacifiers all the time anyhow, often because they can't control their tongue movements, but after a few tries they will often stay in if baby's not hungry. (Just be sure you don't force your child to use a pacifier if she doesn't want to or give her a pacifier instead of feeding her when she's hungry.) It never fails that once you go out in public, your child drops the pacifier onto the dirty floor. You need to have a clean one as backup. Of course, 2 is just the minimum. For some reason they disappear all the time around the house, and you'll soon find yourself buying more just so you don't have to try to hunt for the one clean pacifier you have while you're baby is crying. If you had bought more, you could just grab a fresh one instead.