My son was only a few weeks old when he started to spit up. We wondered how he was getting any nutrition because it seemed after each bottle the formula came pouring back out through his nose and mouth. In addition he cried for about two hours every evening. We thought he must have gas. We tried several bottles to see if they would cut down on the gas problem. Two of the last bottles we tried were the Playtex VentAire Bubble Free Bottles and the Evenflo Clear Nurser, below is how they stacked up against each other.
When a baby sucks on a bottle they can ingest air along with the formula. This can make a baby full of gas. If you have a child then you know a gassy baby is not a happy baby and they will let you know it. When my son was three weeks old we decided to try a different bottle so we bought Playtex VentAire Bottles. At 11 dollars for a three pack of 6 ounce bottles they were a bit more expensive then some of the other bottles, but not outrageous. The bottles come in 6 and 9 ounce sizes and they have a slow flow nipple for younger babies, and a faster flow nipple for older babies. At first we thought this was a good idea. The theory behind it is when using a slow flow nipple the younger babies will not get as much formula as fast and again they will get less gas.
Another feature of the Playtex VentAire Bottles which is supposed to prevent gas is the little plastic disks at the bottom of the bottle. These disks are supposed to prevent the air and liquid from mixing and cut down on gas. The third feature to prevent gas and ear infections is the bottles are angled.
Once we started using these bottles we did not find it made any difference in my son. His gas level was roughly the same when using the Playtex VentAire Bottles. One hassle with the bottles is there are many parts to clean. There is the nipple and the ring that holds the nipple. There is the disk, the bottom of the bottle that holds the disk and the bottle itself. This might not sound like a lot, but anyone who lived with a newborn knows simple is best, and these are not that simple to clean.
We decided to try another bottle to see if that helped. We bought the Evenflo Clear Angled Nurser. This bottle has the slow flow nipple for younger babies and is angled to help reduce gas. In addition it was pretty cheap. I paid 5 dollars for a pack of three 4 ounce bottles. They also come in 8 ounce bottles.
My son seemed to do a little better on these, plus they were easier to deal with. They were one of the sharpest angled bottles I found, maybe thats why his gas seemed less. With the Playtex VentAire Bottles I found they leaked at times. I would make a bottle and put it in the refrigerator and I would open the door to find it leaked all over the shelf. The plastic disk did not always fit exactly as it should. The manufacturer states the disks should be stretched before they are used. This is supposed to make them fit better. I tried this and did not feel it helped. We never had to worry about the bottles leaking with the Evenflo Clear Angled Nurser.
In addition with the Playtex VentAire Bottles I thought the slow flow nipple did not work well. It seemed my son was struggling to get milk out. We had to poke through the nipple to try to make it bigger. The faster flow nipples were too fast. The Evenflo Clear Angled Nurser nipples worked well. They were also easier to clean, since they had fewer parts.
I was happy we found a bottle that was a decent price, easy to clean and helped cut down on my son’s gas problem, and he spit up less. We didn’t have to shop around anymore we both liked the Evenflo Clear Angled Nurser.
