Over the past decade, baby bottles are improved many things to suit the higher needs of modern people. One of the best advances is the nipple of the baby bottle. Furthermore, the best slow flow nipples for newborns is the most important part of a whole baby bottle.
Unlike your soft and flexible skin, it’s not easy for your baby to work with a rigid plastic nipple. Therefore, before learning the buying guide of the baby bottle, you should read my article in advance – the review of the top five.
In case you need short information to find out the best product as fast as possible, Dr. Brown’s Original Nipple is an ideal choice. You just need to spend a lot of time to boil it before using and clean after each use you can take advantage of all benefits of this product for your baby.
In-length 5 Best Slow Flow Nipples for Newborns Reviews
1. Dr. Brown’s Original Nipple, Preemie (0m+)
Thanks to silicone material, Dr. Brown’s Original Nipple owns a high-quality construction. This kind of material is super soft and high-grade so your baby feels as comfortable and durable as possible to drink milk positively.
Made in the USA is also good information for buyers because as anyone knows that this is a trustworthy country where is the home to high-quality products.
In a package of Dr. Brown’s Original Nipple, there are 2 replacement silicone nipples. This is a big convenience for busy mothers. You always have a replacement in case another hasn’t been cleaned or you have lost somewhere.
This is an ideal choice for premature babies and breastfed newborns. Thanks to the design of a tiny hole at the top, the flow is always in the control, keeping your baby away from a cranky and windy feeling.
It’s safe to clean this BPA-free nipple on the top rack of your dishwasher. It helps you save a lot of effort on your end to complete the cleaning task.
Pros
- Makes an easy transition to go from your breast to the bottle
- Can work well with even babies who have hospital problems, and are in need a special need when feeding especially it helps minimize the symptoms of colic, burping and gas, spit-up.
- Less spitting up
- Has amazing durability without leakage
- Has a reasonable price
- Easy to see the big number on the nipple while using
Cons
- Smells when you bring it from the shop. Therefore, you need to boil it before using it.
- The limitations
- Takes more time for users to wash and clean the extra inner parts but there is no need to do this task constantly all day long.
- Too long for some tiny mouths of babies to use
2. Playtex NaturaLatchNipple, Slow Flow
The design of Playtex NaturaLatch slow-flow nipple is to mimic the breast of the mother especially the texture of the breast tip is encouraging your baby to latch on. In particular, the standard surface area mimics the average size that both matches the nipple of the mother and fits the size of several Playtex bottles.
This is a multipurpose product that means there are available in 3 different settings from the slow flow, medium flow to fast flow. Depend on each specific need your baby has a proper option. The silicone material plus BPA-free create the softness and enhance the comfort of your baby.
This is a specialized nipple for Playtex’s drop-ins system which provides baby both feelings of bottle feeding and breastfeeding. That means it’s very easy to use and combine because it’s compatible with all Playtex bottles from Playtex VentAire to Playtex Nurser with the drop-in liners.
Pros
- Uses this nipple, your baby can minimize gas and colic
- Has an extra round shape around the model to make a block when your baby opens its mouth wider or when it’s lazy to eat
- Doesn’t make a nipple collapse
- Doesn’t create air bubbles
- Ease of cleaning
- Keeps a stable flow even when your baby turns one sid
Cons
- Excepting Playtex models, it isn’t compatible with many baby bottles
- To reach the anti-colic property, you need to combine it with Playtex drop-ins
- The limitations
- Just suits babies from one month old because of the shape and size of the product
3. MAM Slow Flow Nipples, Level 1, 0+ Months
To design this “breast-like” nipple, MAM observed 16 breastfeeding newborns by ultrasound technology. With the final result – a unique and flat shaped nipple, it fits with any mouth of the baby even makes the transition between the breast and the bottle become easier.
This nipple is compatible with MAM anti-colic bottles (meaning anti-colic values) as well as other bottles
The silicone material of MAM creates the skin-soft texture which comes with outstanding features such as odorless, tasteless, clear, and durable. The softness gives your baby a familiar feeling like touching the skin of the mother.
If you are a busy mother, these are the great benefits that help you save a lot of time but still keep your baby safe and healthy. It is dishwasher safe and BPA, BPS free. You just need to let it self-sterilize in the microwave within 3 minutes.
The package contains 2 replacement slow-flow nipples so you can change the new one when cleaning and washing another even you lose one.
Pros
- Suits with even teething babies
- Fits with Dr. Brown wide neck bottles
- Less spitting out
Cons
- More expensive than other types
- Less durability because of soft silicone
- The limitations
- Has an appropriate flow to newborns more than others due to a small hole at the top of the nipple
4. Philips AVENT BPA Free Natural First Flow Nipple
The wide and breast-shaped design of Philips AVENT Natural First Flow is the combination of breastfeeding and bottle feeding ways. While its natural shape helps babies latch-on easily, the soft and textured nipple keeps the liquid flow in the control without interruption.
This nipple is designed to twin anti-colic values which support your feeding process more comfortable and convenient. While feeding, these valves release air into the inside of the baby bottle and keeps away from the tummy of your baby at the same time. Thus, it minimizes discomfort and colic.
The petals are designed inside to increase softness and flexibility. Due to the soft texture, the nipple looks like a breast that your baby feels comfortable and contented to use. In particular, while using, the build-in petals protect it away from collapsing.
Thanks to the material of BPS-free and BPA-free silicone, it’s tasteless and odorless, especially you can easily, quickly clean and sterilize. What you need to do is only to boil the nipple in a Philips Avent steam sterilizer within 5 minutes. Or it’s fine to wash in your dishwasher.
It’s ideal to let newborns and preemie babies use this nipple because its flow is slower and easier to control. For this nipple, you have more choices of baby bottles than others since it can be compatible with all 2, 4, 9 oz Philips Avent Natural bottles.
If you feel with these nipples, milk still runs fast, you can refer to the Philips Avent Natural Nipple Newborn Flow + Slow Flow. This product has a slower flow than First Flow Nipple.
Pros
- Apart from the design, its slow flow also looks like breastfeeding.
- Slows your baby down to keep it away from choking or gulping.
- Works perfectly for babies with smallmouth
- Easy for you to hold on and for the baby to drink from
Cons
- Hard to find out in the local stores
- The limitations
- Works well with newborns, breastfeeding babies but doesn’t suit older babies. It’s too slow for them, causing frustrating conditions.
5. Philips AVENT Anti-Colic Nipple, Clear, Newborn
As you can see, this nipple is designed an extra unique valve on the flexes which lets the air into the bottle in place of the tummy of your baby. The manufacturer just designs a single hole at the top so that your infant learns how to eat with the slowest flow rate. The milk amount is in the control as to when it is breastfeeding. It helps your baby say goodbye with spitting up and overeating. This smart design minimizes the discomfort and fussing as much as possible.
This was tested through a clinical trial that is 2-weeks old infants fed by a Philips AVENT Anti-Colic Nipple and the result is that it suffered less colic than when performing with a conventional baby bottle.
Pay attention to the side of the nipple since there is a number that is the indicator of the flow rate. Actually, the information of age on the package is just approximate because each baby has a different development. That lets you know when your baby needs to use a faster flow rate. For example, it gets liquid quickly or it starts feeling tired and frustrated.
The silicone material keeps the nipple away from the flavor and odor even resists discoloration as well as stickiness. It’s very easy for babies to latch on thanks to the soft texture and rounded shape.
It doesn’t take much your time to clean and wash the Anti-colic bottle nipple thanks to BPA-free and dishwasher safe features. The way of sterilizing this model is to boil in a Philips Avent steam sterilizer and wait 5 minutes.
In the box, there are 2 replacements of the nipple so you can change regularly to always keep the models in the clean condition.
What’s more, you have a variety of baby bottles as this nipple is compatible with any Philips Avent Classic bottles.
Pros
- Useful for colicky babies or those who come with awful gas
- No leakage
- Less effort on your end to wash and clean
- Stable enough to withstand your baby’s occasional gnawing and biting but soft enough for your baby to latch on
Cons
- For some little babies, it’s a bit fast
- The limitations
- Only work well with bottles of Philips Avent Classic brand
The Comparison of Slow Flow and Fast Flow
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Why Use The Best Slow Flow Nipples for Newborns?
The following reasons will let you know why you should feed your baby by an extra slow flow nipple:
1. The bottle-feeding
If you feed your baby by a bottle, you had better know that the nipple influences how milk flows into your baby’s mouth. Depend on the age and size of each baby, the options vary. Yet, at the early period, you always need to invest in a slow flow nipple. That’s because it’s very easy for newborns to be overwhelmed and a slow flow nipple can help it control the milk amount to flow into its mouth and body slowly.
2. Health problem
In case you choose the wrong size of the nipple, leading to giving your baby too much milk quickly, that’s the reason for one even some potential health problems. While spitting up just is a normal issue since your baby is still in the learning process of how to consume food in the right way, excessive spitting up is a real health problem of the baby.
There are 2 reasons for this disease. One, you may let your baby consume more milk amount than what it should be. Tummy of the baby is developing so it’s pretty sensitive. It can’t load a big amount of milk quickly at a time. That’s why the digestive system rejects milk and causes spitting up.
The final reason is acid reflux which is caused when the baby swallows too much air. All these problems are from the wrong-sized nipple. Thus, to prevent swallowing air and make sure your bay is healthy and happy you should pick up a slow flow nipple.
3. The importance of slow flow nipple with older babies
The health problem I mentioned above can happen with older babies as well. Therefore, you can look for and purchase a bigger-sized nipple with slow flow stream to keep the tummy of your baby safe and suit with the larger mouths. This way keeps the larger body of your baby away from danger when using a too small nipple.
What You Need to Consider When Buying The Best Slow Flow Nipples for Newborns
The best slow flow nipples for newborns just can promote their maximum effectiveness if you apply them to the right babies. To do that, you have to learn all the following features clearly:
1. Size and flow
For babies, the flow is the most important thing you need to consider to pick up a proper nipple and baby bottle. There are a variety of sizes and flows of nipples on the market. The flow of the bottle from slowest to medium level depends on the numbers and the hole or slit shapes in the top of the nipple where milk will flow out.
Yet, don’t worry since the manufacturers will mark on the label what size of nipple suits with a specific age stage. You just need to remember that the smallest number is in proportion to the slowest flow. For example, if your baby is a newborn, a slow flow model is the most appropriate option because of its rate stage 1. Pay attention that this isn’t applied to all brands of the nipple. Below is a variety of size and flow:
- Size 0 (preemie or first flow): normally, these nipples have a thin hole in the top. Thus, as the name suggests, this size is perfect for premature babies and newborns that come with a vulnerable mouth.
- Size 1: this is also known as a newborn flow but these nipples are designed with a standard side hole so it suits with babies who are from newborns to one month old. In some case, babies love using sized-1 nipples at any age.
- Size 2: it’s slow flow. There are two holes on the top of the nipple. It’s ideal for breastfed babies about 1-2 months old who can use a pretty faster flow.
- Size 3: this is a medium flow. The design comes with 3 holes in the top of the nipple so it is suitable for babies from 3-6 months. Also, you shouldn’t invest this product in breastfed babies.
- Size 4: compared to others, size 4 is the fastest flow teat. To satisfy 6-months old babies, the manufacturer designs 4 holes in the top. Like size 3, I don’t highly recommend this size for breastfed babies because these flows are too fast for those who are in the nursing process.
- Variable flow: in place of the designs of the normal nipples – the holes in the top, the variable flow comes with a Y or straight shaped slit. Thus, it suits 3 months old babies and remembers not to let your breastfeeding baby use this item. Its flow is very fast so it’s easy to end up colic symptoms and overfeeding.
In general, slow flow rates are for breastfed babies since for a slow speed, you can easily control the milk amount.
2. Shape
On the market, there are 4 kinds of nipple shapes. Let see details below:
The standard nipple
The design of the conventional nipples seems to be old-fashioned and looks like a bell or a dome shape. Moreover, it is cheap and easy to find. In particular, it comes with a narrow base which is the wide but relaxed attachment for preemies babies and newborns.
The wide neck nipple
With the look of roundness, you can easily recognize it’s the most “breast-like”. The wide base and short teat help your baby use this nipple as convenient as possible, especially for breastfed ones. This product is designed to aim to older babies who can control the lips around the nipple base. In some cases, premature babies and newborns will be too wide to attach properly.
The orthodontic nipple
Apart from the wide neck model, this is also another “breast-like”. Because of this special shape, breastfed babies suit to use more than others. Keep in mind that you must hold it properly unless you would like to cause a non-existent flow while feeding your angel.
Specialist breastfeeding
On the current market, you can easily find out a product which brings the feeling of mom’s breast such as wide and flat-topped nipples which can take on 2 tasks: breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. That’s because some specialists from the famous breastfeeding brands such as Breastflow and Medela have designed specialized nipples in order to mimic breastfeeding.
For regular teats, your baby will use their tongue to thrust and release milk while for specialized products, to make milk flow, baby needs to use compression. This is a smart design which transits breast and bottle easily so its price is pretty high. If your baby is in the love of using bottles more than breastfeeding, this is a worthy investment.
3. Material
Silicone and latex are 2 main materials of nipples:
Latex
The softness of latex material helps your baby’s lip use easily. Moreover, its flexible feature supports you feed your baby conveniently while moving around. However, if this is your choice, you may get a small obstacle that means its bad durability requires you replace new ones regularly especially after your baby’s teething.
Although its texture is an advantage – “breast-like”, keep in mind to check whether or not your baby is allergic to the latex material. The latex nipples work well with breastfed and younger babies.
Silicone
When it comes to silicone material, thanks to the higher firm level, the shape of the silicone nipple is also kept longer. Due to a good structure, the silicone nipples keep your baby away from the problems which a latex nipple may bring. For example, it prevents collapsing without odor especially you can clean easily and your baby doesn’t get allergies. I highly recommend this product for older babies.
=> If your baby isn’t allergic to any materials, I highly recommend you the following solution. Let it use latex nipples within some first months after that change to silicone ones.
4. Cost
Depending on the different brands and quality of each product the price varies. Before deciding, you should remember that slow flow nipple is a temporary baby item. Does your baby really need a too expensive model? However, this is a rare item so don’t skimp on. If you want to have a good price, you ought to buy a big amount of the different sized nipples in a shot. By doing so, it’s a smart investment for long-term use.
5. Easy to clean
If you select a flexible nipple which allows you to invert, it will be very easy and quick to clean all even the hidden little creases. Don’t forget to read the cleaning introduction on the package to determine if it’s BPA free and dishwasher safe. Specifically, while BPA is an additive which is used in plastic material, silicone is harmful when you let it exposed to the high heat. After determining if your product has BPA free or not, you will know that cleaning with boiling water is allowed or not.
6. Kinds of nipples
To know what is the best: reusable or disposable nipples, you need to read the information below:
Disposable nipples
With this type, baby only has once use after that it’s discarded in the bin. If you have a trip with your baby, this item is extremely convenient due to the prepackaged and ready-to-use features especially all of them are sterilized. However, it’s expensive and you have to buy new ones regularly.
Reusable nipples
Its benefit is that you can save a big amount of money. However, you need to prepare the budget for cleaning and spend a lot of your time to clean and disinfect nipples.
Conclusion
After reading the article, you may know choosing the best slow flow nipples for newborns is very important. To do that, you have to know what features you and your baby really want. Also, consider your baby size and age before making a purchase because this is the best way to find out a nipple with proper size and milk flow.
