Finding the Best Feeding Gear

Bras, Bottles, and Breast Pumps - everything you need to know

Bras: Two main things to avoid, compression and underwire. Why? These both can lead to breast pains due to pressure on very sensitive breast tissue.

Instead focus on finding a well-fit bra that provides both comfort and function for your feeding needs. If you pump at all consider having at least one hands-free pumping bra, it can protect your milk supply by ensuring your flanges won’t move around during a pumping session.

Soft bras that either lift or cross over can be great for travel or comfy pumping at night when you don’t want to handle clips.

Bottles: Choosing the right bottle for your baby can feel like diving into a sea of options. With so many bottles out there promising this and that, how do you pick the one that’s best for your babe? Let’s break it down in 4 main points:

Material: Plastic or Glass

Plastic is lightweight and durable, just make sure it’s BPA-free. More glass options are available now, they’re eco-friendly and easy to clean, but keep in mind it’s heavier and can break. Be sure your bottles are from a reputable brand, some knock-off glass bottles have been found to have lead paint.

Nipple Shape: Wide or Narrow Gradual Slope

Gradual slope nipples are preferred because they allow baby to get a wide air-free latch more similar to the breast. Now to be clear, breastfeeding and bottle feeding are two different oral skills, but having a good latch is still an important start to each. Brands like Evenflo and Lansinoh are wide while Dr. Browns makes both a narrow and a wide.

Flow Rate: Slow but Comfy

A slow flow nipple is important especially if you are planning to switch between bottle and breast. We want a slow flow so that baby is engaging with the bottle for feeding (vs letting gravity do all the work) but we also want them comfortable and enjoying their feeding! Evenflo, Lansinoh, and Dr Browns are all know for consistent and slower flow rates.

Compatibility

Nothing drives me crazy like bottles, nipples, and flanges that don’t fit together! If your baby prefers one bottle but your pump is another size try finding an adapter so they can work together. You may need a size change like wide to narrow or a threading size change.

Breast Pumps: The breast pump market is exploding with options! But what do you actually need? And how can you afford it?

In bra pumps are all the rage but they are expensive and do not work for everyone. In fact, some parents see a large decrease in their milk supply due to these pumps. Why? They have a big learning curve! Both the setting and putting on the flanges are notoriously tricky.

So do you really need an in-bra pump? You might want to consider a few alternative first!

In bra cups could be an option for you if you don’t want external flanges but they do increase your cleaning needs since you can’t pump directly into a bottle. Still this option helps you remain discrete while giving you more control over which pump you pair them with.

Portable pumps are a must for most parents! Rechargeable pumps are the way to go as battery packs can get expensive fast and require you to keep extras on hand. Some portable pumps are small while others simply don’t require an outlet.

The Pumpables Genie Advance and the Baby Buddha are my most recommended pumps. They’re under $200 and wonderful quality for even the most intense pumpers. Both pumps are rechargeable and come with great customer service so you can make your pump compatible with almost any bottle or flange.

While there is a lot more feeding gear on the market we’ve hit the big three so you can feel confident picking your your priorities and trying a few options.