Go With the Flow with the Breastflow Starter Set!

             Hey folks! How to feed your baby is one of the most important decisions you can make as a new parent. I won't get into the whole breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding argument because I have done both. Plus, I think we can all agree that the bottom line is that baby is happy, healthy, and growing. With that being said, let's talk bottles today!

             There are sooo many bottles out there to choose from now that finding one that is right for your baby can be overwhelming enough, especially if you're a first time parent. That is one bonus of the technological age we live in: Being able to read reviews online from other parents who have already tried products we are interested in. John and I researched and tried LOTS of things before and after we had our first daughter, cloth diapers, wipes, and bottles were no exception. So, I hope that today's review of the Breastflow Starter Set bottles from The First Years helps you out in your own journey into parenthood!

Some info on the Breastflow Starter Set:

·Unlike traditional nipples, baby uses suction and compression, just like breastfeeding

·Supports every combination of breastfeeding and formula feeding

·2-in-1 silicone nipple works like your breast, letting your baby instinctively control the flow

·Designed to help reduce colic symptoms, gas & spit up

·Two 5oz. bottles with slow flow nipple; two 9oz. bottles with medium flow nipple

·Bottle cover fits onto bottle base, to help keep it within reach

·Works with breastmilk and formula

·Wide neck design for easy filling

·Easy to assemble and clean

·Starter Set includes full-size bottle & nipple brush

·BPA-Free

·Dishwasher-safe

            Sounds pretty great, right? Here are some notes from our experience* with the bottles:

*First of all, this would make the perfect baby shower gift, especially if you're not sure if the recipient is planning on formula or breastfeeding.

*The nipples on these bottles are definitely the closest in design I've seen to breastfeeding out of any other bottle. The Breastflow bottles would be great for caregivers to use in place of the breast of working moms. OR, they would be handy for new breastfeeding moms who may need a “nipple break” (been there!) since the nipple design is so similar to breastfeeding and should lessen confusion for newborns.

*The Breastflow bottles only go up to medium flow nipples (from what I have seen), but by that point your baby can graduate to faster flow bottles/nipples and should be old enough that he/she won't have any issues with nipple confusion if you're still breastfeeding.

*I really like that the baby has more control over the milk flow, also like breastfeeding.

*The design of the two nipple pieces fitting together is neat because you can simply pinch the sides to let the milk that fills up in the outer nipple back into the bottle so none gets wasted!

*On a personal note (and you can read why I'm mentioning this at the end), I would suggest graduating to a faster flow bottle once your baby is really sucking it down because of the way the outer nipple “squishes down”. If they're sucking that hard it makes it to where the outer nipple forms to their mouth weird. Plus, they're probably going to be frustrated and may not finish before they're actually done from being tired from working so hard!

*We will definitely be using these if/when we have another baby. I wish we had come across them sooner with Ripley since we supplemented for so long! Needless to say, I highly recommend them to any new parent.

*It may look complicated putting the Breastflow bottles together at first, but I assure you it isn't as bad as it looks as far as assembly and cleaning go, especially compared to our Dr.Brown's bottles! As if the design of these bottles isn't awesome enough, they are also...

*Insanely affordable! You can purchase your own Breastflow Starter Set on Amazon for only $15.11!!! I couldn't believe it either!

             If you're looking for a bottle set that is as close to breastfeeding as possible or simply want to prevent gas and fussiness in your baby, again, I highly recommend the Breastflow Starter Set. Plus you can't beat the price!

*Full disclosure, we only used the 9 oz bottle with the medium flow nipple once with Ripley because, as predicted, it was just too slow for her since she has been off the breast for a few months now.

*Mixed Bag Mama received complimentary products in order to facilitate her review. No other compensation was received. Regardless, all opinions are her own and may differ from your own.