Finding the right bottle for you and your bub

Once upon a time, parents could only choose between glass or plastic bottles, and whether they’d prefer big or small teats. Today, we’re offered a variety of options, ranging from light-weight plastic baby bottles to  teats with different flows.

With so many options available, you may have no idea which bottle, teat or material that you and your baby will actually prefer. This can make choosing the right bottle more of a headache than a help! 

But fear not, there are a handful of key things to consider to help you find the perfect fit.

Baby Bottle Sizes & Materials 

When it comes to bottle sizes, it all depends on the age, weight and situation you and your little one may face when it comes to bottle feeding. 

mLs per age 

On average, a newborn drinks about 45–90 milliliters every 2–3 hours. As your bub grows, this amount increases. For example at around 2 months, your baby may drink around 120–150 milliliters every 3–4 hours. 

So when choosing your bottle size, generally, you will start around 160 milliliters with a super small teat for newborns, and increase to around 330 milliliters with a larger teat size when they’re around 6 months+.

Bottle Material

Most baby feeding plastic bottles sold today are "BPA-free”, which shows how far we’ve come since the old days, but what you may not know is that there are different types of plastics available. 

Here are just a few:

PP (polypropylene): A light-weight plastic that’s suitable for low to regular use, and is budget friendly.

CLEAR PP (polypropylene): A clear, light-weight plastic that’s suitable for low to regular use.

PPSU (polyphenylsulfone): A medical grade plastic that’s naturally honey toned in colour and suitable for high usage.

T-Ester: An innovative material exclusive to Pigeon, that has excellent glass-like clarity for better visibility, as well as high resistance to UV degradation.

And of course there’s glass bottles which offers excellent transparency, high heat resistance and long term usage.

Teat sizes and holes 

Similar to bottles, teats come in a range of shapes and sizes, depending on how old your baby is and how much milk-flow they require. For example for 0+ months you’ll want a slow flow teat, for 3+ months a medium flow, and for 6+ months, a fast flow.

Here are a few of the Pigeon teats to help as a guide:

SofTouch™ Peristaltic PLUS Teats

A silicone bottle teat featuring a textured surface that’s perfect for latching on and ideal tongue position. The wide neck design is similar to the breast’s shape and helps reduce nipple confusion when combining breast and bottle feeding, or when weaning from breast to formula.

They feature a unique Air Ventilation System (AVS™) to support constant milk flow and help reduce colic, and a latch-on line to guide parents on the correct latching position to encourage a success feed.

They come in SS for newborns, S from 1 month, M from 3 months, L from 6 months, LL from 9 months and LLL from 15 months.

Flexible™ Peristaltic Teats

A silicone bottle teat with double thickness silicone to ensure softness and flexibility for latching on comfortably and easily.

They feature a unique venting system to minimise swallowed air and help reduce colic.

They are available in S for newborns, M from 4 months, Y from 6 months and L from 9 months.

Teat Holes

There are two styles of teat holes, and they make a big difference to your babies feeding experience: 

Round hole teats are fast flowing teats, as if the bottle is held upside down, milk will drip out  without any sucking needed. This is perfect for young babies who have little jaw development as they don’t have to work too hard to get their milk, minimising frustration whilst feeding. 

Cross cut (or Y-cut teats) are slow flowing teats. Unlike the round hole teat, milk is only  released when the baby sucks on the teat. The Y cut is perfect for babies as they get older and have stronger jaw muscles. This allows the baby to control the flow of milk themselves as the harder they suck, the larger the opening expands. 

3 Signs your Baby Needs a Bigger Teat Size

When it comes to bottle feeding, using the right teat size is important for a happy and efficient feeding experience for both you and your baby. Here are three signs that it might be time to move up a teat size:

Frustration at Feeding Time: If your baby becomes fussy, impatient, or cries during a feeding, it could be a sign they’re not getting enough milk fast enough. This can lead to frustration and longer feeding sessions.

Extra Long Feeding Times: While feeding times can vary, it generally shouldn’t take your baby much longer than 20 minutes to finish a bottle. If your little one is taking significantly longer than this, they might be working too hard to extract milk from a slow-flow teat.

Strong Sucking and Teat Collapse: Watch your baby’s feeding cues. Are they sucking very hard on the teat? Does the teat itself collapse inwards when they suck? This is another indicator that the current teat size isn’t providing enough milk for their needs.

Still struggling with fussy feeding? Visit our guide to How Air-Vented Bottles Can Help A Fussy Feeder.

View the full range of Pigeon SofTouch™ Peristaltic PLUS Teats and Flexible™ Peristaltic Teats.

Remember: There is no one-size-fits-all timeline for changing teat sizes. Every baby is different and will develop their feeding skills at their own pace. If you’re unsure if it’s time to move up a size, consult your paediatrician for guidance.  

Special-Needs Babies

Babies born with cleft palate & lip can find it difficult to correctly latch on to a bottle teat, as the mouth can’t be closed off from the nose. 

Pigeon offers a unique nursing bottle that is specifically designed for babies with cleft palate & lip.

Still unsure what to buy? Take our quiz to help choose the best Pigeon bottles & teats for your baby.