Buying guide
How to choose bottles, a breast pump and a sterilizer
What you need depends on how you feed your baby, and you find that out after the birth. How many bottles to get, what pump to choose and whether a sterilizer is worth it.
In short
- Before the birth, two small bottles with newborn teats are enough. The rest is bought once you see how feeding goes.
- Your baby chooses the teat, not you. Get one bottle each of two models before you buy a set.
- You choose the pump by how often you will use it – manual for occasional use, double electric for daily.
- The sterilizer is a convenience. A pan of boiling water does the same job.
Feeding is the chapter of the list with the most purchases made for nothing. The reason is simple: before the birth you do not know whether breastfeeding will be easy, hard or not happen at all, whether your baby will accept the bottle and which model. Everything described here arrives by courier in a day. So the rule is to buy a little now and the rest when you know.
This guide is about objects, not about how you feed your baby. For breastfeeding, formula and everything that goes with them, talk to your paediatrician or a lactation consultant.
What you need, depending on how you feed
| Situation | Bottles | Pump | Sterilizing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exclusive breastfeeding | 2 small, spare | Only if the need arises | A pan is enough |
| Breastfeeding and expressed milk | 3–4 | Electric, if you express daily | Pan or sterilizer |
| Mixed feeding | 3–4 | As needed | Pan or sterilizer |
| Formula only | 6–8 | No | A sterilizer starts to be worth it |
Before the birth, buy only what is on the first row.
The bottles
- Size. For the first months, small bottles of 120–150 ml. The big ones come later.
- Teat. Slow flow, usually marked “0+”, “1” or “newborn”. Too fast a flow makes your baby choke; too slow annoys them. The markings are not identical from one brand to another.
- Teat shape. Wide, narrow, asymmetrical – there is no generally better one. There is the one your baby accepts. That is why you get one bottle each of two models, not a set of six.
- Material. Glass or polypropylene; both are fine. Teats are silicone and are replaced when they get sticky, crack or change colour.
- Few parts. Anti-colic systems with tubes and valves can help some babies, but they mean three or four extra parts to wash at every feed. Start with something simple.
- Wide neck. Easier to wash and fill.
You also need a bottle brush with a small brush for teats. A drying rack is handy, but a clean towel does the same.
The breast pump
Do not buy it during pregnancy. If the need arises, it is sorted in a day, and many maternity hospitals and pharmacies rent out hospital-grade pumps, stronger than any home model.
| Type | Who it is for | What you need to know |
|---|---|---|
| Silicone collector | Catches the milk that drips from the other breast while you feed | Cheap, no motor; not a pump as such |
| Manual | Occasional expressing, a night out, an overfull breast | Quiet, small; tiring for the hand with frequent use |
| Simple electric | Expressing a few times a week | One breast at a time |
| Double electric | Daily expressing, going back to work, exclusive expressing | Halves the time; the most efficient home option |
| Wearable, in the bra | Daily expressing, hands-free | Convenient and expensive; usually weaker than a classic double |
| Hospital-grade, rented | Difficult beginnings, premature babies, stimulating supply | The most powerful; rented with a personal set of parts |
What to check on an electric pump:
- Funnel size. It is chosen by the diameter of your nipple, not the size of your breast. A wrong funnel hurts and gets less milk. Many manufacturers sell several sizes; a lactation consultant helps you choose.
- Closed system, with a barrier between the milk and the motor.
- Spare parts that are easy to find: valves and membranes are replaced periodically.
- Separate settings for rhythm and strength.
- Battery, if you will express somewhere other than next to a socket.
If expressing hurts or the quantity drops, it is not down to you and, often, not down to the pump: ask a lactation consultant for help.
Sterilizing
Everything that touches the milk is washed after every use, with warm water, washing-up liquid and a brush, and left to dry. Sterilizing comes on top of washing, not instead of it.
For how long and how often to sterilize, ask your paediatrician: recommendations differ between countries, and for premature babies and children with health problems they are stricter.
| Method | What you need | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boiling | A large pan with a lid | The parts stay fully under water, a few minutes from the first boil; wears out teats faster |
| Steam, in the microwave | A dedicated container or special bags | Cheap, quick; check it fits in your microwave |
| Steam, electric | A sterilizer | Convenient for many bottles; takes counter space and needs descaling |
| Cold | Solution or tablets and a lidded container | Useful when travelling |
An electric sterilizer is worth it if you bottle-feed several times a day. For two spare bottles, a pan is enough. Models with drying are convenient, but not necessary.
What is bought new and what is not
Teats, dummies and the breast pump parts that touch the milk are bought new. Glass bottles without scratches, sterilizers and warmers can be bought used. Details in what to buy second-hand.
Our recommendation
Before the birth: two small bottles, with newborn teats, of two different models, and a brush. That is all. Once you see how feeding goes, you add bottles of the model your baby accepts, a pump suited to how often you express and, if you wash more than three or four bottles a day, a sterilizer.
Why we put off other purchases in this category, in what not to buy for your baby.
Frequently asked questions
How many bottles do I need?
It depends on how you feed your baby. For exclusive breastfeeding, two small spare bottles are enough. For mixed feeding, three or four. For formula feeding only, six to eight, so you do not have to wash and sterilize after every feed.
Glass or plastic?
Both are safe. Glass bottles do not scratch, do not hold smells and withstand repeated sterilizing, but they are heavier and can break. Polypropylene ones are light and cheap, but are replaced when they scratch or turn cloudy. In the European Union, bisphenol A has been banned in polycarbonate bottles since 2011 (Regulation (EU) No 321/2011).
Can I buy a second-hand breast pump?
Only if the manufacturer states it is for several users – usually hospital-grade pumps, with a closed system – and only with a completely new set of the parts that touch the milk – funnels, valves, membranes, tubes, containers. Other pumps are designed for a single user; for them, buy a new one or rent a hospital pump.
Think it could help someone else?
Send the guide to your partner or to a friend who is expecting a baby.