Vial: teats made of latex or silicone?
For the bottle feeding of your baby you need not only the bottle itself, but also the right teat. But should you better buy a teat made of latex or silicone and which is the right shape? Here you can find out what you can pay attention to when choosing the teat for the vial and what the advantages and disadvantages of the individual models are.
If you want to feed your baby with the bottle, then you have a wide choice when buying. In our article “Tips for buying bottles” you can find out which important factors you should consider. Of course, the bottle without the right teat is of little use to you. Suts are always made of soft plastic so that your baby can push milk out of them through his drinking movements. A small valve on the side of the teat prevents a vacuum from forming in the vial, which would prevent the flow of milk. Many manufacturers have now optimized this valve so that excess air can escape from the vial so effectively that colic in babies is significantly reduced.
Since vacuum cleaners are not standardized, their size can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Not every teat therefore fits on every vial. However, it is quite possible that the products of different manufacturers can be combined. To find out which vacuum cleaner is compatible with which vial, unfortunately only trying it out.
Information on which factors you should pay particular attention to when choosing a teat is something we have compiled for you here.
Index
ToggleMaterial: latex or silicone?
With the material of the vacuum cleaner you have the choice betweenlatex and silicone. You can easily recognize latex suckers by the brown coloring. It is more durable compared to silicone, but ages over time and becomes sticky, even by boiling for sterilization. Rarely, children are allergic to latex. Silicone teats hardly age and are visually more appealing due to their crystal-clear appearance. However, they are more susceptible to cracks or small damage than latex vacuum cleaners. This becomes a problem especially when your child gets the first teeth. However, as long as your baby has no teeth, silicone teats are usually a good choice because you don’t have to buy them as often. However, babies usually have their own preferences for teats, which is why the following applies to the choice of material: Trying is more important than studying.
If you notice that a vacuum cleaner, no matter what material it is made of, is damaged, it is important to dispose of it immediately. Otherwise, your child could swallow small parts and bacteria and germs would also have an easy time settling in cracks.
Shape of the vacuum cleaner
Teats for the vial are available in numerous different shapes. Some are rather flat, others rather round. If possible, you should prefer a teat that isbased on the anatomy of the female nipple, as this should promote a natural sucking movement and healthy jaw development. Such suckers usually have a relatively wide base, so that the child has to open the mouth wide to enclose it. Many manufacturers indicate on the packaging when the teat cups are shaped in a jaw-friendly manner.
Size
It stands to reason that your child will probably need a smaller teat shortly after birth than when he was one year old, as his mouth is even smaller at this point. The individual products are oftenlabelled for certain age groups. However, this information is only a guideline, which vacuum cleaner really has the right size for your child and when a change to a larger model is appropriate, can only show in practice.
Perforation in the vacuum cleaner
Which hole size you choose for the teat depends primarily on what you want to feed your child with the bottle. A distinction is usually made betweentea, milk and porridge teasts. So if you want to feed your child infant milk, then you should choose a milk teat, for tea you use a teateat. You can make an exception to the rule if you feed your child pre milk. Since this is very thin, it makes sense to use a teateat instead of a milk teat for it, otherwise too much milk could come out of the bottle at once. You can find out more about different milk food products for babies in our articles “Bottles: Which milk for the baby?” and “HA Food and Co.: Special milk food for babies“.
In addition to the size of the perforation, the milk flow can also be regulated by thenumber of holesin a teat. At the beginning, a teat with only one hole is usually sufficient, for older children teats with several holes are recommended, as they can drink faster and more. Most teats have a label for which age group they are suitable, but these can only serve as a guideline, since babies naturally develop individually.
The fact that the suction hole is small enough is not only important so that your child does not choke when drinking if too much milk comes out at once. By feeding with the bottle, the need for sucking of your baby should also be satisfied. With a small suction hole, your baby has to work harder to get milk out of the bottle, the meal takes longer, and your baby has longer time to suck. But be careful: A suction hole that is too small can quickly lead to frustration for your baby, as his efforts are not sufficiently rewarded!
When buying vacuum cleaners, there are a few things to consider. Of course, there are countless possible combinations of the individual factors, which in turn vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. But don’t worry: which vacuum cleaner can prevail with your child will quickly show up in practice.