Avent Nipple Progression for Age

I recently tried to progress my 4 month old to the size 3 nipples and all I ended up with was a very soaked bib and shirt. As long as you don't see nipple blisters, little white bumps on their lips, and he doesn't act starved, leave it alone and let him progress when he's ready. How long does he take per feeding?

I have a 21 month old son who has never progressed past the #1. He just likes to relax and take his time eating which is fine with me. The only time I even use the #2 is if I give him a bottle with water. It's all in the child's eating speed.

Thank you for asking this question because I was wondering the same thing! My son is almost 5 months old and we still just use a #1 nipple. I use a #2 if I have added rice cereal to his bottle (to help with reflux per his GI doctor).

Hi R.

I had the same problem with moving my daughter up in flow. We decided to let her eat more slowly and she is now a quite healthy eater and almost 2 years old (despite a milk sensitivity).

Keep it at number 2 and enjoy the extra time you get to old your sweet little one. My daughter was always a leisurely eater (though I breast fed mostly). I didn't mind, it was more time that I was able to hold my precious little one. :) I also noticed that the more leisure her intake the less gas she had. If I let her take her time she would actually burp herself as soon as I sat her up.

My son is also 5 months old and still drinks from the #2 nipple. We also tried to "graduate" him to the #3s when he was 3 months old and the milk ran out both sides of his mouth. He also has never shown signs of frustration about the milk not coming fast enough. Since then we've just decided to leave him on the #2s. I figure it's better for his digestion if he eats more slowly anyway. I think each baby is just unique. Don't worry that he isn't drinking fast enough. All in good time...

R. - Our 5 month old twins are still on the number one nipples. They are healthy, gaining weight and are eating well! I think listening to your baby and following his lead is probably best!
Good luck!

Oh my gosh no need to worry about that. My son was still on a #2 at nine months. It bugged me cause it took longer to feed him, but he just loved savoring his formula. He is now 1 year and takes a #3. If he's like my son he will be happy with the #2 for a long time, but would be ok with a #3 if you introduced it to him a little way down the road. Just try every couple of weeks and one day he won't mind the faster flow.

If your son is doing well with a 2 hole nipple and is not having problems, I wouldn't worry about it. If he is within his weight range for his age, he's fine. The ages given are a general rule not set in stone for every child. If he is drinking well and advancing in other areas at a normal pace, I wouldn't worry. K. San Leandro

Hi R.,

Don't worry about the ages given on the nipple packaging. with our son (spit-up king) it was very much trial and error. If your son seems happy, I wouldn't bother to switch. We sought advice from our pediatrician's office on this question, and you might want to call the pediatrician. I know it feel silly sometimes to call w/ these types of questions, but I'm sure the nurses there have answered this question hundreds of times. I will say that when the milk flows faster, your son is likely to swallow more air, which can lead to spitting up more. You're smart to mention burping him more frequently. Regardless of nipple size, we used to stop our son mid-bottle and burp him gently and then give the rest of the bottle. This strategy worked for several months. At a certain point, we did go back to burping him only at the end. He was being treated for reflux and was doing much better. Have you spoken to the pediatrician about possible reflux? If the spit-up is more than just whatever got stuck above the last air bubble or if it happens frequently (or if your son arches his back a lot), you might want to check in with his doc. If he only spits up with the stage 3 nipple, then just stick w/ stage 2. Anyway, don't worry about what the packaging says. Every child goes at his/her own pace, and as long as you son is comfortable and staying on his growth curve you really don't have much to worry about.

I went through the same thing with both my kids. I asked my second daughters doctor and he said the numbers seem to be a way for the bottle companies to make more money. He said to just stay with the number that the baby feels comfortable and not frustrated with. So, I went with that advice and it worked great. I think we changed to a 3 when she was about 9 months (she was never a huge eater) and now at 14 months we are still on a 3. For my first daughter, I don't think we ever even went beyond 3 and she used a bottle until she was 2 years old. I don't think we will ever go to a number 4 for my second daughter either.

A little about me:
I am a mom to two adorable little girls. A four year old and a one year old. I also work 35 hours a week outside of the home (unfortunately). My parents take care of the girls while my husband and I are at work, so we are very fortunate for that.

I never went above stage 2 with my sons. Just because a package states that your child should move on to the next stage at a certain age doesn't mean that your child is ready. As long as your son is happy and eating, I wouldn't force him to the next nipple size. You could always try offering the stage 3 nipple once every other week or so to see if he'll except it, but if he doesn't don't worry. Every kid eats at their pace, just like some adults scarf down their meal while others savor every bite!

If he's nice and fat, on target for growth, I wouldn't worry about the nipple size. My son is almost 10 months old now, he is mostly breastfed, when he is supplemented with a bottle if I'm not around he still uses the preemie size nipple and does just fine. I realize this is a bit crude, but my nipples didn't change size just because he got older! We are starting to wean him from the bottle altogether and use a regular cup so there is no reason to buy/use a bigger nipple. I think if your son is eating fine, gaining weight, he's ok regardless of what the package says.

I would leave him on a #2 until he "tells" you he is ready. Babies are all different, just like people. Some people scarf their food down, hardly chewing it and others pick along and eat slower. Having him drink his bottle slowly and not spit it all back up sounds good to me.

I've got a 26 month old girl...and the one thing I've learned is that not everything works for every kid. Try it, and you'll know if it's right for yours or not. And I guess I've learned one other thing...the plan changes every day. Good luck.
K.

My son is 7 months plus and is happy with the number 2 nipples. I have some number 3's, but he seems to be fine with the 2's. He is growing so fast, and I too work full-time. I treasure the time I give him his bottle.
Best of luck.
E.

hi, we used avent bottles with both our kids and neither one of them ever used #3. My 2 year old JUST stopped taking a bottle and shes used #2 and even #1 nipples until now. If hes not frusterated with it Im sure hes fine, its just the parents who have to be patient because it will take a little longer.

I am a stay at home mom of 6 kids who all used the Avent bottles. I only changed the nipples with my first child and ended up going back to the #1. All of my other children stayed with the #1 nipple. I felt that the other nipples flowed too fast and they were all fine with the #1. My youngest is 11 weeks and I have no plans on changing the nipple as long as she is content.

Hi, i would advise you to relax.. as long as your little one is enjoying his feeding, so should you. The nipple you are using is a new one to me. I have raised many a well adjusted child to adulthood and only had 1 hole in the nipple! good luck

samiam

hello R.! i have a 8 month old baby & i just started her on the #2 nipples. i have read that it is best to change the nipples when you can tell it gets frustrating for them that the milk isn't coming out fast enough.always go with your mothers instinct! =0) hope what i told you helped.

Here is my feedback. I talked to my dentist when I was pregnant with #1 child and he told me don't change the nipples. Here is why. Most people go for a bigger nipple so the feedings are quicker since everyone is always in a big hurry. But what a bigger hole in the nipple does is more milk flows out and it "pools" in your baby's mouth giving the sugar from the milk more time to settle into your babies teeth. Not to mention getting the milk into him faster could promote over eating in the future. He drinks it so fast he doesn't get a chance to get full.
Stick with the #2.

Dear R.:

We used Avent bottles with the #2 nipple with our son until he was close to nine months. He had a sensitive gag reflex when we tried to switch too. He still at a year uses the #3 nipples. Avent also makes sippy cup spouts that you can use with their bottles but we found the flow on those to be too fast too. We ended up buying Gerber sippy cups when the time came as the flow was not so fast.

Hope this helps.

N. :)

My son just turned one and still uses only the stage 2 nipples on the Avent Bottles. Every time I try the stage 3, he makes a mess and coughs, spitting up a bunch of milk. The stage 2 still works great and has just the right amount of flow for him...he's now very fast at sucking it down. I hope this helps!

Hi R.. Congrats on your little one! I have used the Avent bottles for both of my boys (ages 3 and 1) and loved them. I used the #2 nipples for my second son up until he weaned at 13 months. In fact, my husband gave him the #3 once when he was 12 mos, and milk just went all over the place! He has always been a great eater, and never showed signs of being frustrated with a low milk flow with the #2. I could have sworn that my older son was using the #3 nipples at some point (he used a bottle until he was 15 mos), but maybe I'm wrong (it's funny how you don't remember these things from one child to the next). My advice is to stick with the #2 because they seem to be working well for your son. He'll let you know when he's getting frustrated wih a low flow. Hope this helps!

My son is 5 months old as well - he will not take any other nipple but the newborn - probably because he only gets one or two bottles a week - - - we have tried other nipples but he wont take any of them.

I don't think it matters - as long as your baby is happy - - - besides you don't want him to learn to eat super fast - he is learning to enjoy his meals overtime which studies have shown (in France) is a much healthier way to eat than typical Americans who wolf down their food quickly.

:)

Enjoy your son....

I have an eight month old who still will not tolerate a size 3 nipple. She eats fine and is very healthy. I have been told by friends that the baby will show signs of frustration when they are ready to move on to the next size. I wouldn't worry about this as all babies are so different.