Review & Giveaway: Nuby Softflex Natural Nurser

We knew from the start that I would be returning to work after my maternity leave, but we still wanted Trent to eat only breastmilk. I decided I would pump at work and breastfeed at home, so we decided to slowly introduce bottles early to get him used to both a bottle and the breast. We didn’t want him to be confused on the first day of me being away because he’d never had a bottle before.

When Trent was about 2-3 weeks old, we tried using a bottle that came with my breast pump. However, the nipple was not meant for such a young baby, and therefore, the flow was too strong and he had a difficult time eating comfortably.

We received the Nuby Softflex Natural Nurser bottles to try.

 

From Nuby:

Nothing is better for your newborn than a Natural Touch™. The SoftFlex™ Natural Nurser is designed to make breastfeeding and bottle feeding work better together. It features the new Nûby™ Breast Size Nipple which closely mimics the natural shape, feel, and function of a mother’s breast helping to ease the transition from breastfeeding to bottle feeding. Superior anti-colic valves in the base of the nipple help prevent colic, and soft nubs on the surface massage baby’s gums. Additionally, this bottle is made from a high grade of Poly Propelene material which is 100% Bisphenol A FREE and is fully interchangeable with the SoftFlex™ Silicone system.

 

 

The nipple is meant to mimic the mother’s breast, with a large soft base and flexible nipple, as opposed to a standard bottle nipple, which is much more narrow and firm. This allows baby’s mouth to more easily fit over the entire nipple as it would when latching onto the breast. The slow-flow nipple allows for a much more comfortable eating experience for young babies.

 

 

We received a set of three 9 oz bottles and one 6 oz bottle and they all have super cute designs of animals and toys! The wideness of the bottle will make it easier for Trent to learn how to hold the bottle as he gets older and the larger sizes can accommodate his growing belly needs. The smaller bottle is the perfect size for him right now.

 

 

As new parents, we are learning as we go and not without a few mishaps. Being that the bottle is pretty wide, depending on the angle of the bottle and the position of the baby, it can be difficult to see baby’s face past the bottle. During one recent feeding, we realized afterward that the edge of Trent’s nose got stuck in between the nipple and the bottle. He had sucked for so long without taking a breather, that the nipple became a little inverted (as most nipples do) and caused an opening between the bottle and the nipple (see the photo below), which is right where his nose is. His poor little nose had a red spot on it…but we couldn’t tell because he didn’t make a sound and just kept on eating. We were watching him, but just couldn’t see his face in that area from tilting the bottle up.

 

 

 

Another issue is that the last of the milk gets stuck in the edge of the bottle and it’s difficult to get the remainder of it into the nipple. Any mom that pumps breastmilk knows how precious that milk is and how it must not be wasted!!

 

 

Overall, I am so glad that Trent has been able to breastfeed AND bottle feed without any transitional issues. Having a good bottle and nipple make all the difference, especially in those first few weeks when babies are just getting used to eating.

 

We also received the Nuby Easy Grip Bottle Brush to try. Since bottles and brushes go hand-in-hand, we figured we’d post our thoughts on that as well. I thought we were fine with the bottle brush we already had (I had gotten it for free in a welcome bag at a Baby Expo)…I mean, it’s just a brush right?

Oh no no no. The Nuby bottle brush comes with a sponge portion on the end (mine did not), which helps clean the hard to reach bottom corners of bottles. It also has a detachable nipple brush at the other end. It’s in a cap and snaps into the brush handle, keeping it covered. My old brush just had the nipple brush open at the end and it started to get really dirty from being set in our dish brush holder. Sometimes the nipple brush cap comes off when I’m using the bottle brush, but it doesn’t affect the use of the brush.

One HUGE difference is that the Nuby bottle brush has flexible, soft bristles, so it’s easy to insert the brush into bottles that have smaller openings and it doesn’t create a mess when taking the brush out of the bottle. I hated when I would pull the soapy wet brush out of the bottle and the hard bristles would spray soapy water all over the kitchen, and I don’t have this problem with the Nuby brush.

 

Both items are available at www.BuyBabyDirect.com and K-Mart.

 

 

GIVEAWAY!

 

I am so happy to announce our very first giveaway!

 

What’s up for grabs:

One lucky winner will win a set of three 9 oz Nuby Softflex Natural Nursers for their little one!

 

How to Enter:

We’re using Rafflecopter for this giveaway. It’s super simple, just follow the prompts below to enter. The only mandatory entry is to leave a blog post comment, but the rest are optional. However, the more items you choose to complete, the more entries you receive and the greater your chances of winning! Be sure you actually perform the tasks if you click on them for an entry…we’ll check!

 

The giveaway ends on Friday, August 31, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. I will contact the winner the next day by email. Prize will be mailed directly from Nuby. *USA residents only please.

 

Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

*This giveaway is in no way sponsored or affiliated with Facebook.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review. As always, all opinions are my own and 100% honest.