Customer Reviews

Playtex VentAire Advanced BPA Free Wide Bottle Newborn Starter Set

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

When I first saw this, I was sure that it would leak, but it just seemed like such an innovative idea that I bought one anyway. The bottle is incredibly easy to clean because both ends can be removed.

I unscrewed the nipple ring and the bottom of the bottle. I was so sure that it would leak if I put anything liquid in it. I filled the bottle full of water and tossed it around on a white sheet to see if it leaked. It didn't, but I still wasn't sure. So, I washed the bottle in hot water. I've noticed that some bottles leak after being washed. Then, I tried the sheet experiment again. It didn't leak. This bottle is 9 months old and still hasn't leaked.

I also liked how these bottles were wide and took similar nipples as the disposable bottles from Playtex, which makes switching back and forth from the Playtex disposable and reusable bottles much easier and causes less nipple confusion.

When I registered for my baby shower, I inadvertently registered for the regular Ventaire bottles as well as these Natural Shape bottles (which is what I was wanting), so my review will discuss both types.

For starters, the Natural Shape bottles are good for babies who are breastfeeding, because the milk doesn't flow out when the bottle is tipped over. The baby really has to suck to get it out, and it has to open its mouth wider due to the size of the nipple.

Feeding my son with a stage 1 nipple took a REALLY long time. Approximately 40-45 minutes. However, I tried a Stage 2 nipple when he was about four months old, and the milk flowed out pretty easily. So quickly in fact that he got really mad and refused to eat because he was getting choked. I switched back to Stage 1 nipples, and also began relying heavily on the regular Ventaire bottles. He is now 5 months old and we have switched to Stage 2 nipples in the Natural Shape bottles, and he is doing well. He tends to finish a 6-7 oz bottle in about 10 minutes. These bottles are a lot wider than regular bottles, and he has a harder time trying to grasp and hold these bottles.

Now for the regular Ventaire bottles. I found these bottles to be the better of the two for us. Although I had initially breastfed, and chose the Natural Shape bottles for that reason, I had to quit breastfeeding at four weeks. So the issue of having a nipple that wouldn't confuse the baby was no longer a concern for us.

The regular Ventaire bottles had no flow issues, even with Stage 1 nipples. He finished his bottle faster with this type of bottle and seemed to have no problems with the speed of the flow. We switched to Stage 2 nipples a couple of weeks ago and the transition was smooth. I didn't notice him getting choked, and he doesn't have to gulp as quickly as he does with the Stage 2 nipples on the Natural Shape bottles. These bottles are also slimmer, which makes it easier for him to try and grasp and hold the bottle.

Now for the operation of both types of bottles. They have a plastic disc that fits into the bottom ring of the bottle, then the bottle screws on, and finally the nipple in its ring screw on top of that. On the regular Ventaire bottles the disc fits snugly into the bottom. On the Natural Shape bottles, it has to fit into a little notch, and it is easy to think it's in right only to find out that its not (ie, when the milk starts leaking out).

We heat our bottles in a pan of water on the stove, and the bottom rings have a tendency to hold water. So if you use this method, you need to tap the bottle sideways on the pan to shake out the water in the ring, and I usually hold a dish towel up to the edge of the ring as well and tip the bottle so that all the hot water comes out. If you don't, when you tip the bottle to feed your baby the hot water will run down onto your hand (or the baby's hand if s/he can hold the bottle). This isn't really a reason not to buy the bottles, just something to be aware of.

Finally, some people have wondered if babies swallow less air with this type of bottle. I have two older children that I used standard bottles with, and I have seen no difference between those and these Playtex bottles. My son still burps just as much as the next baby. Occasionally during feeding you can hear some air leaking out, but overall, I really don't think it makes any difference.

We didn't use bottles much early on - I breastfed exclusively for 13 1/2 months because early attempts with pumping and bottles were a dismal failure - so we ended up using these bottles late in the game and can't really say if or how these would work with a newborn. But we did try a few bottles... here's what we hated and why we love these.

We tried the classic Playtex nursers with the bag. They were OK but the bag part seems wasteful and you still end up with a bunch of parts to wash so what is the point? Also the classic Playtex nipples just seem weird to me. We had some success with the "orthodontic" one but nothing but problems with the flat and round tops ones that are supposed to pop out when baby latches on.

We tried Avent and HATED those. They leak around the neckband and even the number 1 newborn nipple flowed MUCH too fast for my baby. Only tried these because they came with my Avent pump which I also hated. Then a maybe even bigger problem with the Avent is, the nipple can be pushed down inside the bottle... all the way down inside, so it actually detaches from the ring. At that point your child is free to dump milk all over himself or whatever else he pleases.

We started to use these around the time I really wanted to get my baby to sleep through the night, around 10-11 months I guess. I would have my husband go in with a bottle of water or milk instead of me going in to nurse. Now I use them if he needs a night time milk bottle, which is pretty rare, or if it is day time and I can't find a clean sippy cup or he is, for whatever reason, demanding a bottle. These bottles are really great. There are very few parts to wash and the parts there are wash easily. We have had no problems with leaks. My baby is able to drink smoothly from the bottle because of how well it is vented. I love the angled aspect of the bottle, makes it easier to hold the baby semi-upright and still tilt the bottle to get all the milk out.

Curious toddlers cannot dislodge the nipple.

And... the colors are pretty. :-)

If we have another baby, we will definately use these from the beginning (assuming I have better pumping success...)

Make sure to get the NATURAL SHAPE bottles/nipples, not the regular VentAire.

I've been using these since I bought my son home from the hospital. He's now almost five months old and I do believe this is his favorite bottle. He's never had a problem taking this bottle (nor the Avent ones for that matter) he's hungry and he's gonna eat no matter what. So, I'm lucky that way.

Why do I love these bottles? They are a snap to clean! Everything is removable and dishwasher safe. I've been throwing these in the dishwasher and they come out great every time. I have had some trouble with the Avent bottles washing but these none at all.

As far as leaks we've had a few. But, that's only because I didn't put them together right. Besides screwing both ends on the bottle there is a plastic piece that fits on the bottom so the air can escape. You HAVE to make sure that piece is tightly in place or you will get leaks dispite having screwed everything together propertly and tightly.

FYI, if you get the newborn set be careful! The larger bottles come with the stage two nipple so it comes out a lot faster. My son had a bad choking spell because I didn't realize that. Otherwise, fantastic!

I love these bottles though a little more timely to clean they really help with gas. I have used the natural shape nipple as a transition between breast and bottle because it most resembled my nipple shape and my son did great.

I have a three month old son and am breastfeeding. I thought that these bottles would be great when I was away from my baby and when I go back to work in two months. Boy was I wrong! They only go up to stage 2 nipple which is still very hard for the baby to suck any liquid out. The nipple is also very hard and if your breastfeeding this can confuse the baby. I switched to Dr. Brown's wide neck and my baby loves these bottles. He took to it right away. The nipple is very soft and it has FOUR varieties of nipples. Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 for aggressive eaters and a Y cut nipple for thick juices and cereal. Dr. Brown's is the way to go especially if your breatfeeding.

I really like these bottles. Yes - they do leak sometimes, but each time they leaked I discovered it was because I didn't have either the top on tight enough, or the rubber discs in correctly. As long as you're paying attention when assembling the bottles, they will be leak-free!

Otherwise, they are great ... they can go in the dishwasher with no problem and have held up just fine. I've been using them for almost a year now and they're still going strong!

I love the bottles beacuse my baby has no spit up and she's not gassy like other bottles made her Thanks!

These bottles are wonderful! They are super easy to clean and although a reviewer mentioned six parts (its only five) its not any harder to clean as the parts come apart without effort but fit securely everytime that I have never ever had any leaking- ever. I also use the Playtex Disposable bottles and these bottles use the same nipples as those. A HUGE convienence and money saved on nipples which can be expensive! I just cant say enough about them! Love love love these bottles! I highly recommend these and the other disposable bottles! As for the review mentioning the nipples are too long, not so, although my daughter was not a premmie. I did breastfeed only up until she was 2 months and then introduced formula between breastfeedings. Switching back and forth between breast to bottle was rocky the first two days but afterward it was a breeze and has been ever since. These nipples also have a much slower flow than the other more narrow nipples used in the other ventaire bottles that I would not recommend if you want to breastfeed, or at all for newborns because the flow is so fast. Wonderful bottles- definitely a grand choice!

My son was diagnosed with acid reflux when he was just about 2 months old. He did alot of vomiting and gagging and we had no clue what was wrong.We had done our research on bottles before he was born and we wanted a bottle that would be good to use with breastfeeding. These bottles rated the best as far as we were concerned. After he was diagnosed we did so much research on acid reflux and the top named bottle to help with that was "Doctor Browns" bottles, this was also the bottle that the doctor recommeded. We bought a bunch of them and wasted our money. They were hard to clean and didn't do a thing with gas. If your child has acid reflux then you know about gas! We had also tried the bottles with the bags in it and they didn't do anything. After all of that we went back to using these bottles and it was amazing how my sons gas dropped and vomitting slowed along with the help of meds of coarse. He is now 1 Yr old and is doing great. The nicest thing about these bottles is you can hear the air escape and they are so easy to clean!! I have never had any problems with the nipples or the bottles leaking like some people have compained of. I love these bottles and would recommend them to anybody especially if you have a gassy baby. My sister also uses the smaller sized bottles and loves them.