THE NEXT BREAST THING (Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Bottle)

Member Name: mdstone

Product:	Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Bottle
Date:	24/09/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clear measurement readings, durable, the nest best thing to breastfeeding

Disadvantages: Can be pricey at some shops

This is my first review in over a year and I can't believe time has gone so fast! My partner and I have been very busy with our new born child and buying everything we needed in preparation for the birth.
When my partner was pregnant with our first child (yes, I'm a daddy writing this review!) we decided one day to go out and purchase some bottles as it was one of the items we hadn't yet invested in. We had previously set our eyes on the very attractive Tommee Tippee range, so began comparing them with others on the shelf and were very impressed. The pack of 3 including teats were priced around £9.99 from Tesco, although we had more of a bargain by purchasing the Steriliser which came with 4 bottles and a wire brush for around £15 with the closer to nature teats included. Without the current offer on the Tommee Tippee range we would have paid about £7 more.
As our baby was born premature (4lb 7) it was recommended that we fed him by bottle so we could keep an eye on his intake and my partner wasn't really interested in breast feeding so we started using these immediately with SMA Gold formula.

Look & Feel
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The first thing you will notice about the clear bottles are their easy to hold curved shape which is fatter on top and narrower at the base making it less likely to lose grip whilst feeding and they are also very light. The shaped bottle top is also very easy to push-click into place, which touches the end of the teat tightly to prevent leakage.

On the side of the bottle there is a nice clear measurement display showing ounces and millilitres (up to 260ml) in black. The black markings make all the difference as I have other bottles with clear measurement markings that are impossible to see in dim light, especially if you are making a feed in the middle of the night by your bedside.

Features
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Although our baby is not breast fed, we felt the closer to nature teats were a great way of introducing bottle milk to a baby from newborn or even when converting to bottle milk from breast feeding. The teats are designed to mimic the natural flex, feel and movement of a breast with an easy latch on shape. Our baby has such a great grip on this whilst sucking that it makes feeding time less stressful for both baby and parent as we can usually feed in one go. The teats are rated '1' which means they are slow-flow, although this doesn't seem to have bothered our hungry baby as he tends to gulp down the milk on occasions and he sometimes ends up taking more than he can swallow.

The anti-colic valve and vent system on the top of the teat is a great way of preventing the swallowing of air and reduces the risk of colic. Bubbles can easily form inside the bottle from formula milk (even more so when shaking to mix) so this combats the problem by reducing the possibility of air entering the baby's tummy through the mouth during feeding by helping to release this air from the side of the teat. Less air in the baby's tummy means reduction of winding as the baby is not getting stressed and crying in between feeds. It is important to note that in order to get the best out of the valve and vent system, the valve should be pointing upwards when feeding.
The bottles have the added function of holding the Tommie Tippee milk containers (for travelling) which can be purchased for around £5 for a pack of 6. The outer rim on the containers will rest on the top of the bottle with the screw-lid removed so that you can store them inside the bottle. The lid then screws on top holding them tightly inside without making contact with the water. If you add these containers to the bottle you are only likely to get about 8 ounces of feed which is a slight reduction from the capacity but this is more than enough.

Cleaning
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These bottles are very easy to clean with the wire brush we had in our set as it gets into every part of the bottle to remove milk waste. The silicon teats push effortlessly out of the screw-on rim to make cleaning easy and once washed and sterilised it is just as simple to re-attach by pushing the mould back into place.

Durability
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The teats are supposed to be replaced after a few months use or when showing signs of wear. We have been using these for over 2 months now without any problems although when the baby start's growing teeth it maybe a different story!
As you would expect from a bottle, it is made from strong durable plastic so you can expect to drop it and throw it without it breaking or cracking. I've drop ours a few times on to laminate flooring when it has contained milk and it has been fine, although the bottle top could be more secure as a bit of milk leaks out once the top flies off on impact.

Recommended?
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Overall I think this product is great and would recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a new set of bottles for their baby. They look good, they do the job and they are the next best thing to breast feeding. In fact, our baby has gone from 4lb 1 after leaving the hospital to 7lb 15 in 7 weeks so he must be feeding well!
I think they are great value for money and they are still in near enough the same condition they were when we bought them.
The bottle sets are available in most supermarkets as well as the likes of Boots & Mothercare, although I would look around before buying as we have noticed some supermarkets doing deals on this range with a lot of items close to half price.

Summary: Great product from the Tommee Tippee range, has a natural feel and easy to take apart and clean