Welcoming a new baby into the family is always a very exciting time.
No matter whether it's your first or third born, whether you are adopting or having a child through a surrogate, a new baby will always bring excitement. But they also require a lot of preparation too.
When you know that you are expecting a baby, it is very easy to go overboard and buy way more than you actually need.
In particular, it can be very easy to buy too many baby grows and bottles. So, before you start buying things, you might want to sit down and think about how much you actually need.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at how many baby bottles you need to buy ready for your newborn, and how this might change as your baby grows. So keep on reading to find out more.
How Many Baby Bottles Does A Baby Need A Day?
First things first, let’s take a look at how many baby bottles you need to feed your baby a day.
All babies are different, so the amount of milk that your baby will drink in a day really does depend on your specific baby.
However, generally speaking, most babies will feed between 10 and 14 times in 24 hours. As your baby grows, they tend to have larger feeds and feed less.
If you are not breastfeeding, then you will have to use bottles more often. Typically speaking, if your child has 10 to 14 feeds a day, then that is between 10 and 14 bottles that you will have to prepare during that 24-hour period.
However, this doesn’t mean that you need to invest in 14 different bottles, you can reuse your baby’s bottles.
The ideal number of bottles to buy will depend on a few different factors.
But those that have the largest influence will be whether you breastfeed or bottle feed exclusively. So, let’s take a look at how many bottles you need to buy.
How Many Bottles Do I Need To Buy For Newborns?
There is no specific number of bottles that is recommended by baby experts. Each baby is different, and there are all sorts of factors that will influence what that “ideal” number is.
Over time, as you get to know your baby, you will generally be able to figure out what works for you. But, a good number to get started with is 4 or 5.
If you are planning on breastfeeding, 4 – 5 bottles should be sufficient. If bottle feeding is the route you have to go, then you will need to double that, to 8 – 10 bottles.
Once you are ready to venture out more frequently and get your social life back on track, you may consider adding a couple more bottles to your stockpile.
It is easy for bottles to get lost while you are out and about, so it is always best to have some spares available.
Once your baby passes the 6-month mark, the number of bottles that you require will start to reduce.
At this point, you will probably start to supplement your baby’s diet with solid food. This reduces the amount of milk that they need to drink. At this point, baby bottles become less important.
Finding Your Ideal Baby Bottle
Now that we have established that around 4 to 5 baby bottles is the perfect amount, let’s take a look at how to find the perfect baby bottle.
Type Of Bottle
The first thing that you need to consider is the type of bottle that you want to buy. There are lots of different types of bottles to choose from, including reusable and disposable bottles. Most people opt for reusable bottles.
There are lots of different types of reusable bottles, and most people will opt to use standard bottles. Standard “normal” bottles are tall and straight and are easy to clean.
Should your baby experiences any issues when feeding with a normal bottle, there are anti-colic bottles that you can use. This should correct any issues that your baby has with swallowing air when they are drinking. Our review of Dr Brown's Bottles details why they are the best bottles for colic babies.
In addition to this, there are also a number of companies that are now selling bottles that are self-sterilizing.
These bottles essentially reduce the amount of effort that it takes to sterilize your baby’s bottle. Allowing you extra downtime between feeds and naps.
Type Of Material
Something else to think about is the material of the bottle. There are a variety of different materials that are commonly used to create baby bottles, these include plastic, glass, silicone, and stainless steel.
All of these different materials have their benefits and drawbacks.
Plastic bottles have become very popular in recent years. Many people have concerns about this style of bottle as plastic can sometimes be made using harmful chemicals. Fortunately, all Dr Brown's Bottles are BPA-free
In contrast, glass bottles are not made using chemicals, however, they can shatter which could be incredibly harmful to your baby.
A new type of bottle that has become very popular of late, is the silicone bottle.
These bottles contain neither plastic nor glass so they don’t have any of the issues that we have just spoken about. But, they do tend to be more expensive. The same principle applies to stainless steel bottles.
Summary
In short, there is no correct answer to how many baby bottles you will need for your baby.
However, either 4 or 5 bottles is a good starting point. As time goes on, you can always add more bottles as you require them.
