Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Versus Avent?

Ok. I don't want to start a debate about breast feeding versus bottle feeding.
I had DS 5 years ago and couldn't breastfeed due to many factors...
I am certain I will bottle feed again so this time I want to be prepared.

What I want to know is if anyone has used both the Closer To Nature and Avent bottles and what their opinions are on each bottle?
I used Avent for DS and found them great.
However I really like the shape of the CTN (Closer To Nature) bottles - vain much lol?
But I don't know about the teats because they are so soft - do they collapse easy under babys sucking?

Sooo - CTN versus Avent? Which is better in your opinion?

I use Avent. The only thing i dont like about them is they tend to leak.

If you are planning on BFing and bottle feeding TT closer to nature are good because it easier to combine the 2 without too much confusion to bub as the teat is meant to mimic a mothers breast.

HTH

Thanks Holly - no I don't plan on combining the 2 - I HIGHLY doubt I'll be able to breastfeed.

If you were happy using the Avent ones before, then use them again. But i do agree.. the TT bottles are prettyful! lol. Tho ive seen the teats and replacment parts for them are a little bit more $$$ than the avent.

Ohh thats not something I had thought about...
I'll have to check out how much the teats are and such too.

I have used both - I had TT closer to nature with DD because I had a TT breastpump (totally useless breastpump i have to say) but the bottles were fantastic and never had a problem with them.

I used avent with DS because I bought an avent breastpump (brilliant breastpump) but I have been not so impressed with the bottles because they do leak around the seals of the teat.

Both my kids have ended up on formula before 6 months old so the bottles I have do get a good workout (after using bottles for DD, I bought all new ones for DS because they go a bit yucky over time).

There are less teats to buy for each stage with the TT ones (stage 1 - up to 3 months, stage 2 - up to 6 months and stage 3 - beyond 6 months). Avent does 4 teats (stage 1 - up to 1 month, stage 2 - up to 3 months, stage 3 - up to 6 months and stage 4 - beyond 6 months).

TT bottles are a bit of an obscure shape so can be a bit difficult to fit into bottle carriers - avent are more straight up and down and not as bulbus.

Apart from those minor differences, I thought they were both great bottles but TT wins everytime because of the no leak thing (Avent emptied a whole bottle out through my nappy bag before I realised they leaked and DS used to end up with it leaked down his clothes if I hadn't realised it was leaking - I'm glad someone else had trouble with them leaking, it's not just me being unco).

Hope all that helps.

I had actually forgotten about them leaking...
My DS would sometimes wear more than he drank because of it and it was annoying to have to remember in the sleep deprived weeks to check it had sealed properly...

Thanks for that!!!

I use the Avent because I love their system. I have the cups and the attachment thing that goes on the bottle and pump. It is so handy and I just love them. Ashton is bottle fed when he goes to his daddies and he hasn't had any issues with him taking the EBM or formula from them.

I used Avent with DD, purely because I had expected to BF and when that didn't work and I desperately had to get bottles upon leaving hospital, the local Priceline only had a decent range of Avent bottles/breast pump/steriliser etc, TT they only had replacement teats.
I found them really great, the leaking I solved by using a flat terry-cloth nappy (mum bought me 2 dozen despite my insistence that I was going to be 'lazy' and use sposies!) draped over DD's shoulders as a sort of bib (but covered from ear to ear so mopped up those little leaks and spits).

My friend had her little boy 8 weeks before I had DD and used TT bottles, the booby-shaped ones (lol I assume the Closer to Nature type) and her bub had no end of trouble feeding... turned out the teats were just too big for him and kind of obscured his nose while he was feeding, so he choked a whole bunch, if you get what I mean?? She swapped him onto different bottles with a more slim-shaped teat and he could breathe and suckle, problem solved (well, not his awful reflux and alleged lactose intolerance, but he could actually swallow).

Ive used both. Julia used the Avent ones but they cracked and leaked. Tried Tara on the Avent and she hated the teat and got reflux from it. So we moved to the TT closer to nature and its much easier and she likes them. The bottles are much better quality and havent cracked so far like the Avent ones do.

I used both with Jack up till Jack was 5mth then only avent I found the TT were great when he was little but once he was older he did collapse the teats :( I have never had a problem with avent leaking :dunno:

The TT ones are really good.

With teat collapsing I found if you stretch the valve on the side when you get them, it helps the air flow easier and they dont collapse. And sometimes they seal up a bit while they dry.

I don't know if it helps, cause they could be collapsing for a different reason, but I hope it helps.

What suits one baby may not necessarily suit another.

Sam was having terrible trouble with the bottle teats we used in the SCN, so when DH bought the avent steriliser that came with an avent newborn bottle, he brought it in for us to try. The SCN nurses advised us that most prems had trouble with avent bottles and it likely wouldn't help, but we could give it a try...

We did, and he's never looked back.

The only time I've had trouble with avent bottles leaking is if I haven't got the top on properly (if the teat has gone to the side rather than sitting square in the middle) or I've not screwed the ring on tight enough.

And just because there's a range of different aged teats doesn't mean you need to go through them all. Sam was on the newborn teats until nearly three months old and is still on the 1 month teats now at nearly 4 months old. We don't change him to the next fastest teat until he shows signs of struggling with the flow on the current ones... we actually had a lot of trouble at one stage because we moved him up too fast, so we went back and aren't in any hurry to the three hole teat just because he's over three months like it says on the box!

BW