From the beginning, I knew I needed to be equipped with a few bottles, just in case the breastfeeding thing didn’t work out for me. With so many variations of bottles on the market, it’s difficult to know where to begin. All of a sudden, bottle shopping becomes an overwhelming experience. However, I learned every baby is different and what works for someone else’s baby does not work for mine. Finding what works best for my son and me was truly a trail and error process.
BestBuy.ca sent over a couple of bottle sets by Philips AVENT for my review: One called the Classic+ Essentials Gift Set and the other called the Natural Essentials Gift Set. I do want to mention before going further with this review, that my son is almost 11 months old and transitions easily from breast to bottle. I’m one of the lucky moms with a baby that does not have many difficulties with latching. My experiences might differ greatly with someone else’s who may be use these bottles at the newborn stage.
Philips AVENT Classic+ Essentials Gift Set and what’s in the box
Included in this box you’ll find:
- 5 x Classic+ bottles, (three 9 oz and two 4 oz),
- 1 x microwave steam sanitizer,
- 1 x milk powdered dispenser,
- 1 x silicone soother,
- 1 x trainer handle,
- 1 x soft silicone spout and,
- 1 x cleaning brush,
- 1 x user manual.
Avent: At a glance
This set contains everything you need for safe, easy feeding and sterilizing. The bottles are your standard shape and are BPA-free. The 4 oz bottles come with a stage one nipple and the 9 oz bottles are fitted with a stage 2 nipple. The higher the stage of the nipples, the faster the flow of milk and the stage 1 and 2 are very typical for the newborn stage. My son now uses stage 4 nipples so testing the a bottle with a stage 2 nipple was a little frustrating for him because he was not getting his milk quick enough.
It states the bottles are proven to reduce colic and discomfort and my son seemed to have no issues while feeding from the Classic+ bottles. The anti-colic system is integrated into the nipple via a valve that flexes to match your baby’s feeding rhythm. While my son was feeding from the bottle, I could see the bubbles pop to the surface of the milk, which means they were not being released into the bottle.
The set unfortunately does not come with any twist top lids for the bottles. I had to ensure my finger was covering the nipple before shaking and mixing the formula. There was some minor leaking while shaking the milk but not while my son was feeding. With out twist top lids, it makes travelling with them tough. However, I do like the fact that the set includes the training handles and silicone spout. It’s one less cup you have to buy for later on. The formula dispenser is a handy accessory as it holds pre-measure portions of formula powder, which makes it ideal for travel.
Easy to clean baby bottles
I’ve never used one before, but the set comes with a handy BPA free microwave steam sterilizer. You stick everything in the sterilizer (fits approximately two 9 oz or four 4 oz bottles plus their parts), pour 1 cup of water at the bottom of the steamer, set it in the microwave and it steam sanitizes in just under two minutes. The cleaning brush is designed with a curved head, which makes it easy for me to get inside the bottles for a good clean. The moulded tip at the end of the handle is useful for hard to reach places and also for cleaning nipple tips.
Philips AVENT Natural Essentials Gift Set and what’s in the box
Included in this box you’ll find:
- 2 x 9 oz Natural Bottles,
- 2 x 4 oz Natural Bottles,
- 1 x microwave steam sanitizer,
- 2 x pacifiers (0 – 3 months),
- 1 x cleaning brush,
- 1 x user manual.
Bottles with a more natural design
Upon opening the box, I immediately noticed the difference between the bottle shapes of the AVENT Natural and the Classic+. The Natural bottle has more of a hourglass shape which I thought made it easier for my son to wrap his little hands around. Like the Classic+ Set, no twist lids were included. I’d also like to mention, the dome-like bottle caps were more challenging to take off compared to the Classic+. Full disclosure, I once had to ask my husband to take the cap off for me.
The Natural bottle necks are wider compared to the Classic+. The wider neck bottle is meant to simulate a women’s breast shape and the nipples incorporate a soft comfort petal design that increases the flexibility and stretch. All of these design features are meant to help provide your baby with a more natural feeling feed. Now, after saying that, for some reason the nipple kept collapsing while my son was feeding. It was annoying, as I had to stop the flow of the feed and adjust the nipple a few times. I do need to preface that it may just be the way my son latches onto a nipple because we’ve had the same issue with other dome-like shaped nipples from other brands.
Just like the Classic+ Set, the Natural Set also comes with a microwave steam sanitizer and the exact same cleaning brush. All in all, even though the Natural Set comes with a couple less accessories, it’s got all the basics down and it’s a great first set of bottles for the newborn phase.
Both are suitable as your first set of bottles for your newborn
You will find the right bottles by trying a few out and beginning with either the Classic+ or the Natural sets is a good place to start. After reviewing both the Philips AVENT Classic+ and Natural Essentials Gift Sets, I personally lean towards the Classic+ Set only because I like that it includes the cup transition accessories and the formula dispenser. I hope you found this review comparison helpful. If you have any bottle experiences you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
Be sure to check out all the other bottle offerings available online at BestBuy.ca
