Review: Avent Replacements

Our 10-month old daughter has used Avent bottles since her birth, but over that time we have become increasingly concerned over the presence of BPA in these bottles. Last month, we finally decided to cut the Avent cord, and started to look seriously for alternatives. One of our primary concerns was that she had become used to the Avent nipples. In addition, we liked the multiple flow rates offered by Avent and we already owned a huge stock of nipples. Another concern of ours was cost. Many of the bpa-free bottles are really expensive- $10 a pop, at least. We were worried about making such a substantial investment and then having our daughter reject the bottle because she didn't like the nipple. We had read reports that the Gerber GentleFlow was compatible with the Avent nipple, so we decided to try those. In addition, the Avent magic cups are BPA-free, and are compatible with the Avent rings and nipples as well.

Here are our thoughts:

Gerber GentleFlow:

Cost: $2.99 for one at Walgreens (As an aside, I have seen these being sold for much more, as much as $10/bottle. That is absurd. Every Walgreens we've been in has had these in stock for $2.99)

Pros: Avent nipples and rings fit perfectly; good shape; markings in both ounces and milliliters; cheap!!!

Cons: These seems to make our daughter more gassy then the Avents, I think they may not be venting as well; they only come in 9-ounce size, which will be huge for a newborn; can be hard to find if you don't have a Walgreens

Avent Magic Cup:

Cost: $7.99 for two 9-ounce at Target

Pros: Come in a few different sizes; cheaper than many of the other bpa-free bottles, converts to cup

Cons: Made by Avent, who refuses to recognize the BPA-issue; really vague ounce markings, no milliliter markings; odd shape

The main problem we had with these was leakage. We first tried just replacing the spout with the Avent nipples and using the MagicCup ring. This was a disaster, formula everywhere. Now, we use both the Avent bottle ring and nipple, and we've has less leakage issues. However, like the Gerbers these make her more gassy then the Avent bottles, so again, I don't think they are venting as well.

In the end, we bought a bunch of the GentleFlows and a few of the MagicCups. We're due in August again, and I'm not sure if either option will work for a newborn because of the Gas issue. We may have to try to Avent bottles that use liners for a few months