Playtex VentAire Bottles VS. Gerber Reusable Bottles

Before my baby was born I was fully stocked with two sets of bottles, the Gerber reusable 4 oz. bottles and the Playtex VentAire 6 oz. bottles. I decided to start my newborn on the Gerber reusable, since replacement bottles for the set were less expensive. VentAire bottles run about $5 per bottle, and Gerber reusable are about $2.

Within a week of birth, my baby developed digestive problems, resulting in painful gas, and much crying. I switched her to an easier-to-digest formula, and changed her bottle to the Playtex VentAire. I felt the VentAire would be a better option, since its bottom vent is designed to decrease gas bubbles. After the two changes, her stomach distress greatly decreased.

The first time I used a Playtex VentAire bottle, it seemed my baby was sucking, but not taking any liquid from the bottle. I replaced the stage one nipple with another VentAire stage one nipple, and had the same results. I checked the nipples, finding that the opening was only a tiny slit. I don't know if the VentAire nipples are made abnormally small, or if my baby was just familiar with the larger opening in the Gerber nipples, making her unable to drink from the Playtex. I ended up replacing all the nipples of the VentAire bottles with the nipples from the Gerber set. They fit the same in the rings and worked better for my baby.

When mixing formula with the Gerber bottles, there were so many bubbles that the top of the formula was foamy, making it difficult to even read the number of ounces. There was a major difference in the VentAire. After mixing and shaking the formula in the VentAire bottles, there were no bubbles. Unlike the Gerber, this made it easy to read the amount left in the bottle after the feeding.