Is Feeding Bottle Better Or Sipper For Babies?

By Pooja Kaushal

Wednesday, February 3, 2016, 13:32 [IST]

Taking care of a baby involves many aspects and parents are often faced with difficult moments. There are choices to be made but the doubt always lingers as to whether the decision taken is correct or not.

One such doubt comes in the form of feeding bottles and sippers. Is feeding bottle better or sipper for babies?

The tussle between bottle and sipper has always been there and will always continue. Most of the times the choice is made according to comfort; comfort of the parents.

Putting a baby on a feeding bottle is far easier than any other method, be is sipper or spoon feeding. The baby easily accepts the bottle and parents are satisfied with the fact that the baby is being fed well.

There is no doubt about the fact that a baby is well fed when using a bottle but is the bottle really safe and the best way to feed the baby?

So which is better, sipper or bottles for babies? It would be a wiser decision to go for the sipper. It may take a little while for the baby to get accustomed to it but once used to it will be worth the effort.

1.Habit forming:

Once the baby is used to a bottle the bottle becomes a habit. Whenever there is some liquid to be had the baby will always want it in a bottle. In many cases the milk bottle stays with the baby beyond infancy. There have been cases where bottle fed children have given up drinking milk because the bottle was taken away.

2.May spoil shape of mouth:

One argument that goes in favor of the sipper when considering is feeding bottle better or sipper for babies is the disfiguration of the mouth.

A baby being bottle fed will always have to shape his or her mouth in a certain manner to suck the milk from the bottle. When being done repeatedly on a daily basis the mouth gradually starts taking that shape which may be undesirable.

3.Sleep feeding:

Many parents feed their babies in their sleep. And this possible only with the bottle. When using a sipper it is not easy to feed the baby when asleep.

Feeding a sleeping baby is not a healthy habit for the baby. It can lead to mouth and teeth infection because milk is present all the time in the mouth.

4.Hygiene:

Sipper or bottle for babies, both need to be clean and hygienic. For the best health of the baby the feeding container must be clean to ensure that no trace of the previous liquid is left inside. The baby's stomach takes time to adjust to different kinds of foods

5.Difficult to maintain:

Maintaining hygiene with a sipper is far easier than the bottle. As a process the bottle and nipple need to be boiled in water for a couple of minutes and then allowed to dry. A sipper, on the other hand, only needs to be washed well and dried.

6.Baby can chew nipple:

Since a bottle becomes a habit babies refuse to give them up. Even after having teeth they continue using the bottle and in the process of drinking milk tend to chew on the nipple. This is surely not a healthy practice which gives the sipper an edge over bottle.

7.Transition to glass difficult:

At some point of time the bottle will have to be given up for a glass. But this transition is not so easy. Especially with a bottle fed child. For many children no bottle means no milk.

8.Difficult to wean away from bottle:

It is habit forming and if your little one is hooked to a bottle getting rid of it will be one of the most difficult tasks for you. People often resort to various methods to wean the child from bottle to sipper or glass but it takes considerable amount of time.

Is feeding bottle better or sipper from babies? The question will always remain and parents will always choose as per their preferences. But if you are going to buy a bottle do take into consideration the points discussed her.