I never would have gone in for the idea of Drop Ins liners. Sure, they drop in with one hand, but have you ever tried to put the nipple on a bottle one-handed? I'm sure it's possible, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're skilled in doing a good number of usually two-handed things this way..... So maybe Drop Ins liners were a good idea, but with all the advertising hype about them working one-handed, I was rather suspicious from the start.

But just before Susannah was born we realized we needed more bottles, and when we went looking for a set of several bottles all the Playtex "kits" had these new burper bottles and Drop Ins liners in them.

Giving Drop Ins a Fair Try

We bought a kit that had one 4oz and one 8oz burper bottle, among others. I liked the idea of the burper bottle, so we decided we'd give the Drop Ins a fair shake. Well, the new liners didn't do too badly, after all.

The Drop Ins liner looks like a rather large condom. Sounds funny, but look at the rim next time you pull one out. Or maybe you're not all that familiar with what a condom looks like. After all, if you're reading about baby bottles...... LOL!

Anyway, the Drop Ins liner is like a regular disposable liner, only it looks as if it's been inflated. It's slightly more rigid so it will keep its shape when you pour into it, which is great when you mix your bottles at 4AM! And instead of having the perforated tongue that you wrap around the rim of the bottle & rip off, there's this ring that grips the rim and keeps the liner in the bottle. All in all, the Drop Ins liner does a pretty good job, though my husband says he had a couple mishaps with some of the samples (we had 10 in our kit.)

Burper Bottles

I had expected the bottles to be the really great part of this system, and in fact I almost bought a starter kit of three of them when I was expecting Hughie. Boy, am I glad I didn't! These bottles just don't do anything for me!

We tried the 8oz with Hughie just before Susannah was born, and it worked fine with the Drop Ins liners. But Hughie is old enough that we don't have to worry about him swallowing air, so he doesn't really need the burper. For him, it was just an interesting toy; as he drank he slid it up and down, like he was playing some kind of flute. Cute, but not necessary.

And when we ran out of Drop Ins? We tried the burper bottle with regular liners. It's possible to do it, but not easy. And I defy anyone to put in a regular liner without blowing into it to inflate it! OK for Hughie, but maybe not the best idea for a newborn.... So much for everything being sterile!

These burper bottles were really made for the Drop Ins and since they're such a new concept, Playtex is the only one making them. Since they're the only ones making them, they can ask a high price for them, and you're really stuck if you can't afford them. It simply isn't worth it unless you've got a colicky baby. And then, I wonder if one of these angled bottles might work just as well.

The Advantages

Like all disposable feeding systems, Playtex Drop Ins has the advantage of a disposable liner, which makes the bottle a snap to wash. With the burper, it's a little more difficult to wash by hand, but it's a lot easier than a reusable bottle. Like all disposable systems, it has the advantage of travelling well. If you think you'll need to refill baby's bottle while out, just bring extra liners and some powdered formula. And once the bottle is finished, the liner is thrown away and the nipple can be rinsed. No smelly bottles to take home!

Playtex nipples are also more like the breast. They are larger around, but not as tall. This is important if you're supplementing breastfeeding with bottles. Nipple confusion is less of an issue with these nipples than with nipples from the standard reusable bottles.

The selection of nipples is also excellent with any Playtex bottle. I'm sure reusable bottle nipples are also made in a great variety, but for some reason they're not as easy to find in the store. Playtex nipples come in different shapes (e.g. orthodontic, for small babies) and they come rated by age (e.g. infant nipples for babies under 6 months, and nipples for babies over 6 months.) Finally, there are neat nipples like the "y-cut," which help to prevent leaks when your older baby is drinking and decides to toss the bottle aside. A real life-saver!

Disadvantages

The usual disadvantages of Playtex bottles apply to the Drop Ins bottles too. There aren't many, but I guess I should mention them. You would want to consider these before buying any disposable bottles.

First of all, any disposable bottle requires liners. With a reusable bottle, once you've bought the bottle it's all paid for. If money is a consideration, Playtex disposables might not be ideal.

Disposable bottles don't actually fit 8oz of liquid, either. Depending on how full you fill them, it can be between 6-7oz. And don't try to measure from either the scale on the bottle or the bag, if it's important to know exactly how much baby drank. Only a rigid container like a reusable bottle can give you an accurate measurement. The two-way scale on the new burper bottles may seem like a good idea for those of us who can't add and subtract numbers smaller than 8, but in practice it just won't work.

Finally, these darned things don't fit bottle leashes! The rings on bottle leashes are made for the smaller opening of a reusable bottle, and will not work with Playtex disposables. So, when your baby gets a little older and has a bottle of juice in the stroller while you go shopping, guess what you'll be doing? Bending over every aisle or so until you decide to take the bottle away, or you finish getting your groceries, which ever comes first! Reusable bottles might just be a better solution for an older baby who isn't yet ready for sippy cups....

So, Would I Recommend Playtex Drop Ins Bottles?

No. Not unless you really have a concern around baby swallowing air. And then, only if you've tried other bottles like the angled ones and found they didn't help.

Drop Ins liners work just fine in any Playtex disposables bottle, so if you like them and you have the money to buy them, put them in the old Playtex bottles. This way you have the choice, you can be flexible. The new liners don't need to be "burped;" they collapse just fine, if a tad more slowly than the old style liners.

If you get a couple burper bottles as a gift, or in a kit like I did, use them. But I wouldn't tell you to go out and buy them by choice.

Recommended: No