The Bottom Line: These are the best disposable bottles I've tried. I still prefer traditional bottles, if only I could find one with a nipple that works for my son.
I still haven't found the perfect bottle for my son, but so far these are the ones we've settled on. Here are the some of the features of the Playtex Premium Nursers and their advantages/disadvantages:
Natural Shape Nipple:
For me this is the biggest attraction of this bottle. My son is a very messy eater and was soaking his clothes and everything else in his path with each bottle. I tried almost every bottle and nipple combination out there looking for one where the formula didn't pour out the sides of his mouth. This was one of the last ones I tried because I had already tried the regular Playtex nursers/nipples and didn't think there would be that much of a difference with the premium version. The difference turned out to be in the nipple. The premium nursers come with the silicone Natural Shape nipple (slow flow), and of all the nipples I have tried, FINALLY this one cuts down on the mess, thought hasn't eliminated it completely. I think the reason is because this nipple is softer than almost every other one I've tried, making it easier to conform to the shape of his mouth and create a better seal so formula doesn't keep pouring out. On the other hand, because the nipple is soft, it tends to bend over if I don't position it in his mouth just right. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get it right. He has always been a bottle fed baby and this is the first time we've really used a wide based nipple with any consistency, so I'm hoping that problem will go away as he gets more accustomed to the nipple. You can also buy these nipples separately and use them in regular Playtex nursers, but I found it more cost effective to go ahead and buy the more expensive premium nursers since in the long run it's cheaper than buying the nipples separately.
Contoured Bottle Shape:
I like the bottles themselves because the shape makes them easy to hold, and they are clear, which makes it easier to see the markings on the drop-in liners. The regular Playtex nursers are either opaque, or covered in designs, so this is a definite improvement if seeing the liner markings is important to you.
Ounce Markings:
One thing that I find a nuisance about disposable bottles in general is that the ounce markings aren't really accurate. I will say that the markings printed on the premium nurser are MUCH closer to accurate than the markings printed on the regular or EZ Feed nursers. It’s close enough to get a rough idea of how much your baby drinks, but they still aren’t 100% accurate. If I'm pouring in premixed formula it doesn't bother me so much, but if I'm measuring water to which I will add powder later, I usually do it in a measuring cup first and then pour into the liner, since I don't want to over or under dilute the formula preparation. If you don’t have a measuring cup, use the markings on the actual drop-in liner rather than the ones printed on the nurser for closer accuracy.
Drop-In Liners:
Another thing I don’t like about disposable bottles is that it's very difficult to tell how much baby is drinking, since the liners collapse. I don't usually push the air out of the liner – it just doesn’t seem to make much difference for us since my son doesn't tend to be gassy. Good thing, since it takes forever to push the air out. But even so, the liners do still collapse as baby drinks the formula out. This makes it really hard to see what he drank unless I unscrew the lid to let air back in. This poses its own problems because if the liner is collapsed to the point where liquid is trapped in the nipple and you don’t unscrew the lid carefully, you may end up with a lap full of formula. As my son is getting older this is less of a concern, but for newborns, I think most parents want to be pretty on top of how much their babies are getting. I DO like the fact that these liners are sterile and I don’t have to worry so much about bottle cleaning.
Mixing Disk:
The premium nursers include a mixing disk that is supposed to help break up clumps when mixing powdered formula, but I haven't found it to make any difference. I'd rather pay a few pennies less for the bottle without this mixing disk.
Lid Shape:
I like the lid on this bottle better than the one on the regular nursers. It's bigger and therefore easier to take off. The lid on the regular nursers is only around 1/2" high, which doesn't leave much to grasp on to. I've had a hard time getting those lids off the regular nursers before. But I do find that the premium lid doesn’t do as good a job of containing the bottle contents when shaking/mixing individual bottles. For day to day use I make up batches of formula and pour it individually as needed, so the shaking thing is only a concern when we are out. For those occasions, I do have a couple of the regular nursers that I use because I find they do a better job of preventing leaks out the nipple hole.
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