After 3 kids, I can tell you with certainty that some babies just love their milk, and others, not so much. But none of this will be an indicator of how much they love food, and as long as they are progressing well, there is no need to worry.
Mittens was one always never seemed to be very interested in his milk. Maybe it was because I wasn’t latching him as much as I should have (I’ll save my breastfeeding woes for another lengthy post), or maybe it was because some others in the house (ahem) were trying to feed him every other hour – you know older generation lah, don’t really believe in something called a schedule?. It was worrying and stressful, but he slowly turned into a voracious eater that now at 5YO I actually have to watch the amount he eats. And stop him.
And because in the early days, as a new mother, I wasn’t quite sure what it was about the milk that he didn’t like, we went through several different brands and types of bottles. Pigeon standard, Pigeon wide, Pigeon glass, Aprica, Nuk, and Avent. Eventually I settled on Avent because I liked how they were very standard and modular. When Abacus came along, he just took to chugging down whatever was given to him without much fuss and to this day still enjoys a good bottle when he’s not chugging down fresh milk.
So I was so excited to find out that Avent were introducing their breakthrough design, the first in 29 years! The design is called Natural, and based very much on what is natural – that is, a mummy’s boobies and how babies suck naturally. I think it’s safe to assume that they’ve been spending these past 29 years looking at boobies?
If I hadn’t already invested in all the “old” range of bottles, I would be all over this new design! They even have glass bottles! I am so tempted to run out and buy myself a whole new range, but alas, I stocked up a couple of new bottles a while ago because I usually buy new ones for each “new” child, and I still have so many old bottles I don’t know what to do with. If you know of any charity that needs old milk bottles I’d gladly buy some new teats and donate it to them!
The other problem is, Little Miss Picky has been insisting she only wants the beer on tap and nothing less. She is, however, getting more used to accepting the bottle when she’s very hungry, and she knows mummy is not around. Surely that is evidence that babies are a lot smarter than we give them credit for? I think she likes this new bottle, or at least we are all loving the new design.
Apart from the bottles, Philips has also updated their pumps. I already have one from the old range 5 years ago, which I have always quite liked but it’s a little under utilised compared to my electric pumps because I’m lazy lah. I know some mummies like manual pumps because it gives them more control over let-down, speed, etc. The new Avent Manual Natural pump is quite a beauty, and is a lot more ergonomic now, so you don’t have to break your back and keep leaning forward during pumping. And I’m glad they’ve changed the valve from a tiny star one (always getting lost!) to a cute plug. So apart from some of these neat updates, this pump is still as reliable and trusty as ever.
If there’s one thing that the Avent pumps have over other pump brands, it’s their lovely massage cushion that sits on the pump body or flanges. Not only does it look pretty (like flower petals), it feels so much more natural and comfortable than a cold hard flange. Medela might have their softfit breastshields, but that’s nothing compared to the massage cushion. And the cover for the pump body helps ensure that your pump is hygienic if you need to travel with it – I haven’t seen any other brand with such a simple contraption but such a good idea! And you know how I said that Avent products are very modular? Well (at least I know for their old ISIS electric pump, wouldn’t know about their new electric pumps) their electric pumps are based on the manual pump design so that they can work as both electric and manual pumps. Two for the price of one leh! Which other brand can offer you such a good deal? They seriously should market that more to the Singaporeans – we love good deals! Too bad Scout is already 7 months old, maybe if I have my fourth kid Philips can sponsor an electric pump? No wait, I think I’d need more than just a pump sponsor if I have my fourth kid.
I will leave you with this little piece of advice – to increase supply, latch latch latch. And if you do need to pump, use a pump that you feel comfortable with, and you might need to try a few to find that fit. Good luck 🙂
Disclaimer: I received the Philips Avent Manual Natural Pump for the purpose of this review. All opinions are entirely my own.
Mummy Ed 
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