Milk flow rates from bottle nipples used after hospital discharge

In this study, we tested 26 different nipple types (N=260) that represented variety in price per nipple and store location sold. Milk flow rates varied from 1.68 mL/min for the Avent Natural Newborn Flow to 85.34 mL/min for the Dr. Brown’s Standard Y-cut. Variability between nipple types also varied widely, from .03 for the Dr. Brown’s Standard Level 3 to .37 for MAM Nipple 1 Slow Flow. These extreme ranges of flow rates suggest that nipple selection may be of critical importance for infants who are continuing to develop their oral feeding skills. Variability in flow rates within nipples of the same type may complicate learning to orally feed in infants with medical complexity. Product package labels do not provide clear information about flow rate to guide clinicians or parents in their decision-making.

Authors: Britt Pados, Jinhee Park, Suzanne Thoyre, Hayley Estrem, & Brant Nix

Publication Information: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. 2016; 41(4): 237-243. doi: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000244

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