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Teats and teethers

Rubber And Silicone Teats For Baby Bottles

The bottle teat is one of those accessories that are part of a newborn's kit, especially if you need to consider assisted feeding. As the name itself suggests, its function is to reproduce as closely as possible the conformation of the mammary region responsible for sucking, i.e. the nipple and the surrounding mammary areola, in order to be able to breastfeed the newborn even without the presence of the mother's breast .



Types of teat

Precisely because every child will instinctively choose the teat that he considers closest to his palate and tongue pressure, it may be necessary to purchase different units, each characterized by a different shape and material.
In fact, there are three main substances used for their particular safety and conformity in the production of these delicate elements: they are silicone, latex and rubber.
Generally transparent, silicone is a material of artificial origin, completely odorless and tasteless.
Hypoallergenic and non-toxic, its composition makes it completely resistant to the high temperatures necessary for sterilization, giving it the characteristic of non-deformability.
Although it is extremely suitable for newborns up to 4 months, it is good to use it from birth until the baby has not yet started teething: in fact, silicone is not particularly resistant to incisions and bites, thus making it strongly discouraged due to possible ingestion of plastic.
Latex, on the other hand, is a semi-natural substance: being a soft and flexible rubber, but porous by nature, it is more prone to possible bacterial proliferation.
The process linked to sterilization, especially at high temperatures, is capable of affecting the structure of the conformation, thus contributing to a possible deformation.
Despite this, it has a strong resistance to compression, and is therefore indicated for use from 4 months.
Finally, caucciù is a rubber of totally natural origin, and is distinguished from its competitors by its amber and opaque colour.
As with latex, this material is also porous and has a strong resistance to bites and tears, making it ideal for the use of bottle teats from 4 months.
The most suitable sterilization method is the cold one, to avoid natural deformation.
Furthermore, the teat for baby bottles can have three different shapes: cherry (i.e. with the rounded head that imitates the nipple well), anatomical (i.e. with a groove that conforms well to the position between the tongue and the palate during sucking) and with valve.
The latter model, typical of the anti-colic teat, helps to regulate the air intake and at the same time the milk flow.
Just as there is a teat for each stage of growth (the numbers stamped above indicate the suitable age range), there is a specific teat for the amount of liquid you want to let through: depending on the holes on the top, the flow will be more or less copious, and this is to solve difficulties deriving from any reflux or slowness of suction.
To reassure the most apprehensive mothers, it should be known that the choice of the best teat will be made by the newborn, even if it will be the intervention of the pediatrician to establish whether or not a model is suitable for any personal situations.
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