My son isn't using his Avent bottles anymore, and I was thinking about saving them to use with our next child (whenever that might be). I planned to toss the nipples and buy new ones when it's time to break the bottles out again, but are there any precautions I should use when packing away bottles? Are there any extra measures I should take, or can I just wrap them in paper like a drinking glass and pack them away in a box?
Yesterday (9/24/08) I went to the Babies R Us in my area and returned the 15 non-BPA-free Avent bottles we had and got 8 BPA-free Avent bottles in return. The BPA-free bottles are a bit more expensive, and they only came in packs of two, unlike the non-BPA-free bottles which come in packs of three. Babies R Us would only take complete bottles (bottle, ring, nipple, and cap) and somehow I didn't have enough caps and nipples for a few bottles, so they let me buy the caps and nipples I needed to make the bottles that were lacking complete, then I could turn them in as well. I figured it was a small price to pay to get rid of all the non-BPA-free bottles. The exchange process itself was no problem; I was in and out in 15 minutes! Thank you to all the moms who responded; I didn't know anything about Babies R Us exchanging bottles. Now I can store my new BPA-free bottles away without any worry, and I can rest easy knowing that I don't have to worry about the bottles' safety when I get them out to feed my next baby. Besides, the BPA-free bottles look nice. Why would I put my baby's health in danger just so I can have clear bottles? The BPA-free bottles are still clear,they just have a brown tint to them. Thanks Mamasource moms! :)
P. S. --> If any other moms out there are thinking about taking their bottles to Babies R Us to exchange, call them first. The clerk who answers the phone may say that they're not exchanging bottles anymore, if that happens ask to speak to a manager. I had to do that. The manager informed me that they were cautious about taking bottles for exchange now because people were going to garage sales and buying up all the bottles they could find, then turning in bottles by the basketfull and trying to get store credit to buy other things in the store. YOU CAN ONLY EXCHANGE BOTTLES FOR BOTTLES, NOTHING ELSE. They may even put a limit on how many bottles you can exchange.
Although I'm not familiar with these bottles, I would think that you can store them any way you like, but when you're ready to use them again, dip them in boiling water to sterilize them.
I'm way less particular :)
My Avents are sorted by bottle size and nipples sorted by size in ziploc bags, then all packed together in a large paper bag up in my daughters' room closet. They've been through a set of twins from someone else and two of our girls that way, and still are fine!
I just packed mine away like you mentioned and then just sanitized them (washed and then a boiling water bath)when the next baby came.
You can simply store them...however Avent bottles contain BPA a toxic chemical that is leached upon heating. I would replace them with a BPA free alternative. I heard that Babies R Us was giving a credit for a bottle exchange.
I just threw mine in a bag. In fact, I think I saved the nipples, too. I just tested them before I used them for the next baby. If they were cloudy or yellow I tossed them. Remember, though, that you can use the bottle bottoms with the sippy cup attachments so you aren't buying a hundred sippy cup bottoms, they are pricey. When it was time to break them back out for the next baby I just sterilized them (only once, not every time) and we were good to go! LOVE my Avent bottles...but Im glad to be done with bottles altogether!
~L.
If they are the BPA free Advent I would just put them away in a box. If they aren't I would take them to Babies R Us and they will give you credit towards BPA free ones and then you can put those away.
just put them away..
I saved my gerber bottles from 1 child to the next
I think I ran them through the dishwasher before using them again.
I would strongly suggest not keeping them and starting over with bottles that contain no Bisphenol A, which the Avent bottles currently do.
I was gong to save mine too after we had our boys, but hearing about chemicals in the plastic freaked me out and I ended up tossing them. If we have more kids I'll just buy new.
I would take a look at the avent site about reusing their bottles. That was my plan (since I used Avent with my first child) but then I found out that if your bottles are scratched or not perfectly clear, you are supposed to throw them out. Also, if you use them in the microwave to warm (or sterilize) be careful of the BPA. Avent bottle have BPA, but now they make some that do not have it. Just an FYI...I threw all my avent bottles out and my son now uses the Playtex drop-in system...it's awesome!
