Roll-call... bottle or breast
 

- Which method of feeding did you rely on when raising your family?

- Any particular reason as to why you chose one over the other?

- Did anyone make their own homemade formula and baby food?

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottles?

- Did anyone opt for the smaller 4 oz bottles at the start?

- As an added question, did you use cloth or vinyl bibs at feeding time?

Bottle feed for both children, because I had to return to work after 8 weeks - maternity leave is much better now. I used dried baby formula and made up enough bottles for a 24 hour period. I used plastic (or similar) bottles, and a steriliser tank/bowl (Milton solution) for bottles and teats. I think the bottles were 8oz size, and I used cloth bibs.

I saw your post about nappies/diapers yesterday. I used cloth/terry nappies, with a liner; I think these were quite new then. This was 40 years ago. Disposables were available 35 years ago (I think), but were expensive.

Interesting research topic!

Both my girls were bottle fed 50+ years ago. Breast feeding was not encouraged back then. I used glass bottles, powdered formula and water which were put in a sterilizer pot and boiled on the stove. I started using 4 oz bottles and then increased to 8 oz. I used cloth bibs.

i used glass bottles had to go back to work after 6 weeks sterilize bottles, formula was boiled?? gosh i don't remember but i know it wasn't instant like today where you just add water or do they even do that, i cooked and pureed his food only thing baby food he ate was cereals and applesauce cloth diapers and bibs.............gosh that was 48 yrs.......my one and only

well in the hospital i breast fed my son. at home too for six weeks. Bottles after that, plastic if I remember right.
Bibs if I had them were probably plastic.

Which method of feeding did you rely on when raising your family?
Breast for all 4 babies. I had a good supply of milk (sometimes too good, but that's another topic). Nursed the first till he was 8 months, then found out I was 4 months pregnant with baby 2 (again, that's another topic. LOL) Abruptly weaned baby 1, and he went straight to cup by his choice. Nursed baby 2 till she was 18 months , I think. Baby 3 nursed till was 2, and baby 4 till he was 3. (I know, I'm ridiculous. But I had waited 10 years to be able to have him, and I was gonna enjoy the time all I could (or should I say ,"milk it for all it was worth"? LOL) Of course he was also drinking from a cup during the day and only nursing at bedtime, but still, I shake my head. I had the mindset that I'd wean him like Hannah weaned Samuel--on his third birthday, and I did.

- Any particular reason as to why you chose one over the other?

See above.


- Did anyone make their own homemade formula and baby food?

No. I had 3 babies in 4 years. I was up to my elbows in baby mess of every kind and didn't have time to make food. If it didn't come from my boobs, it came from a jar until they could handle Cheerios and soft fruit.

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottles?

Plastic


- Did anyone opt for the smaller 4 oz bottles at the start?

I probably did if they were shower gifts, but only for water in the early days if it was hot-hot and the babies weren't hungry-hungry. Seems they all graduated quickly to more than 4 oz of diluted juice once they started drinking from a bottle. So the 4 oz bottle wasn't worth buying.

- As an added question, did you use cloth or vinyl bibs at feeding time?

For the tiny infants, cloth, because they had no neck and they needed breathable material. Once their necks became noticeable, I could put the easy-clean vinyl (snap-on or velcro kind only) bibs on them.

Enjoying reading everyone's additions. Thank you for them.

- Which method of feeding did you rely on when raising your family? Bottle, mostly, though I breastfed my oldest two for a period of year. Youngest two were bottle-fed exclusively.

- Any particular reason as to why you chose one over the other? Having done my fair-share of bottle-feeding baby siblings, the bottle was an automatic choice for me. Also used to babysit a lot, and that, too, was always bottles.

- Did anyone make their own homemade formula and baby food? Absolutely, formula and baby food alike.

- Did you use glass or plastic baby bottles? Glass, at the newborn stage, plastic, when my kids started crawling and walking.

- Did anyone opt for the smaller 4 oz bottles at the start? Indeed I did, though using the 4 oz version was short-lived.

- As an added question, did you use cloth or vinyl bibs at feeding time? Vinyl always, even remember using a flannelette diaper on occasion.

I babysat for a family from England in the early 70's (don't remember what region they were from), but the mom used British towelling squares (that I had to fold), pins, and plastic pants. They resembled big bath towels.

I remember standing in front of the stove, holding glass bottles suspended in a pot filled with water, waiting for the water to heat and warm the milk, and every few minutes checking the temperature of the bottle by tipping the bottle over and allowing a few drops to escape from the nipple and land on the inside of my wrist. Outdated by today's standards (I'm sure), but common back in the day when I was helping with baby siblings and babysitting around the neighbourhood.