Our History with Philips AVENT

When Ariel was born (almost 11 years ago – wow!), a friend gave us much of their baby gear that they no longer needed.  This included a Philips AVENT Isis (hand) breast pump.  This pump served me well through three babies.  (And we learned to love Philips AVENT bottles.  These are some of the most amazingly versatile bottles available.  You can buy nipples, and two different types of starter sippy tops to fit them, get handles, swap them between different bottle sizes, and even get an adapter to put them on your Klean Kanteens!)

This time ’round, I was not impressed with it.  A questionable design (a connector that screws clockwise into the pump, but counter-clockwise into the bottle top) combined with age and wear meant that I just couldn’t keep any suction on the pump.  Literally with every pump, the connection was loosening just enough to release the vacuum – very frustrating!

Philips AVENT Comfort Breast Pump

Then I found out that Philips AVENT had a new series of pumps.  They sent me one – the Comfort manual breast pump – (along with a new bottle) to try out, and I was pleased with the improvements.  Although the hand pump is very similar to the old Isis – and seems to use the same parts wherever the design will allow for it – it eliminates the opposite-directional oddity that was causing my issue with the connection.  And, better still, it has been designed at an angle that allows moms to pump without having to hunch over so the milk will run through.  (Yay!)  It’s a bit more compact, as well.

It works great, and it’s easier to clean.

(Speaking of cleaning…there are single and double electric pumps in this line, too.  Although I have not tried them myself, I understand that they have addressed another typical breast pump issue.  The other electric pump I had got moldy inside the tubing, and there’s no way to clean it out.  The Philips AVENT Comfort electric pumps are designed so the milk doesn’t contact the tubing, which should prevent this problem.)

The Philips AVENT Natural Bottle

Along with the new pumps, Philips AVENT has also come out with a new, “natural”  bottle.  The design of the bottle itself is a little different – it’s a little bit squat and the contours are pretty ergonomic.  The biggest difference, though, is in the nipple.  It’s broader and flatter to allow for a more breastfeeding-like latch.  It also has a vent system intended to allow airflow without the baby’s sucking in air and getting bubbles in his belly.

If you prefer, it’s even available in a glass version!

Even with a well-designed nipple, we try to avoid bottles for the first month or so, so Caleb hasn’t drunk out of his yet, but I have already been impressed by the thought that went into the design.  Because the base of the nipple on the natural bottle is broader, you can’t use the new nipples with the old rings and bottles.  However, you can use the old rings (and nipples, if you need to –  or maybe if you have the sippy inserts) on the new bottles.  You can see that here, along with the little bit of milk I expressed quickly just to try out the pump:

(The little doohickey that blocks the hole when you don’t need to use the bottle – I’m pretty sure the same ones fit both types of bottle rings, too.)  And see the little finger grips on the sides of the bottle?  I have small hands, and I found this more comfortable to hold than the older bottles, which are slimmer overall, but don’t have these.

(Total side note: Philips AVENT also has some of the most innovative sippy cups I’ve ever seen.  These are designed so that kids drink from them like a regular cup, but they don’t dump their entire contents when your toddler lays them down.  We know, ’cause ours does. 😉 )

Disclosure: Philips AVENT provided me with the Comfort Manual pump and a natural bottle to facilitate my review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.  All other Philips AVENT products discussed in this post have been purchased by me at some point in time, and are in regular or semi-regular use in our home.  Affiliate links are present in this post.

This post is being shared at the Tuesday Baby Link-Up.