Why is my baby’s bottle leaking?
Leaky bottles are annoying—your baby gets wet during feeding, and you are wasting your precious milk. Let’s figure out where your leak is coming from and how to fix it.
If the bottle is leaking between the cap ring and the bottle, make sure the bottle isn’t cross threaded. When you screw the cap ring onto the bottle, it should go on straight, and be screwed on just tight enough to prevent leaking when you tip the bottle on its side. Do not over tighten the cap ring. If you are using Balance + wide bottles, it could be that you are using bottles manufactured from different facilities. Learn more here, along with solutions.
If the bottle is leaking between the cap ring and the nipple, check how the nipple is installed. First, be sure you are using the nipple with the right cap ring. Evenflo standard bottles are interchangeable, but the cap rings and nipples are not. Next, make sure the nipple is not inside out. Third, install the nipple correctly into the cap ring: Balance + nipples load from the top, Classic and Vented + nipples load from underneath. After inserting the nipple into the cap ring, turn it over to view the lip of the nipple. It should be seated flat against the inner side of the cap ring.
If the milk is leaking from the nipple hole, know that this can be normal. As soon as the air pressure inside the bottle matches the air pressure in the room, the nipple will become no drip. In the meantime, offer the nipple to your baby with the milk kept at the bottom of the bottle, away from the nipple. This allows your baby to latch onto the nipple without dealing with any drips. Once your baby begins sucking, tip the bottle so milk flows.
If milk is leaking from the corners of your baby’s mouth during a feed, it could mean that the nipple flows too quickly for your baby, or perhaps your baby needs a different shape of nipple. One nipple won’t be best for every baby. Lactation consultants often recommend trying both the Balance + shape and the Evenflo Classic shape to see which helps your baby’s lips to form a complete seal.
