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Calma: A New Feeding Device by Medela

by Beth |
8

I exclusively breastfed my first son, and I hope to have as much luck with my second. As much as I love bonding with my babies, sometimes you can feel a little restricted when breastfeeding. My first son never really accepted a bottle, so whenever I was out on the town without him, I was constantly looking at my watch to make sure I got back home in time to feed him. Needless to say, it was hard to relax during my “me” time. With baby boy number two (just seven-weeks-old!), I hope to do better.

A couple of weeks ago, after breastfeeding had been well established (as experts recommend), we introduced a bottle to our new baby. But it wasn’t just any bottle, it was Medela’s new feeding device, Calma.

The design is meant to mimic breastfeeding as much as possible. It requires the baby to create a vacuum seal on the bottle’s nipple the same way that he or she would while breastfeeding. The baby is able to control the flow, which allows him to breath and pause as he normally does at the breast. This naturally helps prevent the baby from sucking in too much air and also cuts back on confusion when switching back and forth between the breast and the bottle.

I’m pleased to say that after a brief period of suspicion, my son slurped down the milk in just a few minutes (he’s always a fast eater). Because of my poor bottle experiences in the past, I had only filled the bottle with 3oz  (everyone knows it’s a sin to waste breast milk!). Unfortunately for Daddy, our baby wanted more and fast, and I had taken my few moments of freedom to go take a shower. Oops!

The Calma device fits on top of Medela’s breastmilk storage bottles, which makes pumping, storing and feeding a smooth transition, and it means less clean up for you. Also, because baby controls the flow, this is the only bottle you’ll ever need—no stage 1, 2, etc.! I hope my son continues to accept this bottle on the occasions that I need it, giving Mommy a break and Daddy some special baby bonding time.

 

 To ensure this product fit our readers’ needs,
Project Nursery received a sample for review.

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  • Antonio

    I’m a new dad, and after 3 weeks Sofia can seamlessly go between breast and bottle thanks to Calma. I bought 3 so far and keep rotating them to make sure I always have one or two ready for feeding, and giving my wife a long deserved break.

    Thanks Medela!

  • lady hatch

    Where can I purchase? Just checked the website and BabysRUs and couldnt find!
    Thanks!

  • Antonio
  • http://www.upnorthpreppy.blogspot.com AEOT

    I breastfed for a 13 months and (uggggg…….) pumped at work 3 times a day from 10 weeks on. My son adjusted to the Tommee Tippee bottles really well as long as I wasn’t around. These look awesome (and I love ALL of my Medela products), so if our TT bottles don’t work for baby #2, these are definitely going to be at the top of my list to try. Thanks for posting about these- I wouldn’t have known about them otherwise.

  • Chloe

    I think this is a really great innovative product. I breastfed my kid, too, and when I had to go back to work, it was difficult because he doesn’t like his baby bottle. Even if I stored breastmilk for him to feed on while I am gone, he still would look for my nipples! It was a really painful and stressful period!

  • Jasmine C.

    This is cool. I wonder how much this costs.

  • Holli M.

    Looks good,some reviews on amazon and some are good and some are bad,they run about $17.50 but I’m still getting one to at least try so I can have a break from breast feeding :)

  • Amanda Cruz

    I am a new mom and am still breastfeeding my 3 month old son. Breastfeeding was difficult at first and I could not wait to introduce a bottle at about 1 month to get some relief. I bought the Calma with high hopes and baby took to it only once after several attempts. Disappointed, I started using my Avent bottles and baby has never had a problem switching from breast to bottle. Like many moms I was nervous about nipple confusion, baby not taking the bottle, or baby preferring the bottle instead of breast, but since I waited till breastfeeding was well established in the end it really didn’t matter what bottle/nipple I used. It seems like a great product (I love Medela), but a bit pricey at $18 a piece (and you’ll need multiples), just didn’t work out for me.