How to use Bare® Air-free – quick guide
- Watch the instructional video below
- Sit your baby in a vertical-upright position
- Hold Bare® Air-free right side up and feed
Instructional Video
If you are using the Perfe-latch® nipple
Feeding in an upright position
1. Sit in a comfortable location. Be sure Bare® Air-free is prepared per instructions.
2. Sit your baby on your lap and place the palm of your hand at the base of the baby’s head. Your thumb should be right behind one ear and the rest of your fingers behind the other ear to offer adequate head and neck support. Never position your fingers under the ears, this can be very painful.
3. While supporting the head and neck behind the ears, position the head with the face tipped down just a little bit. Avoid allowing the chin to rest on the chest. Hold Bare® Air-free right side up. The nipple should be higher than its base.
4. Hold Bare® Air-free right side up. The nipple should be higher than its base. Offer it to the baby while in an upright position. Let the baby create the suction to feed against gravity.
Troubleshoot
To “test” if you assembled Bare® correctly. Turn it upside down after expelling air and see If you get drops from the nipple. If you do, make sure that the Air-plug® is straight, the nipple is installed correctly and the collar is adequately tightened (See video above). If any of these pieces are not properly installed, you will have air leaks acting like an air-vent, introducing air into the container when the baby applies suction.
Hold Bare® Air-free right side up and feed your baby while in an upright position. Let the baby control the flow with suction. Do not tip Bare® upside down. Do not hold horizontally.
See instructions above.
Good reads:
How to use Bare and adapt it to your baby’s feeding habits
Bottle-fed babies typically lose the ability to feed with suction, as traditional bottles often free-feed.
Bare® Air-free, on the other hand, promotes healthy suction-based feeding. Babies need to apply suction, in order to feed, like with breastfeeding.
You can customize Bare® Air-free to fit your baby’s suction patterns as well as match the flow and letdown of your own breast. Not all babies have the same suction range, therefore you can get Bare® to adapt to your baby’s feeding habits, not the other way around.
How to use Bare and lubricate the air-plug
The Air-plug® will move with baby suction. If baby is not applying suction, the Air-plug® will not move on its own. Our silicone Air-plug® has been regulated to mimic the “resistance” of breastfeeding. However, not all breasts are the same, neither all babies have the same suction force. There are babies that have stronger or weaker suction than the average and fall outside the range. You can customize Bare’s sucking resistance by using water or milk (breastmilk or formula) as lubricants.
Simply, before you install the air-plug® wet the outer edges that touch the inside of the bottle with milk as well as the inside of the bottle and assemble, push the air-plug with your thumb, take out and repeat about 2 or 3 times. The oils in the milk will make the air-plug very slippery and will move easier and with lower suction. If you see the air-plug® moving too easily and your baby is getting too much milk, then wet the air-plug® with water instead.
- Fill up a bowl with tap water, hot setting but tolerable to the touch
- Dip Bare® in the bowl for a few minutes
- Do not use bottle warmers
- Do not heat with a microwave
- The nipple may collapse if the Air-plug® is not moving as it should, please see above to fix.
- Make sure that the nipple’s outer edge overlaps the top and bottom of the collar, as shown in the picture as “correct”.
- If Bare® Air-free leaks around the nipple, inspect the underside of the nipple to look for gaps. Using your finger, push the nipple’s outer edge against the collar in all directions until it fully overlaps the collar without any gaps.
- Be sure to boil-sterilize the parts for 5 minutes.
- Be sure to lay the Air-plug® on a flat surface to install. When placing the bottle over the Air-plug®, push the bottle until it touches the table or countertop (flat surface). This will ensure that the Air-plug® is straight inside the bottle. **Do not assemble the Air-plug® by hand.**
- When pushing Air-plug® to expel air, make sure it is straight inside the bottle. Always use your thumb and press the thumb disk located at the bottom of Air-plug® to push and expel the air. **Press slowly but firmly, like a syringe.** Too fast may lead to spills. Pressing from any other point, other than the center may lead to spills. Don’t use two fingers, use your thumb. Please “practice” with water and stay near the sink before you start using Bare®.
- Please make sure the nipple/collar/cylinder is assembled per instructions. See video above
- If you have the Perfe-latch® nipple, refer to the video above on how to expel the air
- If you see air entering the nipple while the baby feeds, it could be as a result of the Air-plug® not moving with suction. Please refer to the section “The Air-plug® doesn’t automatically move as my baby feeds” to learn how to customize Bare® to your baby’s needs
- Air will enter the nipple if the nipple is pressed down into the cylinder. Sometimes, the baby’s cheeks will press the nipple while feeding. To avoid this, support the head adequately and do not let the baby’s face rest on the nipple. See the instructions above.
- Last, if the air is entering the nipple while Bare® Air-free is resting on a table, boil-sterilize the parts a couple of times and keep the air-plug and cylinder thoroughly dry before assembly.
- Leakage from assembled parts is due to poor assembly
- Please refer to the instructional video above to make sure everything is assembled properly.
- This happens as a result of the Air-plug® being tilted while pushed. Be sure to push the Air-plug® from the bottom center only. This ensures the Air-plug® goes in straight.
- You don’t have to disassemble the parts. The milk will not leak beyond the center area.
Usage and care
Parts
Sterilize
Fill 3/4 of a clean, large pot with water and heat to boiling. For your protection, use tongs to place in and remove parts from boiling water. Boil parts for 5 minutes. Sterilization is recommended once a month.
Only boil-sterilize parts.
Avoid steam or microwave sterilization methods.
Installing Nipples
1. Always wash your hands with soap and water before handling bottle parts.
2. Push the nipple through the collar & gently pull in different directions until ridge clips evenly over collar’s edge.Care
If hand-washing, use a soft sponge and mild soapy water to wash each part. Avoid bottle brushes, solvents or abrasive cleaning agents. If you use a dishwasher, be sure to place the items in top rack only.
Avoid cracking, deforming, scratching or denting bottle parts. Damaged parts may cause leakage of contents. Discontinue use and replace any damaged parts immediately.
Bittylab recommends replacing the Air-plug® and Nipples every 6-8 weeks to maintain optimal performance and hygiene.Assembly
We suggest you practice assembly steps before you start using your new Bare®.
Place all parts on a flat surface, facing up. This is necessary to ensure that the Air-plug® enters the bottle straight and seals properly.
Air-plug® should sit on its flat base in order to be installed.
Make sure to remove foot before installing Air-plug®.
Fit bottle over air-plug Air-plug® & push down to install.
Do NOT insert Air-plug® by hand:
Press bottle evenly & firmly down over foot. The foot will raise the Air-plug® to proper height inside bottle, ready to hold liquids.
Fill bottle with milk & close with nipple/collar.
Slowly & evenly push Air-plug® up to expel the air.
Use the flat dot to push located at the bottom of Air-plug.
Feed baby air-free milk, or allow baby to feed himself/herself in any position.
Never push Air-plug® while feeding.
Do not leave baby unattended while feeding.
ALWAYS test liquid temperature on wrist before feeding. Bare® is freezer & microwave-safe, see warnings about microwaving baby food.Disassembling
1. Twist the cap to expose nipple. If bottle is empty go to step 3.
2. Cover the nipple’s orifices with your finger and push in a couple of times to bring fluid level below bottle’s top edge.
3. Twist nipple/collar counter clockwise to open. Discard contents.
Warnings
For your child’s safety, read the following WARNING
- Always use this product as directed.
- Never use Perfe-latch® or Easy-latch® nipples as a pacifiers.
- Always make sure all parts are thoroughly cleaned and dried before use.
- Inspect all parts prior to every use. If you see any signs of tearing, cracking or change in shape, discontinue use and replace immediately.
- Prolonged or continuous fluid sucking can cause tooth decay.
- Only use Bare® parts with Bare® Air-free device.
- Never push Air-plug® while feeding.
- Do not fill the container with hot to-the-touch liquids.
- Follow instructions for proper upright feeding positions.
- Do not tip Bare® Air-free while feeding, nor hold horizontally.
- Just hold right side up and let the baby feed at his/her own pace with suction.
- Keep all parts out of reach of children when not in use.
- Wrong assembling may lead to spills.
- Always wash your hands before handling any feeding product.
- Always use this product with adult supervision.
- Do not leave baby alone with any feeding device.
- Do not let baby walk with any feeding device.
- Microwave heating of liquids may cause hot spots that can burn baby’s mouth.
- Always test liquid temperature on inside of wrist before feeding.
Bittylab is committed to producing the most innovative, functional, and highest quality baby products available today. Our products go through rigorous testing to meet the feeding habits of an average breastfed and bottle-fed baby before releasing to market. However, if you believe you received an unavoidable factory-defected piece, please see the terms page for our 90-Day warranty on all parts and contact us immediately at info@bittylab.com. The tips above usually resolve most issues. Watch more instructional videos here.