Comprehensive Munchkin Latch Baby Bottle Review

The new Munchkin Latch Bottle is a quirky over designed bottle that has become widely popular due to its design than performance. The latch has a double vent and accordion nipple system with anti-colic valve. You can’t use Munchkin Latch Bottle with a bottle warmer as the water and steam can enter inside through its anti-colic valve situated at the bottom of the bottle. So even though it’s lightweight and easy to hold for babies, we feel that features that make this bottle interesting are also the same that make it a good performer.

You can find the Munchkin Latch Baby Bottle here at Amazon.

Analysis and Hands-on Test Findings

The Munchkin Latch Bottle has been made by Munchkin, a company that designs and manufactures wide range of modern and creative baby products most of which are competitively priced. Munchkin has developed this bottle to ease the transition phase between breastfeeding & bottle feeding. It features two truly unique components- a one-way blue anti-colic valve situated at the base and a flexible, according-style nipple that id designed to move with the baby and improves flow as baby puts some pressure on its lower part. The nipple can stretch and move as baby moves which helps in maintaining the latch and theoretically reduces any ingestion of air in the belly. This helps in creating a much better latch for baby which helps in easing transition between breast and bottle.

The overall design and shape is quite similar to simpler bottles you normally use in warmer, but they don’t require special instructions to assemble. This makes this Latch a kind of hassle as compared to competition. You may also need to replace the valve at regular intervals, which may increase the overall cost and maintenance of the bottle.

Munchkin Latch Baby Bottle Accessories

The Munchkin Pump Adaptor can easily turn your latch bottle into a nice collection device that can attach to your breast pump to avoid any need to transfer the milk from one container to another.

The Munchkin Valve and Bottle Brush Set is actually a collection of small bottle brushes that you’ll need to clean all nooks and crannies of anti-colic blue valve and latch nipple. Without them it is impossible to get the boggle completely clean between feedings.

Munchkin also supplies Munchkin Latch Transition Cup that you can use with your bottle body when baby is ready to start sipping on its own. This package consists of two handle cup holder and a flexible spout that fits snugly over the Latch bottle body.

Performance Comparison

Munchkin Latch Pros

The basic concept and design of Munchkin Latch Bottle is one you would like and in theory it is. The latch is strong and won’t experience any leaking. Some users might think that the blue valve may become perforated when inserted incorrectly resulting in leakage, but it is not so. You would love its softer nipple that bends and swivels with your baby’s actual position and can also move back swiftly to baby’s soft palette to ensure a more natural latch.
Your baby will enjoy the more natural latch of Muchkin bottle as compared to competition. After all, what most parents would like is getting their baby to accept the bottle in the first place. In most tests carried out on this bottle, it’s been proved that it creates a much better transition between the breast and bottle.
You would also like the wide mouth opening of the Munchkin Latch Bottle which makes the cleaning job easier, and also makes breast milk transfer less risky with fewer spills (especially the frozen milk). This is definitely a big win as many mothers struggle to make sufficient milk and each ounce counts. Another plus point is that the bottle is relatively lightweight than glass, and it is easy for the baby to hold it.

Munchkin Latch Cons

The blue colored anti-colic vent situated on the Munchkin Latch Bottle is to be used according to manufacturer’s instructions and you can do that easily with the help of online videos.
While there are no leaking issues, but design of anti-colic valve may cause leakage should it get perforated or if you assemble it incorrectly.
Making a mistake could affect the working of the bottle and whether it leaks or not. Its valve designs means it cannot be used with any bottle warmer.
Some users have reported difficulty with its nipple getting crushed when using the Munchkin. The nipple has according type rides on its lower neck portion so the nipple can angle to ensure better feeding.
Though nipple of the latch is soft which is nice, but the design seems to result in nipple collapse much more than some of the competition. This may result in baby losing nipple and may also grow agitated desperately trying to feed for a nipple-less bottle.
The nipple portion of the Munchkin Latch Bottle is bit difficult to get seated right on the bottle resulting in frustration for parents right in the middle of the night when most of them may find their deprived hands and brains are not working at their best. It seems the ridges that help this nipple move and shift due to baby’s response, may make it hard to put together. You also cannot use other nipples on this bottle, so if your baby or you decide that nipple is a no go, then you may have to throw out the entire bottle.
Most of the uses may not like assembling or cleaning the Latch; it has more parts than other options on the market and the design of this bottle may need additional tools for cleaning over a simple bottle that most parents wish to buy. While wide mouth of the bottle may make it easy for ordinary brush to go inside, the anti-colic valve may require special attention to ensure it is completely clean and Munchkin sells a separate tool for this purpose.
You need to follow detailed instructions to sue latch with the design to ensure it works properly. Some users may find instructions are overly involved for a simple bottle and so potential for mistakes is much higher than necessary.
You may not like that this bottle is made of plastic. Though plastic is BPA free, it may still contain some endocrine interrupters and is definitely not as inert as glass. In addition, there are chances of nutrients in breast milk clinging to plastic bottle sides unlike glass. This can reduce the nutritional content of breast milk that you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Even if you’re using bottle with formula, the plastic may cause more clinging than glass version. This is also the reason why safety standards of plastic feeding bottles are stricter.

Conclusion

The Munchkin Latch bottle is definitely a good option for babies that are desperate to obtain a nice latch with other bottle options. The bottle boasts of too many design features that ensure ease of use and ensure long term functionality. If you would like to try of buy the Munchkin Latch Baby Bottle, you can find it here at Amazon.