Infant Feeding Bottle

late 19th century

European blown-glass infant’s feeding bottle with a pewter screw-on mouthpiece. The small opening in the mouthpiece would probably have been covered with a piece of cloth or sponge through which the infant could suck the milk or other liquid. This bottle dates to the late 18th century. Bottle feeding was not widely accepted at this time. Women were expected to nurse their children or secure a wet nurse if the mother was incapacitated or unavailable. When infants could not be nursed, they were often fed pap. There were many different recipes for pap, but generally it consisted of water thickened with bread or flour. Sometimes animal milk, sugar, or flavoring was added. Pap boats (see for example DL.331241) were commonly used when “artificial feeding” was necessary.