Lil’ Kooee Natural Instinct Teats

A narrow, naturally contoured bottle teat with multiple flow options – because the right flow is the one your baby can comfortably manage.

Lil’ Kooee Natural Instinct Teats are designed with a narrow, contoured shape and a range of flow rates, giving families options as their baby’s bottle-feeding skills and needs change.

Made from soft, food-grade silicone, each teat also features Lil’ Kooee’s Airshield® Valve, which allows air to vent back into the bottle as baby drinks.

But the feature we particularly appreciate is the choice of flows – including genuinely slower options for younger babies and those who simply need more time to manage each mouthful.

Because when it comes to bottle feeding, faster isn’t necessarily better.

Why we love it

Choosing a bottle teat can become surprisingly confusing.

It’s easy to assume that babies should automatically move to the next flow because they’ve reached a particular age.

We prefer to look at the baby in front of us.

Are they comfortable? Can they coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing? Does the milk seem to arrive faster than they’re ready for? Are feeds taking an unusually long time or requiring significant effort?

The Natural Instinct range offers several flow options, making it easier to select a teat based on the baby’s individual feeding skills rather than simply racing through stages.

We also like the narrower shape. Different babies feed differently from different teat shapes, so having another option available can be valuable – particularly when working with a feeding professional to find a bottle and teat combination that suits an individual baby.

Great for

• Bottle-fed and combination-fed babies
• Families looking for a narrow, contoured teat
• Babies who benefit from a slower-flow teat
• Matching teat flow to an individual baby’s feeding skills
• Families transitioning between breast and bottle
• Babies whose flow requirements change over time
• Parents wanting multiple flow options within the same bottle system
• Feeding plans where a particular teat flow has been recommended by a health professional
• Families wanting to trial different flows before purchasing more

Finding the right flow

Lil’ Kooee Natural Instinct Teats are available in several manufacturer-designated flow rates:

NB Flow
Manufacturer guide: newborns up to 5kg

SS Flow
Manufacturer guide: approximately 1–3 months

S Flow
Manufacturer guide: approximately 3–6 months

M Flow
Manufacturer guide: approximately 6–12 months

X Flow
Manufacturer guide: approximately 12+ months

These ages are useful as a starting guide – not a deadline for moving up.

A baby doesn’t need a faster teat simply because they’ve reached the age printed on the packet.

Some babies continue to feed comfortably with a slower flow well beyond the suggested age range. Others may need a different flow sooner.

Look at how your baby is actually managing the feed.

Why does teat flow matter?

Bottle feeding requires babies to coordinate several things very quickly:

suck → swallow → breathe → repeat.

The speed at which milk arrives can influence how demanding that coordination becomes.

If the flow is too fast for an individual baby, they may have difficulty keeping up. If it is too slow, some babies may work very hard or become frustrated.

The goal isn’t to find the fastest teat your baby can manage.

It’s to find a flow that allows them to feed comfortably and responsively, with opportunities to pause and breathe as they need to.

Airshield® Valve

Each Natural Instinct Teat incorporates Lil’ Kooee’s Airshield® Valve, designed to allow air to vent back into the bottle as milk is removed.

When the valve is operating, you may be able to see a stream or formation of bubbles entering the bottle.

Bottle ventilation systems are designed to help manage pressure and airflow within the bottle. While this may influence how much air some babies take in during feeding, we wouldn’t promise that any particular bottle or valve will prevent colic, reflux or wind – there are many reasons babies may experience these symptoms.

A feeding therapist’s note

When families ask me which teat flow their baby “should” be using, age is only one small piece of the picture.

I care much more about what the baby is showing us during the feed.

Can they comfortably manage the milk as it arrives? Can they pause when they need to? Are they coordinating sucking, swallowing and breathing without appearing overwhelmed?

And importantly, there’s no prize for moving up a teat flow.

If your baby is feeding comfortably on a slower flow, reaching the next age bracket doesn’t automatically mean it’s time to change.

I also don’t believe there is one bottle teat shape that creates the “correct” latch for every baby. Babies have different anatomy, feeding skills and preferences.

That’s why I like having options.

The best teat is the one that supports your baby’s individual feeding skills and a comfortable, responsive feeding experience.

Product details

• Narrow, naturally contoured bottle teat
• Multiple flow rates available
• Airshield® ventilation valve
• Visible bubbling may be seen as air vents into the bottle
• Made from food-grade silicone
• 100% BPA and BPS free
• Designed for use with compatible Lil’ Kooee bottles
• Trial packs available for families exploring different flow options
• By Lil’ Kooee in Australia

Important

The manufacturer’s age ranges are a guide only. Choose teat flow according to your baby’s individual feeding skills and needs rather than age alone.

A faster teat is not necessarily a developmental progression or better choice.

If your baby regularly coughs, chokes, splutters, changes colour, has difficulty breathing, appears distressed during feeds, has poor weight gain, experiences recurrent respiratory illness, or you have concerns about their swallowing, seek assessment from an appropriately qualified health professional.

For babies with known or suspected swallowing difficulties, aspiration or complex feeding needs, teat type and flow should be selected according to the recommendations of their treating speech pathologist or feeding team.

Bottle ventilation systems should not be relied upon to prevent or treat reflux, colic or other medical conditions.

We send Australia-wide. Delivery costs and timings, and how to arrange a return, are set out on our shipping & returns page.

If something isn’t right for you, get in touch and we’ll sort it out.