An artificial nipple is formed of an elastomeric polymer by use of 3D printing after imaging of a mother's breast in an active state of lactation. The artificial nipple used as an attachment to a baby bottle or as the nipple component of a pacifier. Use of an artificial nipple formed in this manner mitigates a problem with nipple confusion, as may otherwise manifest in newborn offspring.

A teat including at least a shaft and a nipple, wherein structured surface areas are provided at least in a partial region thereof, and the structured surface areas are formed by at least one rough surface zone having a surface roughness of 100 m at the most, or 50 m at the most.

A nipple for attachment to an external component, for example a container. The nipple comprises a base portion for attachment to the external component. The nipple also comprises a breast portion extending from the base portion. The nipple also comprises an areola portion extending from the breast portion. The nipple also comprises a teat portion extending from the areola portion. The breast portion extends at a first angle relative to an axis of the base portion and the areola portion extends at a second angle relative to the axis of the base portion, wherein the first angle is greater than the second angle.

Briefly, a feeding device embodying features of the present invention approximately conforms to the shape of a human breast and includes at least one housing for storing fluid coupled to a dispensing portion having an apertured dispensing tip for delivering the fluid to an infant.

A teat for a bottle has a nipple portion at which there is a recessed valve portion. The valve portion is domed outwardly.

A system and method for simulating the natural breastfeeding process both through flow rate and through nipple shape is disclosed. The system provides bottles designed after a woman's own breast, rather than a one-size fits many generic bottle sold in stores. The system accurately represents the shape of mother's unique nipple types, and use fluid dynamics analysis to match the flow characteristics of bottle nipples to that of actual lactation averages, incorporating dynamic infant suckling pressures. This results in a threaded nipple attachment which provides an affordable way to closely replicate a mother's nipple in terms of shape and flow, such that a nursing baby is not confused by the difference between the two. This in turn increases latching, both within situations where the mother is asserting strictly natural milk, but also where she is sometimes nursing, and sometimes using baby-formula from a bottle.

A baby bottle nipple including a flexible nipple body, a nipple tip, and a valve. The flexible nipple body has a body wall. The nipple tip has a tip wall that is more rigid than the body wall, a lumen defined through the nipple tip, and an opening disposed at a distal end of the nipple tip, the opening in fluidic communication with the lumen. The valve is disposed within the lumen such that the valve is disposed between an interior of the nipple body and the opening, and the valve has a closed configuration and an open configuration. The valve has a threshold cracking pressure to regulate flow, such that a non-negligible pressure differential is required to urge the valve into the open configuration.