Patent ID: 6883672

Claim:
An infant feeding assembly, comprising: a baby bottle; a nipple member, said nipple member having nipple ventilation means defined therein for permitting replacement air to flow through said nipple member to enter said baby bottle during feeding; retention means for securing said nipple member to said baby bottle; variable restrictor means for selectively blocking at least a portion of said nipple ventilation means, whereby flow rate through said nipple member may be adjusted by a caregiver; wherein said nipple member comprises a feeding portion and a mounting flange, and wherein said nipple ventilation means is defined in said mounting flange; wherein said retention means comprises a ring member that is adapted to be secured to a baby bottle so as to secure said mounting flange of said nipple member to the baby bottle, said ring member further having an opening defined therein that is sized to permit said feeding portion of said nipple member to extend therethrough; wherein said variable restrictor means is integral with said ring member; wherein said variable restrictor means comprises blocking structure on said ring member for blocking at least a portion of said nipple ventilation means when said nipple member is positioned in a predetermined orientation with respect to said ring member; and wherein said nipple ventilation means comprises a plurality of ventilation holes that are defined in said mounting flange, and wherein said blocking structure is configured so as to be selectively positionable in a first blocking position so as to block a first number of said ventilation holes, or in a second blocking position so as to block a second, greater number of ventilation holes.