It is arguable that bottles are one of the most necessary pieces of baby gear. Even if you are a breastfeeding mama it is likely that at some point you’ll need a bottle. So which to choose? Like all baby gear, there are lots of options and a lot depends on your little one’s preferences. Finding the right bottle could be a matter of trial and error. We’ve chosen four great options and included both a high level bullet point comparison as well as more detail below to help make your decision a easier. All of the bottles are dishwasher safe and all that contain plastic are BPA free. We’ve included a glass and stainless steel option as some still think that even though plastic bottles do not contain BPA or harmful chemicals they could possibly steel leach chemicals and harmful petroleum into your little on’s foods. We are not saying we believe this to be true but just a tidbit we came across in our research. Which bottle did you use for your little one?
Dr. Brown’s - When you’re around other mamas you are bound to see at least a couple Dr. Brown’s in the crowd. They are hugely popular and for good reason. Their unique venting system is widely believed to help tremendously with gas, reflux, fussiness and colic. The big complaint from parents comes from the additional pieces to the venting system and the “extra steps” it takes to clean. We personally have these bottles and I have been very happy with them. They very rarely leak and if they do it is usually user error and the lid not being tight enough. I don’t have any problem with the extra pieces and cleaning but then again, I have never cleaned a more simple bottle so don’t have anything to compare it to!
Lifefactory Glass Bottle - Glass bottles are making a resurgence given the dangers of some plastics. And as we mentioned above, while all baby bottles are made BPA free it is still thought that harsh chemicals can still make their way into your little one’s food. Glass is recyclable which makes it more friendly than its plastic counterparts. The big downside? The bottle is glass and there will always be the risk of breaking the bottle. However, in the hundreds of reviews we read no parent reported one of these bottles breaking even when “testing” it. The silicone covers help tremendously but you can’t take away the risk completely. Generally parents love these bottles. They are heavier than their plastic counterparts but there are very few complaints about transporting and using them on the go. All in all this is a great glass bottle and we would certainly recommend it.
Pura Kiki - The Pura Kiki is made of 100% stainless steel and is completely free of plastics. Based on the same dangerous plastic theory the Pura Kiki offers a great alternative to glass. It is lightweight, sanitary and easy to clean. While the nipple included with Kiki is vented for anti-colic and anti-gas purposes the bottle itself works with several major brands of nipples so you can use the one that works best for your child – a nipple a la carte if you will. The Kiki is expensive, more expensive than the Lifefactory glass bottles but a HUGE bonus is that it can be adapted to work as a sippy cup and grow along with your child. Not only is it budget friendly but it also helps ease the transition as your little one will be familiar with grasping the cup. The Kiki is an innovative alternative to glass and plastic and we love that it grows with your child!
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature - The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature is another hugely popular bottle amongst new moms. It is specifically designed to mimic the breast with its wide base and nippple. The Tommee Tippee is a great choice for mothers who are still nursing and adding in bottle feedings. Not only is this an easy bottle to switch back and forth from nursing to bottle feeding it is also a great bottle to first introduce given its natural nature. Further, the nipple mimics the flex and texture of a nature breast which is a huge plus amongst moms. The Tommee Tippee nipple also has an “easy vent” valve to help prevent gas and colic. While there are plenty of positives about this bottle some parents complain the shape of the actual bottle is a bit awkward. Additionally, parents struggle with the nipple collapsing while their child is eating. Lastly, there is quite a bit of feedback about the difficulty getting the last ounce out of the bottle. Even with these slight challenges we still think that the Closer to Nature set is a good choice!
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Dr Browns saved the day for us, no more windy writhing about whilst trying to feed
Anna Lea, I am so glad you liked Dr. Brown’s too! We’ve been really pleased with them as well.
We started with the Tommie tippee and found that not only did the nipple collapse and want to go inward, but the bottles often leaked. Not sure why, maybe continued user error? We agree its hard to get the lady ounce out. The anti colic version has additional internal parts to clean like the dr browns. Actually, it ended up have one part MORE to clean than dr browns if you got the sensitive tummy ones. Since we didn’t see a difference with our colicky son, we switched to dr browns at our pediatrician suggestion. We have no more issue with colic! The bottles are great and relatively easy to clean even though there are extra parts! Highly recommended…btw, dr browns are buy one get one 50% off at target through this weekend! With the stainless steel ones how do you heat them? Obviously you’re not supposed to put a bottle in the microwave, but most do. And there shape doesn’t look bottle warmer friendly. Otherwise, they look like something to try!
Lindsey, thanks for the great feedback on Tommee Tippee! The nipple collapsing seems like a pretty big issue… especially if your little one likes to fall asleep while eating (I can envision having to remove the bottle to fix the nipple and waking them up). I am so glad Dr. Brown’s worked for you too. I am going to share your buy one get one free tip on our FB page this afternoon! With the stainless steel they suggest putting them in a cup of warm water and apparently they heat up pretty quickly. I am hoping to try them out here soon and post a full review – stay tuned! Thanks for sharing! xoxo
Thank you for the timing of this.
We were looking at ThinkBaby bottles, but haven’t purchased any bottles…yet. We’ve researched them, and realize there are pros/cons to each, yet it appears we might head that way.
It’s all thanks to my husband for researching control flow bottles. Love a man who willingly researches baby stuff on a Saturday morning before his coffee!
Wendy, what a sweet hubby you have! My husband is the same way – let me know if you end up with the ThinkBaby bottles and how you like them – would love to have you write a review! xo
We use Dr. Browns. Our baby girl had acid reflux and tummy/gas problems – Dr. Browns definitely helped with these issues.
On a side note, the initial reason we bought Dr. Browns bottles was because they make a preemie nipple. Our baby was born early (she was 5lbs 4oz) and she had trouble keeping up with the flow of a regular newborn nipple. Dr. Browns preemie nipple was the only nipple that worked for our baby. We stayed witht the preemie nipple for several months once we realized the slow flow of this preemie nipple also helped with her acid reflux. She is now a healthy 7 month old – we still use Dr. Browns (we are now using the level 2 nipple) .
Kristi, thanks for sharing re the preemie nipples – that is so good to know! I found that a slower flow nipple also helped with Eloise’s reflux. From my research it seems like Dr. Brown’s has the best “slow flow” nipples whereas there were quite a few complaints about the fast flowing nature of other nipples. Thanks again for your insight! xo
We started out using breastflo, since it was recommended to us to be similar to an actual breast (by our lactation nurse) and we are breastfeeding about 80% of the time. We had major reflux issues with our son, so we tried Dr. Browns. While it seemed to help, the cleaning was a bit of a pain (but worth it if necessary). I realized I had a box of tommee tippee bottles from my shower that I meant to return that said reduces colic. So we figured we would try them out. For our son, they were just as good as Dr. Brown’s with limited cleanup. The nipple inversion does happen, but not that often and we just pop it back out. I didn’t think we would be, but we are really happy with tommee tippee.
Hi Joanna, I am so glad to hear you were happy with the Tommee Tippee – so many parents really do rave about them. I love the fact they have less pieces than the Dr. Brown’s. One less thing to do when you have a newborn is always a plus!
Thanks for sharing your experience. xoxo
We use Dr. Brown’s and have been very happy with them. However, we chose the glass version of the Dr. Brown’s bottle, which is available at Babies R Us, etc. We have have loved their glass bottles and highly recommend them! It’s the best of both worlds!