Theres a lot for new parents to think about and even the obvious things can seem like an endless list. Some of the easiest things to overlook, however, are the everyday itemslike the question of which bottles to buy.
Even if youre breastfeeding, bottles are essential for times when dad is in charge, when you need to leave your baby in someone elses care, or simply for situations where breastfeeding isnt practical or desirable. Many brands offer bottles designed for use with breast pumps, which is ideal for the busy mom.
To choose the right bottle for your baby, youll need to factor in your babys age, specific needs, and considerations like convenience and cost.
In this guide, we look at what makes a good baby bottle and how to choose them. Well also give you our top picks for the best baby bottles on the market.
Our Top Picks: Summary
- Best Overall: Lansinoh Breastfeeding Bottles
- Best Glass: Philips Avent Natural Glass Baby Bottles
- Best Silicone: Comotomo Baby Bottles
- Best for Newborns: NUK Simply Natural Baby Bottles
- Best for Gas and Colic: Dr. Browns Options Baby Bottles
- Best with Breast Pump: Medela Breast Milk Bottle Set
The Best Baby Bottles: Our Top Picks
Quality, affordability, and performance combine for the perfect all-rounder.
Why We Picked It
Convenience and versatility were two of the biggest factors when picking our best overall baby bottles, and for that reason, we chose Lansinohs bottles.
Lansinoh bottles have a 5-ounce capacity and are sold in packs of three. The bottles three-part design keeps things simple for assembly and cleaning and can be attached to a breast pump, sealed with a screw lid, or attached to the feeding nipple.
The NaturalWave Nipple design features soft and flexible silicon designed to mimic the real thing and reduce nipple confusion. Its softness allows it to adapt to your babys palette and promotes a natural movement of the tongue.
The feeding nipple is also designed with an anti-colic approach, featuring an air venting system intended to reduce gas build-up.
Keep in Mind
The vent holes can be a little noisy in use, but do a good job of venting the bottle when in use.
In a Nutshell
- 5-ounce capacity
- Three-part design for easy cleaning
- Flexible silicone nipple
Great quality glass bottles at an affordable price.
Why We Picked It
Glass bottles are easy to keep clean and avoid some of the health concerns of plastic bottles. In this category, we chose Philips Avent Naturals glass bottles.
These bottles are available in 4-ounce and 8-ounce capacity and as single units or packs of four. The bottles are made of BPA-free borosilicate glass that is thermal and shock-resistant. Each bottle comes with an ultra-soft, wide-base nipple for easy feeding.
The bottles are compatible with all Philips Avent Natural nipples and include a newborn flow nipple. The nipple uses a flexible spiral design, which promotes a natural feed. Venting technology in the nipple is designed to reduce gas/cholic by directing air away from babys stomach.
The bottles are also compatible with the Philips Avent Natural breast pump and other bottle and cup parts.
Keep in Mind
These are quality glass bottles, but this does make them more expensive than some alternatives.
In a Nutshell
- 4-ounce and 8-ounce capacity
- Thermal and shock-resistant glass
- Vent technology to reduce colic
High-quality silicone for the perfect alternative to glass and plastic.
Why We Picked It
Silicone bottles are soft yet robust, which makes them ideal for baby, though they arent as ubiquitous on the market. In this category, we chose Comotomos silicone bottles.
The Comotomo bottle is available in 5-ounce and 8-ounce capacity, and in pink or green colors. Each bottle features an ultra-wide neck for easy cleaning and is made of hygienic silicone. The nipple is designed for easy latching and a natural feel to reduce rejection and nipple confusion.
These bottles can be microwaved, boiled, and washed in a dishwasher or sterilizer, with a maximum temperature of 180 degrees Celsius for the bottle and nipple and 120 degrees Celsius for the cap and outer ring. Dual vents reduce air intake, reducing the likelihood of gas buildup and colic.
Keep in Mind
The narrow base can make these bottles easy to tip, though their strong seals should prevent any leaks.
In a Nutshell
- 5-ounce and 8-ounce capacity
- Ultra-wide neck for easy cleaning
- Dishwasher and sterilizer safe
A gentle option for newborn babies.
Why We Picked It
Newborns are delicate compared to older babies and can be more prone to feeding issues. We chose the NUK Simply Natural bottles for their flexible feeding nipples.
These NUK bottles are available in 5-ounce and 9-ounce capacity and in pack sizes of 1, 2, 3, and 6. Theyre also available in three colors: white, blue, and pink.
Each bottle is made of odor and stain-resistant, BPA-free Tritan. The feeding nipple is made of extra-soft silicone shaped to match the real thing, with multiple nipple holes for a natural feed experience.
The flexible nipple moves with the babys natural motions, making feeding easier and reducing the chance of nipple confusion. An anti-colic air system helps prevent gas intake.
Keep in Mind
These bottles and accessories can warp at high temperatures, so be careful when sterilizing.
In a Nutshell
- 5-ounce and 9-ounce capacity
- Pack sizes: 1, 2, 3, 6
- Multiple nipple holes for natural feeding
Brilliant for the burpy baby.
Why We Picked It
Gas intake leading to colic can mean sleepless nights (and days) for both you and your baby. Anti-colic bottles like Dr. Browns can offer some much-needed relief.
These bottles come as a complete gift set, including 3x 8-ounce bottles and 2x 4-ounce bottles. Also included are Level 1 and Level 2 nipples, storage caps, and cleaning brushes. Dr. Brown bottles are clinically proven to reduce colic via their internal vent systems, which reduce ingestion of air and creates an anti-vacuum effect.
However, moms have the choice of removing the vent system, which allows you to keep using the same bottle while tailoring it to babys needs.
Keep in Mind
The vent system is perfect for controlling gas intake but does take up some of the bottles capacity when in place.
In a Nutshell
- Includes 4-ounce and 8-ounce bottles
- Removable anti-colic vent system
- Includes Level 1 and Level 2 nipples
Reduce the hassle and save precious milk with this pump-friendly bottle.
Why We Picked It
Breastfeeding mothers need all the support they can get, so a bottle that makes using a breast pump easy is a sure winner. For this, weve chosen Medelas bottle set.
These bottles are available in 5-ounce and 8-ounce sizes, and in packs of 3 or 6. They are compatible with all Medela breast pumps, making it easy to pump and store without changing containers. Each bottle has a wide-base, medium-flow silicone nipple and includes solid, screw-on lids and caps for each bottle. Each bottle is also marked with easy to read volume marks in both ounces and milliliters.
These bottles are dishwasher and microwave safe and made without BPA.
Keep in Mind
While convenient for breastfeeding moms, there are some reports of leaks, which could lead to unnecessary milk loss.
In a Nutshell
- 5-ounce and 8-ounce capacity
- Compatible with Medela breast pumps
- Volume markers in ounces and milliliters
How We Chose the Best Baby Bottles
To choose the best baby bottles around, we looked at a number of key areas to assess each bottles performance. Here are some of the areas we looked at:
Versatility
A versatile product is a valuable and convenient oneboth welcome traits for the new parent.
We looked at whether a bottle allowed you to swap to different nipples, attach lids for storage, and attach directly to a breast pump. Its easy to find good versatility in baby bottles without spending too much, so we considered it a basic feature of a good bottle.
Some bottles are available in sets, as well, which can help increase versatility while keeping the costs down. With more bottles, you have more options for storage and use.
Easy to Clean
Having a baby means adding an endless list of chores to your life, along with worries about your childs health. For these reasons, its essential that baby bottles are easy to clean. We looked at each to see how easy they were to keep sterile and safe for baby. Bottles with fewer parts were preferable, as this means less to clean and fewer awkward nooks and crannies.
Most bottles are dishwasher safe, which makes for much easier cleaning. Some bottles do come with maximum temperature guidelines for their components, however, so parents need to keep these in mind when cleaning with high temperatures.
Seal
Breastfeeding moms know that breast milk is more like white gold. Replacing breast milk puts much more of a toll on a mother than replacing store-bought milk.
Thats why we considered a good seal to be an essential feature of a high-quality baby bottle. None of that milk should go to waste because of an inferior product. This means that collar seals, feeding nipples, and screw lids should all create a tight seal, ensuring none of the milk leaks out.
Breastfeeding moms also turn to bottles when direct feeding isnt practical, which means that the seal needs to hold up to the kind of jostling it might experience when on the go.
Value
Baby bottles are a utility item and a fact of life for new moms. That means most moms are looking for a high-quality product at a value that doesnt break the bank.
We looked at products that offered good value for money, favoring material quality, durability, and function. A long-lived bottle with great versatility represents the best investment.
What to Consider When Choosing a Baby Bottle
To choose the right bottle for you and your baby, there are a few things youll want to think about. Luckily, its easy to swap from one bottle to another, so if things dont work, just keep trying. Babies can be unpredictable, latching onto some bottles but not others, so a little trial and error is sometimes the only way to find the right bottle.
Nipple Shape
Nipple shapes and sizes vary to suit babies of every age. The idea is to regulate the flow of milk to an age-appropriate level.
Nipple sizes follow a curve, meaning that nipple sizes are more granular in the early months, and there are fewer options for older babies. As your baby gets older, you can base the nipple size more on their individual needs.
Each manufacturer may have its own scale, so consult the manufacturers guide if in doubt. These are normally available on the manufacturers website.
Size
Babies grow quickly, so youll likely need to change bottles frequently before they move to solid foods. This also makes the buying process more difficult, as youll need to figure out which size is right for your baby at each given stage.
The good news is that there is a huge range of options both in the physical size of the bottle and the capacity of milk they hold. Youll always be able to find the right solution for your baby, even if it means trying a few different ones.
If you accidentally choose a too-large bottle, make sure to hold onto it for future use, as your baby will soon grow into it.
Bottle Materials
Baby bottles come in three main materials: glass, plastic, and silicone.
Glass bottles are the most traditional. These are easy to keep clean and any glass bottle of acceptable quality will be shatter-resistant as a safety feature. However, glass is still the most fragile of the available materials.
Plastic bottles are often cheaper and more robust. Still, many moms have concerns about plastic, as certain studies suggest that the ubiquitous use of plastic with foodstuffs may be causing us harm. Choosing BPA-free bottles can offer some peace of mind, but the dangers of plastic still arent fully understood.
Silicone bottles can be hard to come by, being much rarer than plastic alternatives. Silicone is a relatively soft material without known health risks, so theyre often chosen by moms looking for an alternative to plastic bottles.
Cost
Theres no escaping the reality that having a baby can be expensive, and theres no getting around the price on keeping your baby fed and healthy. Shopping around, however, can help you achieve the best value possible, allowing you to balance quality and cost.
You may need to try several different bottle types before you find one that works for both you and your baby. When you do, youll likely need 6-8 bottles for everyday use, so keep costs in mind as you shop around.
How to Take Care of Baby Bottles
To ensure a happy feeding experience for your baby, there are a few things to keep in mind when using your baby bottle.
Clean After Every Feeding
You should never reuse a bottle without cleaning it first. Bacteria build-up can present a serious risk to your babys health, so be sure to clean the bottle thoroughly. Many bottles are dishwasher safe, but you should also get a good brush to deal with stubborn residue.
You should clean your bottles at a high temperature, using boiling water or a sterilizer. This will kill off lingering germs and make the bottle safe to use. Be sure to follow any cleaning-related manufacturer guidelines.
Dry Thoroughly
After cleaning, make sure you leave the bottle to dry thoroughly, as leftover moisture can lead to mold and mildew growth. A drying rack can make this simpler, and you should let bottles air dry where possible. Drying with a cloth or towel can introduce dirt and fluff back into the bottle, compromising the sterilization process.
Check for Damage, Mold, Mildew
You should check bottles regularly for any sign of damage or mold and mildew. Baby bottles made by responsible brands are shatter-proof or dont present much of a risk if damaged, but damage can lead to a loss of hard-earned milk and awkward feeding. If you spot any damage, cease using the bottle immediately and swap to a new one.
Mold and mildew present a health risk to your baby, so if you spot any signs of mold or mildew growth, you should thoroughly sterilize the bottle before using it again.
Related Resources
If youre looking for more baby resources, be sure to check out our other guides.
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