Choosing the best baby bottles can seem tricky — especially if your little one has trouble with gas or you need a bottle that will not cause nipple confusion. Sometimes it seems like bottle manufacturers have never had children of their own! Take it from Mandy Haberman, an inventor of baby feeding products. “Manufacturers often design bottles with air vents that enable air to flow back in after the milk is sucked out. However, this air flow always causes air bubbles to form in the milk. Once swallowed, these air bubbles can cause gas and gas pain,” she says.
Once you decide on a bottle you want to try out on your child, start with one to see if it looks like a match, says Ruth Kraft, a doula trainer, breastfeeding counselor and faculty member at the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association. “Babies will sometimes go through several bottles before they pick one they like.
So I never suggest you go out and get and sterilize many bottles right from the start. If the baby doesn’t care for that one, you may end up with many bottles you cannot return. If you get a few bottle types, open one at a time and go from there.” Instead of spending a fortune on bottles that don’t meet your child’s needs, let other moms do the leg work for you! Check out the 15 best baby bottles to try with your little one.
Starter Kit Bottles
- 5 Phases Glass Starter Set
Worried that plastic baby bottles may leach chemicals into your baby’s formula or breast milk? Use the innovative glass baby bottles from 5 Phases.
- Philips AVENT Classic Plus Newborn Starter Set
Simple, easy, affordable, the Classic Plus Newborn Starter Set comes with a formula dispenser and bottle brush.
- Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Complete Starter Kit
Want one baby bottle system to use from birth through the toddler years? Try out the Tommee Tippee Baby Starter Set.
- Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Newborn Feeding Set
If you want a starter set that combines easy storage with high quality bottles, use Dr. Brown’s Newborn Feeding Set.
Most Like Mom Bottles
- Mimijumi Baby Bottle
When you need a baby bottle nipple that looks and feels like a mother’s breast, the Mimijumi has it. This bottle features a skin-colored nipple that feels soft and flexible.
- Medela Calma Breast Milk Feeding Set
With the Medela Calma baby bottle, milk only flows into the nipple when your baby creates vacuum with her suck, making this a great bottle for breastfeeding moms.
- Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottle
This soft, flexible Comotomo baby bottle simulates the feel of a woman’s breast, making it a wonderful solution for moms who want the most soothing experience possible for their babies.
- Adiri NxGen Nurser
For a baby bottle that feels just like a breast, check out the Adiri NxGen Nurser. This soft-textured bottle comforts your little one and helps prevent nipple confusion.
- The First Years Breastflow Bottle
If you need a bottle that simulates the vacuum produced while breastfeeding, try out this First Years Breastflow bottle that requires the baby to compress while sucking.
Best Formula Bottles
- Mixie Formula-Mixing Baby Bottle
Never worry about spoiled formula again with this self-mixing baby bottle from Mixie. Add powdered formula and water into separate compartments, then press a button to mix when you’re ready to feed your baby.
- Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Baby Bottle
These wide-mouth bottles are easy to clean, and Klean Kanteen’s stainless steel means they survive any drops from the high chair.
- Lifefactory Glass Baby Bottle
Use these Lifefactory glass bottles with a protective case if you want the benefits of using glass without worrying about breakage. The bright colors are a fun bonus.
Colic Reducing Bottles
- Bare Air-Free Baby Bottle
Soothe your baby’s colic cries with the Bare Air-Free baby bottle. It has a specialized air plug that keeps unwanted air out of the bottle.
- Podee Baby Feeding System
When you try out this innovative baby bottle with a tethered nipple from Podee, you might wonder why all baby bottles aren’t designed this way. Babies feed sitting upright instead of laying down. Genius!
- Playtex BPA Free Premium Nurser Bottles
Nothing beats an original. Plus, these Playtex inserts can reduce gas and colic.
Kelly Sundstrom is an award-winning journalist, author, artist and national special needs spokesperson. As the mother of two twice-exceptional children, Sundstrom has been a guest speaker on Grassroots TV in Aspen, Colorado, and offers her support and advocacy to special needs families all over the country.
