A guide to choosing the best baby bottles for your little one
Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections
Whether you are bottle-feeding your little one, sharing the night feeds or going back to work, you'll need to find the best baby bottles to suit you and your baby. Baby bottles might sound straightforward, but there are an array of different types to choose from, so where exactly do you start?
We've compiled this guide to baby bottles to help you choose the right one for you.
The different types of baby bottles
There are five principal types of baby bottles:
- Regular/normal
- For breastfed babies
- Anti-colic
- Self-sterilising
- Bottles for breast pumps
Each of the different types of baby bottles has defining characteristics.
The regular baby bottles are for no-fuss babies and are pretty simple and easy to find, whereas the ones for breastfed babies have a different teat that is made to mimic a nipple so that your baby doesn't develop a preference for one or the other.
Anti-colic bottles have angled tops and a special venting system, and bottles for breast pumps affix easily to the breast pump. Scroll down to see the different types of baby bottles and our recommended picks in each category.
How much do baby bottles cost?
You can find baby bottles from around £5 to £40, depending on the type, technology, and/or extra features.
The best baby bottles for breastfed babies
The Chicco Natural Feeling Bottle won Silver for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2018 Mother&Baby Awards.
- It comes with an angled teat
- It reduces air intake
- It encourages the correct neck position for newborns
- It has a soft and wide base which aids natural latching and easy transition between breast and bottle
- It has twin anti-colic valves to help prevent air ingestion, gas, and reflux.
Mum tester Jolene said: "As someone who is breastfeeding and expressing, this bottle made it easier for my baby to go from breast to bottle. The teat is very soft, much like a nipple, and my baby found it easy to suck."
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Feeding Bottles
The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Feeding Bottles were Shortlisted for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2021 Mother&Baby Awards.
- It's a great option if your baby is struggling to latch
- It comes with a breast-shaped teat for an easy latch and a soft, natural feel
- It’s one of the best-selling bottles in the UK for breastfed babies
- It's also anti-colic.
Mum tester Fiona said: "These bottles are extremely easy to use, they’re so simple to put together that I can do it with one hand whilst holding my baby. I find them very easy to clean, there’s no tiny parts to try and get a bottle brush into and the teats are the exact width of the teat cleaner from the same brand so takes seconds to clean everything."
Lansinoh Baby Bottles with NaturalWave Medium Flow Teat
The Lansinoh NaturalWave Breastmilk Feeding Bottle & Teat was Shortlisted for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2017 Mother&Baby Awards.
- It supports breastfeeding by maintaining the natural sucking style learnt at the breast
- It's designed to encourage baby's 'wave-like' tongue movement
- It's easy and comfortable for mother and baby to hold
- It’s BPA and BPS free.
Mum tester Liz said: "These bottles are really sturdy and the teats are great for recreating a natural breast feeling so you can happily express or formula feed your baby with them still thinking it's the breast so you can mix up feeds. The build is very durable as easy to clean! The variety if sizes is good so that the bottles don't overwhelm your baby!"
The Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottle was Shortlisted for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2018 Mother&Baby Awards.
- It looks awesome
- The design mimics breastfeeding
- It allows milk to flow steadily helping to ease colic.
Mum tester Sarah said: "This bottle is easy to take apart and clean, which definitely made life easier. Also, the compact size makes it easy to transport and fit into a changing bag. My son loved touching the bottle and looked relaxed and happy when feeding. The bottle changed our whole feeding experience! Equally, there are no extra pieces to be added or inserted which makes the bottle quick and easy to use."
The best anti-colic baby bottles
The Philips Avent Classic+ Anti-Colic Feeding Bottle won Silver for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2016 Mother&Baby Awards.
- BPA-free
- Fully compatible with full Philips Avent range
- Easy to clean and assemble
- Leakproof
- Unique anti-colic valve to vent into bottle, instead of baby's tummy.
Mum tester Shilo said: "By helping to stop my son from swallowing air during a feed I found he had less colic than before so we were experiencing less piercing cries and he was unsettled for a shorter period of time."
The Nuby Natural Touch Easy Latch Anti Colic Bottles won Bronze for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2019 Mother&Baby Awards.
- BPA-free
- Dishwasher and microwave safe
- Leakproof
- Slow flow teats with anti-coluc valves
- Easy latch and soft to mimic breasts.
Mum tester Payal said: "They are cheaper and more inventive in terms of technology for promoting both breast and bottle feeding. The teats were brilliant for my 'refluxy' baby who liked a slower flow of milk and regular burping. I found them easy to clean either in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher which is brilliantly time-saving."
Tommee Tippee Advanced Anti-Colic Baby Bottle
- Proven to reduce colic by 80 per cent of mum testers
- Vented and with anti-colic tube draws air away from milk
- Heat sensing technology - turns the tube pink when feed is too hot
- Breast-like teat
- Leakproof, BPA free, and Phthalate free.
A parent reviewer said: "Love these bottles for my little guy. Sure there’s a little more faffing around when cleaning and putting together compared to other bottles that don’t have the anti colic tube thing in them. However anyone who has had to deal with a colicky baby will gladly use these as I believe from my own personal experience that they truly help reduce colic. Haven’t had any leaks yet."
The best regular baby bottles
The Philips Avent Natural Feeding Bottle was Shortlisted for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2017 Mother&Baby Awards.
- It has been used by mums for 30 years
- It's one of the preferred choices
- It’s affordable
- It's easy to clean.
Our tester for the 2015 M&B Awards said: "The Philips Avent Natural Feeding Bottle is a good quality, well-designed product that aims to make the feeding process as natural as possible, which is why it combines well with breastfeeding. The bottle is comfortable to hold and the teat is flexible to the point that baby can look around while feeding."
- Bottles are 100 per cent BPA free, dishwasher and microwave safe
- Comes with 2 x 180ml and 2 x 270ml Combat Colic wide neck bottles
- A great value set which contains everything you need to get started.
- Includes slow flow teats.
Real parent review: "Had no problems getting my newborn to take to these bottles. The flow is good so she doesn’t spit much out. Good size for little ones and handy to have a few to circulate."
The best self-sterilising baby bottle
The MAM Easy Start Sterilising Anti-Colic Bottles won Silver for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2019 Mother&Baby Awards, and Gold in 2018.
- It's from a trustworthy brand
- It's also anti-colic
- BPA Free
- It’s super affordable
- Uses a vented base in order to reduce air bubbles in milk.
Mum tester Katie said: "I would highly recommend this product for a couple of reasons. The first is the quick and easy self-sterilisation and the second is the way the bottle was designed ergonomically. You can hold it very comfortably while feeding your baby and it makes the whole experience feel natural."
MAM Easy Start Self Sterilising Anti Colic Starter Set
The MAM Easy Start Self Sterilising Anti Colic Starter Set won Bronze for Best Bottle Feeding Product at the 2021 and 2020 Mother&Baby Awards.
- Self-sterilising anti-colic bottle set - self-sterilise in three minutes
- Modular system for any combination
- BPA and BPS free
- Includes four complete bottles, plus MAM bottle handles, slow flow skin soft teats, extra soft spout, and a 0-2 months MAM start soother.
Mum tester Stacey said: "This product makes my life easier as a mum because these bottles are honestly the Rolls Royce of bottles. My sons wind has unbelievably reduced so much by using these that I have been able to take him off of infacol which he was on to help with wind. These have saved me time, money and some would say my sanity."
Read our full tried and tested review here.
The best baby bottle for breast pumps
Medela Breastmilk Bottles
- It's great for any model of Medela Breast Pump
- It's easy to use
- It comes with handy metric and imperial measurements on the side
- You can wash them in the dishwasher
- They are microwave-safe (if you want to warm them up a bit before use).
Parent review: "They are easy to clean and the lids have the added bonus of being interchanged with travel teats on the go to negate the need for separate feeding bottles."
MAM breast pumps are compatible with the entire range of Easy Start bottles, Lansioh breast pumps are compatible with their complete range of 160ml and 240ml bottles, and the Philips Avent breast pumps are designed to be used with their Avent bottle range.
Baby bottle safety
All baby bottles should be replaced after one year of use. If you can, it's generally better to handwash a baby bottle with warm water and a baby-friendly detergent than to wash them in the dishwasher.
Read our guide on how to sterilise your baby bottles.
You should replace the teats when the baby is ready for the next size or if they get cracked, discoloured, or start to thin. Remember, silicone teats are firmer while latex is softer so they'll have a different endurance. Make sure you check these regularly.
How to bottle-feed your baby
If your baby is turning their nose up at the bottle, you might need to let a few hours go by before attempting again, as the hunger might make it easier for them to accept it. It can take a while to convince your baby to accept a bottle, but if they are hungry, they’ll want to feed eventually so don’t give up.
It could be a case of trial and error when it comes to bottles – some babies will prefer a particular shape, while others need features that ease wind or colic. You might need to try a few until you find the right one.
Read our step-to-step guide on how to bottle feed a baby for more information.
Read more popular articles
