A guide to choosing the best baby bottles for your little one
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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 straight-forward, 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.
In this article:
- Avent Classic+ Baby Bottle
- Chicco Natural Feeling 250 ml Bottle
- Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Feeding Bottles
- Lansinoh Baby Bottles with NaturalWave Medium Flow Teat
- Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottle
- MAM Start Sterilising Anti-Colic Bottle
- Medela Breastmilk Bottles
- Nuby Newborn Baby Bottles Starter Set
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 which is made to mimic a nipple so that your baby doesn't develop a preference to 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 £30, depending on the type, technology and/or extra features.
The best baby bottles for breastfed babies
- 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
- 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."
- 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 best anti-colic baby bottles
- 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 regular baby bottle
- It has been used by mums for 30 years.
- It's one of the preferred choices.
- It’s affordable.
- It's easy to clean.
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 best self-sterilizing baby bottle
MAM Start Sterilising Anti-Colic Bottle
- It's a Mother and Baby Gold Winner 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."
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."
The best baby bottle starter kit
Nuby Newborn Baby Bottles Starter Set
- Bottles are 100% 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."
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 sterilize 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 he is hungry, he’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 till you find the right one.
Read our step-to-step guide on how to bottle feed a baby for more information.
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