Best Baby Bottles 2023
1. BEST OVERALL BABY BOTTLE
Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Anti-Colic Options+ Four-Pack
PROS
- Many say the vent helps prevent gas and reflux
- Useful accessories such as a sippy-spout top
- More than 33K five-star Amazon reviews
CONS
- With the vent, there’s a bit more to clean
Dr. Brown’s bottles are easy to spot and have been a leading brand for several decades. Each has a distinctive anti-colic vent down the middle, which you can leave in or take out (hence the name “Options”). They come in this classic long, narrow shape as well as in short, wide versions and there are Dr. Brown’s glass bottles too.Dr. Brown’s bottles are a Good Housekeeping Parenting Award winner and they have 33K five-star reviews on Amazon. “Dr. Brown’s was the one I used most in my household,” says Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman. “I had three kids with reflux and found the anti-colic feature helped with that.””What I especially like about these bottles is that they have grown with my baby,” says Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos, whose daughter is now a year old. “You can upgrade to a sippy spout, which helped us transition as she got older and saved me from having to spend money on new cups and bottles.”Note that the vent, if you use it, is an extra part to clean. This set comes with a tiny bristle brush to help with that. The Dr. Brown’s Bottle Cleaning Brush with a sponge top is a popular tool for cleaning the bottles themselves.
2. BEST VALUE BABY BOTTLE
Evenflo Classic Clear 12-Pack
ROS
- Just over a dollar a bottle
- Twist design is easy to grip
CONS
- Measurement lines are hard to see
While manufacturers work to innovate the baby-bottle market, these traditional, affordable bottles continue to be a favorite of both babies and parents. In this century, they’ve been given a “twist” design that makes them easier to grip.”I picked these up from the supermarket in a pinch and my son really liked them. They actually became his preferred bottle,” one mom told us. The price almost can’t be beat, with the plastic version coming in at a little over a dollar per bottle and the glass version priced at a little over $3 dollars a bottle.It’s a little tough to see the ounce marks on the side, since they are clear like the bottle. But with some practice and time, it seems most parents get used to expertly filling even half or three-quarters of any bottle in the dark with their eyes closed.
3. BEST BABY BOTTLE FOR BREASTFED BABIES
Philips AVENT Natural Four-Pack
PROS
- Responsive nipple doesn’t let milk through too fast
- Wide bottles are easier to clean
CONS
- No longer the only brand with the wide-bottle design
Nearly every bottle on the market will say it’s the closest to nursing. We give props though to this bottle for the controlled-pace nipple that doesn’t overwhelm a nursing infant with milk but responds well to their stop-and-start sucking. Phillips Avent sells nipples in five different flow rates so you can adjust for a faster flow as your baby grows and takes in more milk, more quickly.This brand’s big innovation about 40 years ago was introducing the fat, wide shape of both the bottle and the nipple. The roundness of the nipple might feel more like a breast to babies (hard to say, since they can’t tell us!) and as parents, we can vouch that wide bottles can be easier to clean. Now many other companies have taken note and also sell wide versions of their bottles.
4. BEST BABY BOTTLE FOR NEWBORNS
Lansinoh Baby Bottles Three-Pack
PROS
- Nipple is designed to be similar to nursing
- Vented to cut down on gas and reflux
CONS
- Glass version is only in the 8-oz size
Lansinoh is a nursing-first company; it tracks that their bottle nipple is designed to compliment breastfeeding and that their bottle was easily accepted by some of our testers with newborns.”My first child wasn’t picky at all,” one tester said. “But my second was super picky and we finally got her to take the Lansinoh bottles. They seem most comfortable and similar to breastfeeding for her. My only complaint is that they only make glass bottles in the 8-ounce size so we have to wait until she’s older to use glass, which we prefer.”Similar to other bottles on this list, Lansinoh bottles use a vented nipple to cut down on gas and reflux; it’s also a controlled-flow nipple so that your baby should use roughly the same actions to drink from this as they use while nursing.
5. BEST SILICON BABY BOTTLE
Comotomo Baby Bottle Two-Pack
PROS
- Some parents and babies love the soft silicone
- Easy to clean and don’t stain
CONS
- Silicone is not always stable on a surface
In this century, amid the plastic-vs.-glass debate, Comotomo introduced a third material for baby bottles: soft, squishy silicone. The material is lightweight, durable and easy to clean. It also doesn’t get stained with milk residue like some plastic bottles.”When my daughter was in one of her bottle-rebellion phases, she did still accept the Comotomo,” Rothman says. That was echoed by a tester who told us, “When my daughter was refusing to suck on a bottle, I liked that I could squeeze some milk out of these right into her mouth.”The material can also be easier for independent-minded older babies to hold by themselves. However, silicone can be a little unsteady when placed down on a surface (some online reviewers say their Comotomo bottles sometimes tip over). Plus, it’s tough to get a name sticker, like you might use for daycare, to adhere on a silicone bottle (we recommend placing one on the colored rim).
6. BEST BABY BOTTLE THAT’S EASIEST TO CLEAN
MAM Easy Start Anti Colic Three-Pack
PROS
- Comes apart for thorough cleaning
- Can be sterilized in the microwave with no extra accessories
CONS
- Might leak a bit more than other brands
MAM bottles unscrew at the bottom and the top, which allows you to clean them really well. They also have a unique “self-sterilization” feature wherein you unscrew the bottle parts, add an ounce of water to the bottom piece, load in the nipple top and then the main sleeve and finally put the cap on top, and microwave it all for three minutes. “I’ve never seen anything like that with any other bottle,” one tester noted. “It would be a great bottle for traveling when you don’t have access to your sterilizer or to boiling water.”But the sterilization feature is only useful if your baby likes the bottle, and we have had slightly less luck with our tester babies taking this brand over others. We’ve also had some complaints that these bottles can be more prone to leaking, perhaps because of all the screw-on parts.
7. BEST BABY BOTTLE WITH TEMPERATURE INDICATOR
NUK Simply Natural with SafeTemp Four-Pack
PROS
- Temperature gauge turns white if milk is too hot
- Vented nipple helps curb reflux and gas
CONS
- No glass version of this bottle
8. BEST BABY BOTTLE THAT SELDOM LEAKS
Boon NURSH 3-Pack
PROS
- No-drip design
- Silicone collapses as baby drinks, preventing excess gas
CONS
- Must line up the silicone sleeve with the outer plastic holder
