10 Best Baby Bottles for a Pleasant Feeding Experience

1. Philips Avent Natural

High-quality teats for a steady milk flow

The best baby bottle for newborns is the Philips Avent Natural, an anti-colic bottle designed with a teat that releases a steady flow of milk and is quick and easy to assemble. It is recommended for mums who often mix breastfeeding and bottle feeding for easy transitioning.

The teats are wide and breast-shaped, with a flexible spiral design and comfort petals that support a natural latch. Their ultra soft design aids easy transition from breast to bottle, as they were made to mimic the feel of mum’s breast. Mothers that both breast feed and bottle feed love these bottles, especially their shape and size, which allow their babies to grip and hold the bottle themselves.

The most important feature of these bottles is the anti-colic valve, designed to reduce colic and discomfort, venting the air away from the baby’s tummy, and supporting a more comfortable feeding experience.

The wide bottle neck makes filling and cleaning super easy, especially with the use of the bottle and teat cleaning brush included in the set.

2. Medela Breastmilk Bottle 150ml

Excellent bottles for breastfed babies

The best bottles in our list for breastfed babies are the Medela. With this product, the company delivers an excellent breast milk bottle that perfectly complements the breastfeeding experience, making it so much easier. 

It is compatible with all Medela breast pumps and products, so if you’ve chosen this brand (here’s our list of the recommended breast pumps this year), these bottles are a no-brainer, without wasting a single drop of precious breast milk. To minimise hassle and washing up, you can conveniently pump, store, and feed your baby all with one bottle.

Made from 100% BPA-free plastic with a wide bottle neck opening, cleaning is so much easier with this dishwasher and microwave safe bottle. Medela has also made it super easy to store in the fridge or freezer with its trusty screw-on lids.

We love that these bottles come with clear ounce and milliliter markers to make it easy for mum or parent to measure the right amount of the milk, consistently each time. The teat of this bottle is very soft and prevents air ingestion which facilitates a steady feeding process for your baby. The travel caps are great and keep the nipple clean and prevent leakage.

3. Chicco Natural Feeling 6m+ 330ml

A bottle designed for breast feeders and mix feeding

The Chicco Natural Feeling is the best baby bottle for mix feeding or transitioning from breast to bottle, as it was designed to mimic the instinctive way babies breastfeed. The silicone nipple has an elongated teat and a soft wide base which aids natural latch and facilitates an easy transition from breast to bottle.

With a large 330ml capacity, this bottle is suitable for babies 6 months or older. The silicone teat is equipped with an anti-colic valve to reduce air bubbles and gas for more comfortable feeding, and the flow rate has been increased as your little one’s feeding and appetite would have developed by this stage.

The Chicco Natural feeling bottle has been designed with a wide base for easy handling and ergonomic grip. There are mixed reviews on this feature with some parents finding the wider grip makes it easier and more comfortable to hold, while others find it built too wide and difficult to grip. You may find it helpful to test the product in store, or find an online retailer that easily accepts returns before deciding whether this is the right bottle for you and your baby.

These bottles are praised for their sturdy build, made from strong and durable BPA-free polypropylene, and for extra convenience they are dishwasher and steriliser safe.

4. Philips Avent Anti-Colic Baby Bottles

The best anti-colic bottles in Australia

The Philips Avent Anti-colic baby bottles are made from BPA-free plastic and their specialty, as the name suggests, is to reduce colic and discomfort and minimise feeding interruptions.

Apart from being easy to clean and assemble with just a few parts, the bottles are also dishwasher and microwave safe, ideal for sterilisation and good hygiene. Another enticing feature of this bottle is its compatibility with a range of different nipple and flow rates to keep up with your baby’s growth.

These bottles have a special valve, which is integrated into the nipple. It flexes just enough to allow air into the bottle which prevents vacuum build up. By bringing the air back in the bottle it reduces gas in your baby’s tummy.

The bottle is easy to hold and has a leak-free design, while the shape of the teat supports a secure latch and the ribbed texture helps prevent the teat from collapsing, aiding your baby during feeding time.

5. Mam Easy Start Anti-Colic

Innovative self-sterilising and anti-colic bottle

This bottle is excellent for your newborn from day one for several reasons. Firstly, this anti-colic bottle has a bottom valve which ensures that babies do not swallow air while drinking, minimising colic and regurgitation. Its innovative patented vented base allows babies to drink in a relaxed way, at their own pace and without interruption.

Secondly, it has the ability to self-sterilise in your microwave in just 3 minutes, which is ideal for busy mums on-the-go. The teat is skin-soft and made of silicone, with a unique flat shape that some babies even prefer. We love that the spill-proof lid feature can also double as a small measuring cup thanks to the integrated scale marked on the side.

Lastly, it is BPA and BPS free, with a wide opening for easy filling and cleaning. It comes in several fashionable designs with stylish themes printed on both sides of the bottle. 

Despite all the great features, one of the drawbacks is that the anti-colic system is designed at the bottom to help let the air out of the bottle. Even though there is a plastic seal between the base and the milk, some mums are still afraid that the water might leak through when placing the bottle in the warm holder. One of the tips for this, make sure the bottle is placed in the water flat and not at an angle position. Many mums also stated that they use a microwave to heat up the milk and they have no issue with it. However, in case you use this option, you always need to check the temperature before giving to baby to avoid hot spots caused by using the microwave.

6. Philips Avent Natural Glass Bottle

A bottle with a unique teat for natural suction

The Natural Glass Baby Bottle by Philips Avent are among the best glass bottles for newborns, loved by Australian parents in the mid-range price point.

A top feature of this bottle is its material, namely, it is made of Borosilicate glass which offers maximum hygiene and is easy to maintain, clean and sterilise. It is BPA free, easy to clean and clear, a 3 – piece bottle design with a wide neck opening for practical purposes. Also, it is very resistant to sudden temperature changes and high temperature as well, since its properties remain unchanged over time.

Another extraordinary characteristic is the unique extra softness of the teat that bio-mimics the mother breast in form, feel and function for a harmonious feeding process. As the bottle is made with a wide breast teat shape that improves natural latch, this sets you and your baby up for success in a position that is both ideal for newborns and feels natural and comfortable for the parents. It is also one of the reasons that make this bottle perfect for natural breast to bottle transition.

The anti-colic valves design allows the air inside the baby bottle to escape out the sides of the nipple, thus preventing air ingestion.

7. Dr. Brown's Options Narrow Feeding Set

A set of 5 bottles equipped with an anti-colic vent system

Dr. Brown’s Narrow feeding set provides you with bottles and nipples in two different sizes, including additional storage caps and cleaning brushes. This is everything you’ll need to start bottle feeding your baby, suitable for newborns up until they reach 6 months of age.

Dr Brown’s narrow bottles have been designed to help with feeding problems and digestion, equipped with an anti-colic vent system to help reduce colic, spit-up, burping, and gas. The great thing about this bottle set, is that it can be used with or without the vent system, making it a great babyshower gift that can be used in versatile ways.

The vent system also helps reduce air bubble oxidisation, preserving the nutrients in the milk, for easy and healthy digestion. As your baby’s feeding becomes more developed, the vents can be removed to increase the flow rate and accommodate your baby's growing appetite. After the first 6 months, you may need to increase the bottle and nipple size to the next feeding stage.

There are concerns raised in some reviews about these bottles leaking. However, they are only going to leak if the green stem isn’t sitting properly, or the lid isn’t screwed on properly. 

Dr Brown’s narrow bottles are made from BPA-free polypropylene plastic and medical-grade silicone which are top rack dishwasher safe, however, it is recommended to hand wash this product with the cleaning brushes provided to ensure longevity and minimise damage.

8. Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Glass Bottle

Perfect for baby’s smooth transition between breast and bottle

The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Glass Bottle has a slow flow teat that feels natural, just like feeding from mum. It is designed to mimic the natural flex, movements, and softness of mum’s breast, which makes it ideal for your baby’s progression from breast to bottle.

This glass bottle is environmentally friendly, being BPA, phthalates, and toxin free. The super sensitive valve of this glass baby bottle eliminates excessive air flow, with a slow flow teat that reduces air intake, resulting in more comfort for your baby. With a 150ml capacity, this is a great choice for mix feeding or transitioning, suitable for babies 0 months and up.

It is very easy to hold due to its unique shape and even easier to clean and sterilise. The glass material is very much praised by mothers for being the most hygienic for baby feeding purposes. Mums especially like the wide neck options which are easy to fill and clean.

9. Nuk First Choice Plus

Excellent bottle for combining breast and bottle feeding

Nuk First Choice Plus bottles are made from high-quality resilient polypropylene (PP) 300ml and are BPA-free and odourless. These bottles combine all the orthodontic advantages of breastfeeding with the convenience and ease of bottle feeding, for hassle-free transitioning.

These bottles are extra-wide making them convenient to fill and clean, while they can be gripped securely, due to their contoured shape. Their wide base provides some much needed stability as they are one of the largest baby bottles offered on the market.

Nuk has improved their anti-colic system to enable a more natural flow and comfortable feeding. Mothers especially compliment these bottles for their suitability for both bottle fed and breastfed babies.

Another advanced feature of the bottle is the temperature control system. When the milk inside is too hot, the thermometer marked on the bottle will change colour from blue to white. Not only is it super convenient and handy for parents but also an essential feature for baby’s safety. 

Moreover, the product also comes with a snap-on lid, screw ring and sealing disk to minimise spills and leaks when you are out and about.

10. Tommee Tippee Essentials Starter Set

All-in-one baby starter set

The Tommee Tippee Essentials is one of the best value for money, all-inclusive baby bottle kits, and a perfect fit to cover all necessities with one purchase. The kit is composed of an electric steriliser, 8 Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottles, a soother, a teat cleaning brush, a bottle warmer, a travel pouch and teat tongs.

The bottles in this kit are in two sizes: 2 x 150 ml and 6 x 260 ml, and are very well accepted by most babies. They provide a comfortable grip and the teats allow for a steady milk flow. The only issue we’ve found is that sometimes it’s hard to get the last 10ml of milk out of the bottle.

The breast-like-shaped silicone teat of the bottles, with anti-colic valve, is said to reduce airflow so that your little one ingests more milk and less air.

Their steam steriliser is one of the best on the market, due to its ability to keep the contents sterile for up to 24 hours. It sterilises up to 6 bottles at once in only 5 minutes, it’s chemical-free and BPA free, and kills 99.9 % of common household bacteria.

Whether you are feeding with formula or with pumped breast milk, it is important to find the right baby bottle to accommodate comfortable and accessible feeding for your little one. Here are some things to consider when choosing the right one.

Glass vs Plastic

• Glass - Chemical free, easy to clean, lasts longer, but they are expensive and fragile.
  Silicone covers will add to your cost but protect your glass bottle giving it more longevity.
• Plastic - More affordable but need to be replaced more frequently. Choose good quality, BPA free products.

Size of the Bottle

• 4 oz (120ml) - Suitable for newborns, best fitted with a ‘stage one’ nipple with a slow flow.
• 8-9 oz (250ml) - When your baby's appetite increases (from about 6 months), the hole in the nipple should increase with the bottle size, for appropriate or increased milk flow.

Types of Bottles

• Bottles with wider necks are easier to clean.
• Bottles with disposable liners (pre-sterilised liners) make cleaning easier.
• Bottles with angled necks and vent systems are suitable for colicky or gassy babies.
• Bottles that double as sippy cups are great for transitioning toddlers.

Nipple/Teat

Latex 

• Made from natural rubber latex.
• Soft, flexible, elastic, resilient and tear-resistant.
• Can start to break down when overexposed to fats or direct sunlight.
• Best stored in a cool, dry place.
• Can have a strong rubbery odour and/or flavour.

Silicone

• Man-made material.
• Tasteless and odourless.
• Firmer texture than latex.
• Easier to clean and lasts longer.
• Can be damaged if babies chew or bite on it.

Nipple/Teat Size 

• Too small and your baby will have to work harder to receive their milk.
• Too big and your baby is at risk of choking due to the fast flow of milk.

Most brands will have a sliding scale based on nipple size, indicating which nipple is most appropriate for certain stages of feeding. It is important to observe and monitor your baby, every time you try a new nipple type/size.

Types of Nipples

More naturally shaped nipples have a broader base which makes it easier for your baby to make the transition from breast to bottle. Most nipples are either bell or dome shaped.

• Teething babies may benefit from using an orthodontic nipple
• Vented nipples produce an easier flow of milk, great for minimising colic and gas.

How many bottles do you need?

Newborns will roughly feed every 2-3 hours.

• 6-8 bottles - exclusively bottle feeding (allows for washing and sterilisation)
• 3-4 bottles - shared between breastfeeding and bottlefeeding

4 main parts that should come with your purchase: bottle, nipple, collar, cover.
Some extra parts may be included: Formula mixers, colic relief, sterilsation, travel bags, cleaning brushes, etc.

Cost and Budget

There is a wide range of baby bottles available on the Australian Market, with prices varying from low to high, depending on what brand and/or features you are after.

It is best to test a couple of bottles first to see which one your baby prefers. Once you’ve found one your baby is happy with, then you can look at expanding your collection with that particular brand or style of bottle. 

Just remember, there is no “one-size fits all” when it comes to choosing the right baby bottle, and you may have to try a few different ones before you start to see any positive changes. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by choice, there are some great subscription and sampler boxes available online, like bebabobox, that deliver a versatile range of popular baby bottles to test and try, before making your final decision.