The best baby bottles we tested in 2023
JUMP TO Section Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.- Best for ease of use
- Best for newborns
- Best for gas and reflux
- Best for breastfed babies
- Best for pumping
- Our baby bottles selection methodology
- What else we considered
- Baby bottle FAQs
- Our sources
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Choosing a bottle for a baby is one of those things that you might not put much thought into until you need to buy one or you realize that the bottle you're currently using isn't working. Then you notice that the baby bottle market is, well, busy.
Today, there are bottles with venting systems and glass bottles and dishwasher-safe bottles and futuristic-looking bottles and bottles that you can pump into and more. And there are marketing messages that are telling you that this is the bottle that you need.
Pediatricians tend to agree that there are a few key ingredients to a good bottle. We also know that every baby is different — and the bottle that works best for one baby might not work best for another. So, to make our picks for the best baby bottles, we went straight to bottle-feeding parents and spoke to two pediatricians. Read more about how we chose bottles at the end of this guide. Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches products here.
Our top picks for the best baby bottles in 2023
Best for ease of use: Philips Avent Natural Baby Bottle - See at Amazon
Philips Avent Natural Baby Bottle makes for an easy transfer of breast milk or formula, has few parts for easy cleaning, and encourages a deep latch.
Best for newborns: Evenflo Balance+ Bottle - See at Walmart
The simple Evenflo Balance+ bottle has a nipple shape that mimics the breastfeeding experience and includes slow-flow nipple options for tiny babies.
Best for gas and reflux: Dr. Brown's Options+ Bottle - See at Amazon
The venting system on the Dr. Brown's Options+ bottle may allow your baby to swallow less air, making it a top pick for babies with gas or reflux.
Best for breastfed babies: Lansinoh Baby Bottle - See at Amazon
A smaller size and breast-like nipple that helps babies switch back and forth between bottle and breast make these Lansinoh bottles our top pick.
Best for pumping: Medela Breast Milk Bottle - See at Amazon
Medela Breast Milk Bottles, made by a popular breast pump brand, blend convenience and functionality.
Best for ease of use: Philips Avent Natural Baby Bottle
Philips Avent Natural Baby Bottle Shop at Amazon External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user." 
Philips Avent Natural Baby Bottle (3 Pack) Shop at Walmart External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user." Shop at Target External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user."Pros: Wide bottle allows easy transfer of thawed breast milk or formula; easy to clean
Cons: Nipple can bend, which can take a little getting used to
One of the things you realize about bottles when you have to make them and wash them all day is that a simple one is everything. Philips Avent Natural Baby Bottles have only three parts, and after using them for months, I've never noticed a leak.
While some parents might favor the packability of a slimmer bottle, I appreciate a wide one. It means an easier transfer of liquid, which is important not just for mess control but also investment: time if you're pumping, money if you're buying formula.
Moms we spoke to love the wide breast-shaped nipple, saying that it encouraged a wide latch. We also found it's easy for babies to grip. If plastic gets to you, they come in glass too.
Best for newborns: Evenflo Balance+ Bottle
Pros: Affordable, breast-like nipples
Cons: Narrower bottle opening
Sometimes, marketing and fancy designs can get in the way of choosing a bottle, covering up what matters most: that a bottle does its job seamlessly and doesn't break the bank. Parents and doctors agree that Evenflo's Balance+ bottles are a standout, and there are "slow flow" nipple options for tiny babies.
"These bottles all have more gradual, sloping nipple shapes which more closely resemble a human nipple," explained Dr. Krupa Playforth, a pediatrician in Virginia. "This makes it so that the latch is more physiologically consistent rather than an abrupt transition, which is true of many other bottles."
"I felt that this protected my breastfeeding experience with my baby, which was something I had poured my heart and soul into," said Christy H., a mom from Boston, Massachusetts.
Best for gas and reflux: Dr. Brown's Options+ Bottle
Pros: Venting system may help ease reflux and gassiness
Cons: Many parts, difficult to clean, some leaking
Among the parents we polled, Dr. Brown's Options+ bottles are the pick for gassy babies, in part because of a removable venting system that is said to help reduce gassiness and reflux by separating air from milk. "When I used the bottle without the vent, I could see the difference," Areen M., a mom in Los Angeles, California, told us.
There's very little evidence to verify that this insert is the reason behind thousands of parents' experience, said Dr. Kelly Fradin, a New York City-based pediatrician. But a preemie nipple — a flow rate that's hard to find in other brands — and a smaller-sized nipple with a gradual slope could actually be what's helping babies who are struggling with reflux or colic, said Playforth.
I found the Dr. Brown's Options+ worked well for my daughter, who struggled to switch to a bottle, and I liked that I could use the bottle with or without the venting system, which isn't the case with the Dr. Brown's Original bottles. Options+ come in a glass version, too.
Best for breastfed babies: Lansinoh Baby Bottle
Pros: Gradually sloped nipple encourages deep latch, affordable
Cons: None
Another bottle that tends to get overlooked in lieu of buzzier competitors is the Lansinoh Breast Milk Feeding Bottle. "The nipples on these bottles are more gradually sloped, which can be easier for babies going between bottle and breast," said Playforth.
The shape of the nipple also makes it easier for a baby to get more than just the tip of the nipple into their mouth. That means feeding with a Lansinoh bottle is a bit closer to the physiological experience that a baby would get at the breast — where they get both the areola and tip of the nipple in their mouth, Playforth explained.
Plus, with just a few parts, these bottles are easy to clean. Moms also told us they liked the more compact size that easily fit into a diaper bag or a purse.
Best for pumping: Medela Breast Milk Bottle
Pros: Incredibly convenient to feed out of what you pump into
Cons: A bit of a faster flow, narrow top
Pumping moms don't want to clean more parts than they need to, which is why, especially if you're exclusively pumping, it's good to know about bottles that you can both pump into and feed out of. Medela's Breast Milk Bottles fit the bill and come with storage caps.
Medela is a leading maker of breast pumps, which are often covered by health insurance. "I chose Medela because I already pumped directly into them and just bought some nipples to pop on top and my baby took them fine," said Stephanie Weidner, a mom in Centennial, Colorado. "Magically, I cut my bottle/pump clean in half,"
Medela's bottles are compatible with all of the brand's breast pumps, which means you won't need new bottles just because a new version of your pump comes out. The bottles have a narrower top than others on the market, but if you're pumping into them, you likely won't need to transfer milk. Fradin also told us that they tend to be faster flow than other bottles.
Our baby bottles selection methodology
We chose our top picks by consulting two pediatricians, speaking with 11 breastfeeding and bottle feeding parents of young babies, and looking into existing research on baby bottles. Our writer, a mom to two children under 2 years old, has also used many different bottles on her quest to find the ones that work.
We evaluated baby bottles according to the following criteria:
- Easy to clean: We considered factors such as how many parts a bottle had, if those parts were dishwasher safe, and how easy it was to wash the bottle and its parts.
- Affordability: We compared the price of each bottle to similar ones on the market.
- Size and shape: We looked at the different sizes (in ounces) the bottles came in and the shape of each bottle, whether it was wide or narrow and how easy it was for a baby to grasp.
- Nipple shape, size, and slope: We looked for bottles with nipples that gradually sloped narrow to wide, similar to a breast, which can encourage a deeper latch.
- Material: We looked for bottles that came in both plastic and glass while also considering silicone bottles.
What else we considered
- Comotomo Silicone Bottle: Parents told us babies tended to either love or hate this silicone bottle with a flexible nipple.
- Kiinde Active Latch Silicone Baby Bottle: Parents who pump also liked Kiinde's bags that snap into bottles, but most agreed Medela was a more seamless experience and noted inaccurate readings on ounces using Kiinde.
- Nanobebe Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle: This cool-looking bottle might allow milk to heat up faster, but price is prohibitive for many parents.
- Pop Yum Formula-Making Bottle: Although convenient if you're formula feeding, this bottle has a lot of parts to clean and can take some time to figure out.
Baby bottle FAQs
How safe are certain materials?
As a parent, you may not have a problem with plastic bottles, or you may only want a glass or silicone non plastic bottle. Silicone and glass bottles eliminate the risk of microplastics, says Fradin. However, glass is heavier and there's a risk of breaking, while silicone bottles are less common.
Should you sterilize a bottle?
The CDC recommends taking additional sanitizing precautions for babies younger than 3 months, those born prematurely, or with a weakened immune system.
What should you look for in a nipple?
A gradually sloped nipple is best, according to our experts. Round nipples that abruptly transition to the tip of the nipple may be a little more challenging for some babies to feed from, especially if they go between bottle and breast, Playforth told us.
Our sources
- Kelly Fradin, MD, a pediatrician based in in New York, New York
- Krupa Playforth, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician based in Northern Virginia
- Liz Elliott, a mom based in Chicago, Illinois
- Nadege Toomey, a mom based in Denver, Colorado
- Tiffany Adams, a mom based in New York, New York
- Danielle Wynkoop, a mom based in Lawrence, Kansas
- Christy H., a mom in Boston, Massachusetts
- Jemma Schwartz, a mom based in New York, New York
- Deanna Gordon, a mom based in San Francisco, California
- Kelly Adams, a mom based in Sumter, South Carolina
- Stephanie Weidner, a mom based in Centennial, Colorado
- Jacqueline Brennan, mom based in Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Areen M., a mom in Los Angeles, California
- Pados, Britt F., Jinhee Park, Suzanne M. Thoyre, Hayley Estrem, and W. Brant Nixa. Milk Flow Rates From Bottle Nipples Used for Feeding Infants Who Are Hospitalized. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2015 Nov; 24(4): 671–679. doi: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-0011
- Pados, Britt F., Jinhee Park, Suzanne M. Thoyre, Hayley Estrem, and W. Brant Nix, BMET, BA. Milk flow rates from bottle nipples used after hospital discharge. MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs. 2016 Jul-Aug; 41(4): 237–243. doi: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000244
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