The Best Bottles for Breastfed Babies, as Tested by Nursing Moms

If you’re trying to introduce a bottle to a breastfed baby, Nuk Simply Natural bottles are one of the first brands you should try. These bottles have a number of features that seem to help babies to switch back and forth between bottle-feeding and breastfeeding, and countless parents in the What to Expect community say they’ve been successful with this brand.

The biggest feature that seems to work well for breastfed babies is the nipple, which has multiple holes to help the flow of milk feel more like breastfeeding, as well as a flat edge. (Start with the brand’s Slow Flow nipples at first.) This is a wide-neck bottle, so the nipple is plenty big enough to feel comfortable to a breastfed baby, too.

“My daughter took to the Nuk bottle easily,” says Leah Rocketto, What to Expect’s Associate Commerce Director, who tried several other bottles before settling on Nuk. “If anything, I had a bigger learning curve, remembering to give her the bottle with the flat edge of the nipple facing down.” 

Leah particularly liked that the bottles were wide enough for easy cleaning, but not so wide that storing was a pain. The shape also made it easy for her to pack them in a diaper bag or breast milk cooler. 

Also good: These bottles have a SafeTemp indicator, which changes color when milk is too hot, and they are relatively easy to store and incredibly easy to clean, parents say. They also are a good choice for little ones who may be suffering from gas or colic, thanks to an anti-colic air vent and gently curved bottle design.

Some parents do say that the packaging on Nuk bottles doesn’t feel as high-end as other brands, but for about $6 per bottle, you can’t beat the value.

Mam Easy Start Anti-Colic bottles claim to have a 94 percent success rate in helping babies make the transition from breast to bottle. And if the countless rave reviews in our What to Expect community are any indication, those numbers may be right. 

These bottles, which are vented and made of a mix of plastic and silicone, are incredibly popular among little ones who breastfeed. Although the nipple isn’t as wide as some others on our list, many parents say their babies had no issues and latched very easily. In fact, Sarah Darby, Associate Director, SEO Content Strategist and mom of two, found that her daughter took to them very easily from an early age. 

“She latched right on — no issues going back and forth between breast and bottle, or even between different bottles and MAM,” Sarah says. 

Also good: There’s an anti-colic venting system to reduce the amount of air baby swallows. Sarah does note, however, that these bottles can be tough to clean, despite the wide-neck design. 

“The nipple is flat, which can be tricky, and it’s not as easy to clean compared to bottles that consist of just the bottle, collar, nipple and cap,” she says.  

If you’re planning on pumping, one thing to keep in mind with Mam bottles is that they’re generally not compatible with the most popular electric pumps. So you may need to invest in another set of bottles to use with your pump.

A number of parents in the What to Expect community say Lansinoh's bottles were one of just a few (if not the only brand) their breastfed babies would take. That includes Christine Mattheis, What’s to Expect’s VP, Content, whose pediatrician and lactation consultant both recommended the brand. 

“We tried every bottle known to man, and eventually our daughter took the Lansinoh bottle the day before I went back to work,” Christine says of her 10-week journey to find a bottle. “Ultimately I really liked the Lansinoh bottles not only because Rose would take them, but because they were cheap and very easy to clean.”

In addition to their affordability and ease of use, the Lansinoh bottles have a lot of features to help baby transition from breast to bottle. To start, it is designed so babies can use the same sucking motion that they would during breastfeeding. Also good: These bottles have an air ventilation system that reduces the amount of air your baby swallows, which may make them a good choice for little ones suffering from gas or colic. 

Sarah, whose son preferred Lansinoh bottles, says “I noticed that he seemed more comfortable while drinking from Lansinoh and had much less spit-up.”

Parents also appreciate that Lansinoh bottles are so easy to clean, thanks to their wide neck and gently curved base.

But a word to the wise: Several parents, including Sarah, found the nipple collapses with aggressive sucking, causing major frustration. Sarah discovered that loosening the bottle collar helped significantly.

With a wide, breast-like silicone nipple and base that’s very easy for little fingers to grip, Tommee Tippee Advanced Anti-Colic bottles are consistently referenced as a good choice for breastfed babies. But they also boast a number of excellent features for little ones who may be suffering from gas or colic.

These bottles have a dramatic curved design, which Dr. Resnick recommends to reduce the amount of air that’s swallowed during feedings. The brand’s three-piece anti-colic venting system also helps remove air from milk, while a distinctive star valve keeps milk from traveling up the tube. Many parents say this venting system seems to have helped their babies’ gas and discomfort. Also cool: The anti-colic venting tube also has a built-in heat sensing feature to alert you if your baby’s milk is too hot.

Of course, the downside of any venting system is that there are more pieces to clean. Some parents also find it a little frustrating that the nipples on these bottles can’t be used with the Tommee Tippee’s standard Closer to Nature bottle nipples — so keep in mind while shopping that you can’t mix-and-match the pieces on the brand’s bottles.

This newborn feeding set comes with everything you’d need to get started with your bottle-feeding journey: two 5-oz. and three 9-oz. bottles with slow flow nipples, a travel bottle warmer, a bottle brush, two medium-flow nipples, two formula dispensers, a set of removable handles, two pacifiers and two valve cleaning brushes. If you know your little one likes the Tommee Tippee nipple, you’ll be all set with this kit. 

Some babies have a shallow latch, meaning they don’t take enough breast tissue into their mouth when nursing. In that case, you’ll want to look for a bottle with narrow, pyramid-shaped nipples. Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Anti-Colic Options+ bottles check those boxes — and more.

The nipples on this Dr. Brown bottle mimic a breast shape, but with much less surface area. This makes it easier for your baby to latch and suck, getting the right amount of milk at the right speed.  

Melissa Bykofsy, Executive Editor and mom of two, says her son really struggled to latch when nursing, but took to Dr. Brown’s bottles with ease. She also appreciated the brand's unique (and, dare we say, famous) anti-colic internal vent system, which is designed to preserve milk nutrients and aid in smoother digestion. Although skeptical at first, Melissa did notice changes in both her son and daughter once they started using Dr. Brown’s bottles. 

“We had a lot of issues getting my son to burp after bottle feeding, specifically before a nap or bed, and my daughter had crazy reflux at the beginning,” Melissa recalls. “But I definitely saw improvement  the more we used Dr. Browns’ bottles.” 

Unfortunately, the multi-part vent system adds to the cleaning process. Melissa, and hundreds of What to Expect community members say it’s well worth it. Plus, all the parts are top-rack dishwasher and sterilizer safe, making cleaning easier.

Liz Buxton, Director of Commerce Content Strategy and mom of one, tried several bottles with her daughter but kept encountering the same issue: the nipples were too small, causing her daughter to “chomp down too far and constantly pop [the nipples] off when trying to feed.”

Enter the Evenflo Feeding Balance + Wide bottles. Many moms in the WTE community say their lactation consultants recommended these bottles after noticing their child had a particularly wide latch. The nipple is not only an ideal size for babies with wide latches (wider than Dr. Brown’s but narrower and deeper than Philips Avent, according to Liz), but it’s also naturally sloped to better mimic an actual breast.

Other impressive features include the slow flow rate and a ventilation system, both of which encourage paced feeding.

“My 4-month-old is a voracious feeder prone to chugging. These bottles were the only ones that slowed her down without frustrating her during feeding,” Liz says, adding that she noticed fewer spit-up incidents when her daughter used the Evenflo bottles.

And here’s great news for moms who exclusively pump: You can purchase Balance + Pump Adapters to express milk directly into the bottles, minimizing steps and cleanup.

Pigeon Nursing bottles are made from borosilicate glass, which is highly durable and heat-resistant. Parents say these bottles hold up well over time and feel very substantial. It has a wide neck and gently curved body, which makes it easy for babies to hold and even easier for caregivers to clean. 

In addition to its high-quality material, the Pigeon Nursing bottle has an innovative nipple that’s designed to make it easier for breastfed babies to feed comfortably. Made from supersoft, flexible silicone, the nipple includes a latch-on line to help guide your baby into an optimal latching position. In fact, a number of What to Expect parents report that they originally heard about these bottles from their lactation consultants.

It also has an anti-colic venting system, which is particularly great for gassy babies.. 

Pigeon bottles are a little on the pricey side, although the brand’s plastic bottles are more affordable. Something else to keep in mind: the measurement scale on the side of the bottle uses U.K. ounces — which doesn’t matter too much if you’re offering baby pumped breast milk, but if you use these bottles to formula-feed, too, you’ll need to convert the ounces to make sure you’re measuring out the correct amount of formula.

There’s just something about Comotomo bottles that’s comforting to babies. Made of soft, squishy silicone, older babies in particular love touching these bottles during feedings.

“My daughter fought bottles at daycare really hard until they suggested using the Comotomo bottle because it has a round, soft shape that makes it more breast-like,” says Jeanne Beacom, Sr. Campaign Manager and mom of two.

The nipple on Comotomo bottles is also very well-designed for breastfed babies. It’s soft and wide, and countless What to Expect parents say their breastfed baby has done very well on it. "I think my son liked the shape of the nipple — it's more similar to a breast than on most other bottles," says Robin Hillmantel, Senior Director of Editorial Strategy & Growth at What to Expect. The dual anti-colic vents at the top of the nipples also help release air outside instead of going into your little one’s belly.

I used these bottles with my second baby, and my favorite thing about them was how easy they were to clean. They have a wide mouth and collapsible sides, there are only three parts to disassemble and clean, and all parts are microwave-, dishwasher- and sterilizer-safe. The bottles themselves are also easy to put together and take apart, so you're spending less time making baby's bottle.

At $14 each, Comotomo bottles are definitely on the pricier side. But many parents report that since they’re so easy to clean, you actually need fewer of them. That’s especially true if you’re planning on bottle-feeding occasionally while also continuing to breastfeed.

Comotomo bottles don’t have many downsides, but they’re not the easiest to store, thanks to their very wide neck and round design.