The Best Baby Bottles of 2023

The Comotomo is available in various colors, and you can also buy a transitional sippy cup spout for the bottle.

How to combine breast and bottle feeding

Once you’ve both got the hang of it, it’s usually possible to offer your baby bottles of expressed milk or formula alongside breastfeeding.

This is sometimes called mixed or combination feeding.

Why combine breast and bottle?

You may want to combine breastfeeding with bottle feeding if you:

• are breastfeeding and want to use a bottle to offer your baby some expressed breast milk
• want to breastfeed for some of your baby’s feeds, but give bottles of formula for 1 or more feeds
• are bottle feeding your baby and want to start breastfeeding
• need to leave your baby and want to make sure they have some milk while you’re away

Introducing formula feeds can affect the amount of breast milk you produce. There is also a small amount of evidence to show babies may not breastfeed as well because they learn to use a different kind of sucking action at the bottle than at the breast.

Introducing formula feeds

If you’re combining breastfeeding with formula feeds both you and your baby can carry on enjoying the benefits of breastfeeding.

If you choose to introduce infant formula:

• it’s best to do it gradually to give your body time to reduce the amount of milk it makes – this helps lower your chance of getting uncomfortable, swollen breasts, or mastitis
• if you’re going back to work, start a few weeks beforehand to give both of you time to readjust
• if your baby is 6 months old or more and can drink milk from a cup, you may not need to introduce a bottle at all

Giving your baby their first bottle

It may take a while for a breastfed baby to get the hang of bottle feeding.

• it usually helps to give the first few bottles when your baby is happy and relaxed – not when they’re very hungry
• it may help if someone else gives the first bottle feeds, so that your baby is not near you and smelling your breast milk
• you might want to try using a different position for bottle and breastfeeding

Breastfeeding more and giving fewer bottles

If you want to start breastfeeding more and give your baby fewer bottles, it’s a good idea to ask your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter for support.

These tips may help too:

• Hold and cuddle your baby as much as possible, ideally skin to skin. This will encourage your body to make milk and your baby to feed.
• Express your breast milk regularly. Expressing releases the hormone prolactin, which stimulates your breasts to make milk. About 8 times a day, including once at night is ideal. It may be easier to express by hand to begin with – your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter can show you how.
• Try bottlefeeding while holding your baby skin to skin and close to your breasts.
• If your baby is latching on, feed often. Do not worry if your baby does not feed for long to begin with. See tips on how to get your baby properly positioned and attached.
• Choose times when your baby is relaxed, alert and not too hungry, and do not force your baby to stay at the breast.
• Decrease the number of bottles gradually, as your milk supply increases.
• Consider using a lactation aid (supplementer). A tiny tube is taped next to your nipple and passes into your baby’s mouth so your baby can get milk via the tube as well as from your breast. This helps to support your baby as they get used to attaching to the breast. Your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter can give you more information.

Help and support with mixed feeding

If you have any questions or concerns about combining breast and bottle feeding:

• talk to your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter
• call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212 (9.30am to 9.30pm, every day)
• find breastfeeding support near you

Video: why combine breast and bottle feeding?

In this video, 3 mothers discuss ways to combine breast and bottle feeding.

Media last reviewed: 14 March 2023
Media review due: 14 March 2026

More in How to bottle feed

Page last reviewed: 30 March 2023
Next review due: 30 March 2026

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The Best Baby Bottles of 2023

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

Comotomo Baby Bottle – 8oz

If you’re introducing a bottle to a baby who has been exclusively breastfed, the Comotomo Bottle is an ideal choice. Read More

Pros

• Leak-proof
• Easy to clean and fill
• Dishwasher-safe
• Mimics a breast

Cons

• No moderated flow
• Difficult to see ounce markings

Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Original Baby Bottle – 8oz

The Dr. Brown’s bottles come with a filter, and the controlled flow allows babies to drink at their own pace. Read More

Pros

• Slow flow
• Dishwasher safe
• Adaptable as baby gets older
• Obvious ounce markings

Cons

• Tough to fill
• Tough to clean
• Loses seal over time

Lansinoh Breastfeeding Bottles with NaturalWave Nipple – 8oz

The bottle shape is easy for an older child to hold, and the nipple shape was fairly easy for our baby to latch onto. Read More

Pros

• Easy to clean
• Easy to fill
• Easy for baby to latch onto

Cons

• Hand washing recommended
• Air bubbles

MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic 9oz Baby Bottle

MAM’s anti-colic technology works well for slowing the flow of milk for young babies. Read More

Pros

• Anti-colic
• Easy to latch
• Easy to clean
• Easy to fill
• Large capacity

Cons

• Very leaky
• Thin, flat nipple shape
• Too many parts

Philips Avent Natural Baby Bottle – 9oz

The Philips Avent had a generic shape that was difficult for our baby to hold himself. Read More

Pros

• Anti-colic
• Easy to fill
• Easy to wash
• Obvious ounce markings

Cons

• Very leaky
• Tough to seal
• Tough to latch onto

Written by Jenni Gritters, a journalist with a decade of experience covering home, outdoor and parenting topics.

Updated August 17, 2023

Feeding your baby takes a herculean amount of effort when you’re a new parent, whether that means breastfeeding, formula feeding with a baby bottle, or a combination of the two.

The choice of which bottle to introduce can feel like a huge decision. Each baby’s unique needs will factor in when figuring out which bottle works best for your baby, but there are some universal bottle qualities that will make your life easier as a parent.

After researching and testing nine of the most popular baby bottles, we found that the Comotomo Baby Bottle (available at Amazon for $22.98) is the best baby bottle on the market. It’s easy to clean and fill, made with a squishy silicone, and has a wide-neck, rounded nipple design that makes latching a fairly easy process for most babies.

For those who with newborns or premature babies (who count for one in ten births in the U.S), we like Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Original Baby Bottle (available at Amazon) which has a variety of nipple sizes to increase flow as your baby ages.

The Comotomo bottle is our favorite of the ones we tested.

• Material: Silicone
• Dishwasher safe: Yes, top rack
• Available sizes: 5 ounce, 8 ounce

If you’re introducing a bottle to an exclusively breastfed baby, the Comotomo Bottle is an ideal choice. Our baby took to the squishy, silicone bottle quickly—compared to other bottles we tested, it came closest to mimicking a breast. After just a day of using these bottles, we immediately added them into our family’s rotation.

The Comotomo bottles are wide-necked, which means they’re easy to fill with refrigerated or pumped breast milk or to mix formula in with minimal spillage. The top of the bottle is easy to open and close, and the silicone nipple pops out for straightforward cleaning, plus there are few crevices for dried milk to get stuck in. We love that this bottle can be put in the dishwasher (top rack), and that it’s microwave safe.

During our leak tests, which involved dropping the bottle (with a cap on) from hip height, letting our 11-month-old shake the bottle, and tucking it into a diaper bag during trips to and from the grandparents’ house, the Comotomo was the best of the bunch.

These bottles are slightly squishy, which means they’re also easier to store than most of their competitors, and they don’t retain that sour-milk smell that can sometimes permeate plastic bottles. With over 17,000 reviews on Amazon and a 4.7 out of 5-star rating, it’s clear that parents agree: The Comotomo bottle is a winner.

The Comotomo is available in various colors, and you can also buy a transitional sippy cup spout for the bottle.

Pros

• Leak-proof
• Easy to clean and fill
• Dishwasher-safe
• Mimics a breast

Cons

• No moderated flow
• Difficult to see ounce markings

Dr. Brown’s bottles are ideal for preemies and newborns.

• Material: BPA-free plastic or glass
• Dishwasher safe: Yes, top rack
• Available sizes: 2 ounce, 4 ounce, 8 ounce

Finding the best bottles for newborns or preemies can be a challenge. If you have a preemie who needs to use bottles from birth, or if you decide to introduce bottles for breast milk or formula from the start, you’ll find that many doctors and NICU professionals recommend Dr. Brown’s Original Baby Bottles. Their slow-flow nipple design, which is purported to reduce colic and spit-up, makes them a favorite.

Dr. Brown’s bottles come with a filter, and the controlled flow rate allows babies to drink at their own pace. As they become more adept at bottle feeding, you can up the nipple size. (Typically you’ll start with a preemie nipple, then graduate sizes every few months.)

Dr. Brown’s bottles are fairly leak-proof, as long as they’re sealed well. (We found that after about six months of using these bottles, however, that there were more rogue drips during car trips.) These bottles don’t mimic a breast, but they’re still fairly easy to latch onto, especially for babies who use bottles from birth.

The tall, skinny configuration of Dr. Brown’s bottle makes them tough to clean. However, the set includes wire cleaners for the filters, and a good bottle brush will make a big difference for getting into all the nooks and crannies. The skinny neck can also make the bottles a bit harder to fill and mix formula in, but they’re not the worst of the bunch. (Many parents opt to use a funnel.)

All of the separate parts—the filter, cap, nipple, and bottle—come apart. Make sure you clean them well or you’ll find bits of formula or dried milk in the crevices, which can lead to a sour smell.

Pros

• Slow flow
• Dishwasher safe
• Adaptable as baby gets older
• Obvious ounce markings