Updated October, 2021
If you have a baby under one, there is a good chance you will need to give them bottles eventually. Even if you plan on exclusively breastfeeding, if you ever want time away from your baby, you will need bottles so they can eat. We ended up with a few different types of bottles, and since we specifically wanted the best glass bottles we could find, I’m starting with those. I have also included some plastic bottles that we likes and a specific brand I would advise you to avoid.
Hands down, my favorite glass bottles are the EvenFlo Classic Twist Bottles. These bottles were easy to clean, compatible with my Medala breast pump AND the Hospital Grade pump I used. I never had any problems with leaking, both of my kids took to the nipples really easily, the works.
Having bottles that could attach to my Medala Breast Pump was super important to me, since, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m lazy. So I pumped straight into these bottles and then would put them into the fridge until I next needed them. Plus, because they are heavier and thus offer weight even when empty, I also found them easier to pump into than the plastic ones that we got. Also, the large bottles hold enough milk that I only had to bring two of them to work and could pump into them all day (specifically as my milk supply dropped off) instead of juggling 6 bottles every day.
I finally broke my first glass bottle when Monster was 10 months old by dropping it in our basement on our tile floor. Before then, through dropping on wood or in our kitchen they had never broken. So they are sturdy. If you are worried about breaking them though, you can always get a bottle cozy to give it a little more cushion. They are a good size for Monster to hold as well.
For those who love convenience, the smooth glass surface was incredibly easy to keep clean. Typically a rinse for fresh bottles and a light wipe down for older bottles before putting them in for boiling was sufficient. This made maintaining a reasonable stock of clean bottles really obtainable.
Truth be told, while I never loved our plastic bottles, we did have them. Specifically, we used the plastic Medala bottles. They came with my Medala Breast Pump, which made them perfectly compatible (I struggled with compatibility when we tried the Aveno bottles). We primarily used plastic bottles when we were traveling or when weight in general was a factor. They are very light and very durable.
One of the obvious perks of going plastic is that you never have to worry about breaking them. I’ve dropped these bottles more times than I can count and honestly it doesn’t matter. They aren’t going to get broken or dented. Not so much as a scratch.
I did find that if milk was in these bottles for beyond just the feeding period, such as for storage or if they aren’t cleaned immediately after eating, you definitely needed to do more than rinse them out. They will need a little scrubbing before they can be boiled.
Although they are plastic, these bottles boiled fine for those who sanitize via boiling (as opposed to a dishwasher). We boil our bottles on the stove after every use and they are no worse for wear.
Also, kind of an unexpected perk, they have little lids for traveling, which I found to be kind of nice. Those lids were oddly not perfectly compatible with my EvenFlo bottles, so you had to be sure to put them on just right, but it’s good for transporting milk.
Accessories
All the pieces that go with my bottles, such as lids, nipples, etc. are all cross compatible so whether I used a glass bottle or a plastic bottle, it didn’t matter. I would highly advise this so you don’t have to mix and match pieces while your little one is hungry. I actually do have three other glass bottles from Avent but I never ended up using them because none of the parts were compatible with my other bottles.
And finally, invest in a bottle brush. Seriously, right now. Get one. Make sure it’s only ever used for your bottles (or water bottles if they only hold water). These make cleaning the long, thin bottles a breeze. Plunge a bottle with this a few times and all the work is done.
Poor Reviews
As a rule of thumb, I try to talk about products I like and avoid bashing products I dislike. However, Dr. Brown’s bottles are so popular, and it’s become such a widely known name, that I feel like I have to put out a word of warning. I’ve worked with hundreds of families around the U.S. and far too many of them have complaints about this bottle. Dr. Brown’s bottles leak. There is no if, and, or but about it. I personally would recommend you stay far, far away from Dr. Brown’s.
