Baby bottles: which ones babies actually take, and which ones end up given away

You open the cupboard and it’s full of bottles, three or four brands, because you bought whole sets while pregnant. But your baby won’t drink from a single one, or drinks and chokes at every feed. If that’s you right now, or it was you once, it’s not your fault at all. Every baby really does like a different teat.

So this time we compared 6 baby bottles that are actually sold in Thailand, both international and Thai brands. We compared specs, standards and user reviews (to be upfront, we haven’t tested them ourselves yet), then matched each one to the kind of family it suits, so you can buy a little at a time and get the right one.

How to choose a baby bottle without buying the wrong one

Quick Answer: Look at the teat before the bottle, because whether your baby accepts it mostly comes down to the teat. Then look at material, how easy it is to wash and how easy it is to find spare parts.

Photo: PARINDA SHAAN / Pexels

• Teat shape A wide, breast-shaped teat usually suits breastfed babies. A long, narrow teat suits some babies who are used to a pacifier.
• Flow level Start with a slow-flow teat for newborns. If baby chokes or milk dribbles out the corners of the mouth, the flow is too fast.
• Number of parts Bottles with separate vents or valves can help with air, but it also means sitting there washing more parts at 3 a.m.
• Can you buy replacement teats? If you live outside the big cities, choose a brand your local pharmacy stocks. Life gets a lot easier.

Why you shouldn’t buy a whole set before baby arrives

Quick Answer: Because you don’t know yet which teat your baby will accept. Buying 1 or 2 bottles each from different brands to try costs less than one big set from a single brand.

Gift sets do look like good value, with lots of bottles in different sizes, but if your baby rejects that brand’s teat, the whole set is wasted. If it were us, we’d do this:

1. Before birth, buy 1 small bottle each from 2 brands with different teats, for example Avent and Pigeon, or Natur, which is cheaper.
2. After baby is born, see which one baby feeds well from, without choking or getting fussy.
3. Then buy more of the brand that works, and buy the next teat level as baby grows.

Breastfed baby starting on a bottle: which type to choose

Quick Answer: Choose a wide-based, slow-flow teat, like Philips Avent Natural Response or Pigeon SofTouch, and feed in a way that lets baby set the pace.

The NHS approach is to hold baby semi-upright, keep the bottle almost horizontal so milk flows steadily, and let baby latch onto the teat themselves. Pause when baby turns away or slows down sucking. There’s no need to finish the bottle. This helps baby avoid overfeeding and makes switching back to the breast easier.

If you’re still working on breastfeeding, have a read of breastfeeding positions and a good latch and signs baby is getting enough breast milk too.

Are anti-colic bottles necessary?

Quick Answer: Not for everyone. Bottles with an anti-air system, like Dr. Brown’s, may help babies who swallow a lot of air, but they won’t fix fussiness in every case.

Heavy crying in the evening can have many causes, and the bottle is only one of them. If baby burps a lot, spits up often or has a hard tummy after a bottle, there’s no harm in trying a bottle with an anti-air system. But if baby cries for unusually long, it’s better to talk to a pediatrician. Read more in evening crying: is it colic?

PP, PPSU or glass: which suits your home?

Quick Answer: PPSU handles frequent steaming and lasts the longest. PP is cheap and light but needs replacing more often. Glass doesn’t scratch but is heavy and can break.

Material	Pros	Good to know
PP (clear bottle)	Cheap, light	Scratches and goes cloudy fast, replace when scratched
PPSU (amber bottle)	High heat resistance, handles frequent steaming	More expensive
Glass	Doesn’t scratch, stains wash off easily	Heavy, can break, not great for taking out

Whatever the material, the NHS recommends sterilizing feeding equipment until baby is at least 12 months old, and checking teats and bottles for cracks or tears every time.

Washing and sterilizing: which is least tiring?

Quick Answer: Wide-neck bottles with few parts, like Avent, Pigeon and Hegen, are easiest to wash. Dr. Brown’s takes the longest because of the vent tube.

Stand at the sink washing a pile of bottles late at night and you’ll know the number of parts really does affect how tired you get. Bottles that need a small brush pushed through a tube add time to every feed. If you don’t have much help at home, start with an easy-to-wash bottle. It helps a lot.

Talk to a doctor or nurse if…

Quick Answer: If baby chokes at almost every feed, turns blue or struggles to breathe while feeding, or eats so little that they pee less, don’t just switch bottle brands. See a doctor.

• Baby chokes, coughs or breathes noisily during almost every feed, even after switching to a slow-flow teat
• Lips turn bluish, or baby briefly stops breathing while feeding (go to the hospital immediately)
• Clearly fewer wet diapers, or weight not going up at checkups
• Forceful, projectile vomiting after feeds, again and again

One more thing: don’t prop the bottle up for baby to feed alone, or leave baby in bed with a bottle, because baby could choke.

How we ranked

Quick Answer: We compared manufacturer specs, materials, prices from shops in Thailand and user reviews. We haven’t tested them ourselves yet. If we add shop links later, they will be clearly labeled and won’t change the order.

What we weighted more than bottle designs or packaging was a teat that breastfed babies accept easily, and how easy it is to find replacement teats in Thailand. Full details are in how we rank.

The best bottle is the one that makes feeding time a calm moment for both of you. Take your time trying, there’s no rush at all.