The 10 Best Anti-Colic Bottles
Special Honors
OXO Tot Bottle Brush Cleaning anti-colic bottles can be tricky, especially when they have multi-part venting systems. This dedicated brush from OXO features a large brush head for getting into the main cavity as well as a detailing scrubber, which can get into nooks and crannies. The flexible neck reaches inside bottles of different shapes and sizes, while the nonslip grip stays in your hand when wet. oxo.com
Babylist Bottle Box It can be hard to nail down what's causing colic in your child, but it's possible this box from Babylist can help. It contains five popular bottles to enable parents to try out different selections to see which works best. It includes a Comotomo bottle for infants who switch between bottle and breast, a Nuk Simply Natural that's helpful for transitioning, a Herobility HeroBottle with a double anti-colic system, Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow, and finally, a Nanobébé Breastmilk Bottle, which sports a breast-inspired shape. babylist.com
Editor's Notes
September 01, 2020:
Because colic can be caused by a variety of factors, bottle makers have gotten pretty creative in their quest to develop the most gas-inhibiting designs. For example, the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature combine several features like a breast-like shape, vented, slow-flow top, and soft, silicone nipple that feels like skin to encourage babies to latch properly and eat slowly.
The Philips Avent Beginner Set use a special patented one-piece vent that's removable, so you can choose between a regular baby bottle or an anti-colic bottle. Finally, there's the Boon Nursh Reusable, which do away with vents completely and rely on their pouch design to prevent air from mixing into breastmilk or formula unnecessarily. What works for your baby might surprise you, which is why so many parents run through a few bottle types before they find the best one.
Something many of our choices have in common are designs that mimic the mother to help encourage acceptance and keep baby comfortable and calm. This is also helpful when dad takes over feeding time and can diminish nipple confusion as children transition between breasts and bottles. You'll also find the majority strive to be easy to clean and fill and intuitive to hold. All eschew harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates.
March 17, 2019:
When choosing the best bottle there is no universal right answer and many parents will probably go through a couple of choices before settling on which one works best for their child's individual needs. For some infants a simple angled bottle is all they need to prevent gas while others will require a more extensive venting system, so we included reliable options from many of the top brands, plus a few that are newer to the market. The Dr. Brown's Original comes highly recommended by pediatricians for babies suffering from colic and has been a reliable choice for years. For nursing babies the newer Comotomo Natural feels more like a breast, has dual vents in the nipple, and is incredibly easy to clean.