Mimijumi Very Hungry Bottle

Babies who are exclusively breast-fed or transitioning from breast to bottle often refuse to take milk from anything that isn't their mother's breast. The Mimijumi Very Hungry Bottle attempts to solve that problem by creating a bottle that looks and feels like a natural breast, with a wide, textured, flesh-colored silicone cap.

Bottle safe to use and won't crack or break

The Very Hungry bottle is made of BPA-free plastic, so there are no health concerns with the product itself. Because of its construction, this bottle won't crack or break when dropped. There are no parts that would cause a choking hazard.

Easy to clean, challenging to close

Many reviewers like the wide cap-like nipple of the Very Hungry bottle, which seems more proportionate to a mother's breast. The wide opening makes it easy to fill the bottle, resulting in fewer spills. It cleans easily and is dishwasher safe on the top rack.

The biggest complaint from some parents was that the cap is difficult to install, but that problem was sporadic at best.

Non-traditional nipple on top of an interesting-shaped bottle

The main advantage to using the Very Hungry bottle is the shape and design, which mimics a real breast as much as possible. The top of the bottle is also canted slightly, so the nipple is horizontal when the bottle is held in your hand. The bottle itself is at an angle making the milk flow easier. The tip is vented, which helps minimize gas problems with gassy and colicky babies. Some reviewers also really liked the non-slip base, which made removing the cap and nipple easier with just one hand.

The nipple is non-traditional, in that it's larger and wider, actually acting as the cap of the bottle. It's also flesh-colored to mimic a real breast. However, as more than one reviewer points out, that flesh color is Caucasian. At least one African-American reviewer noted that this is not really helpful for her dark-skinned child. The nipples come in three flow rates: slow, medium and fast. There are complaints of the flow rate being too fast, so if that's the problem, you may want to be sure you get a slower flow rate nipple.

The biggest issue with the Mimijumi Very Hungry Bottle is the price. At $15 per bottle, it's one of the most expensive on the market. However, if you're truly using this to supplement breastfeeding and not as a substitute, you'll only need a couple of bottles, which makes the cost of ownership quite low.

The bottom line

Although reviews seem mixed for the Mimijumi Very Hungry Bottle, moms like its realistic appearance and texture, which keeps babies not only from experiencing nipple confusion, but also breast/bottle confusion. The reviews are also lower than they could be because even those whose babies like the bottle complain of the difficulty in putting the cap on. These mixed reviews keep this as a runner up for us, but it's a bottle that is worth it if it prevents nipple confusion.